Dear #Positivity Friends,
Every October, people from all over the world descend on New England to ogle the fall foliage. And for good reason! The landscape is literally glowing with color and a drive down a country road feels like you’re inside a kaleidoscope of every shade of red, yellow, and orange you can imagine. If you catch it at the right moment (“peak foliage” is what the veteran “leaf peepers” call it) it really is a spectacular sight—essentially the planet’s flashiest grand finale before the curtain comes down for winter.
Understandably distracted by this fancy show, it’s easy to forget that what you’re really seeing is nature taking proper care of itself. As the temperature drops in autumn, leaves stop producing chlorophyll, which causes them to change from green to their dazzling natural colors. Once they die and drop to the ground, the leaves break down and become a kind of sponge that will provide critical nutrients and water to trees and plants in the months to come. As those old leaves feed the trees in the spring and summer, the trees’ new leaves prepare for their star turn in the fall. Yep, that’s the circle of life.
Let’s tip a pumpkin latte to this old earth, which never fails to amaze and inspire us. And send me photos of your fall foliage if you’ve got any—we don’t see much of it here in Florida!
As always, I hope that you are enjoying my newsletter. If you miss any edition, you can find it on my website. Pass this newsletter along and encourage your family and friends to sign up.
With hope and positivity,
| |
Do you want to get growing? Become a member of Neighborhood Farms USA® and you’ll get hot gardening tips from our master gardener, free design plans for indoor and outdoor gardens, and a monthly newsletter loaded with scoop about planting, growing, and harvesting your own food. Your membership will help support our mission to promote community gardening that supports health, wellness, and nutritional education in neighborhoods across the country. Go to the Neighborhood Farms USA website to join today!
| | | |
The Oyster Shell Solution | Today, oysters are a beloved culinary delicacy. Tomorrow, they just might be what your new office building is made of. Not long ago, London-based architect and designer Mooka Srisurayotin found herself wondering what use could be made of the large quantities of oyster shells she noticed being discarded by restaurants. She discovered that oyster shells have the same chemical composition as limestone, a primary ingredient of concrete. After two years of research, she unveiled Oyster[Crete], a sustainable alternative to traditional concrete that she hopes will become a viable building material in large-scale construction projects. Besides being a great way to repurpose this abundant waste product, Oyster[Crete] takes significantly less carbon dioxide to produce than regular concrete. Win-win! | |
Making Money and Doing Good | |
Julian Lin, a nine-year-old entrepreneur from New York City, has his own tagline: “Make Money: Do Good”—and he does a lot of both. For the last few years, he has been raising money for charities by hosting neighborhood lemonade stands in the summer and hot cocoa stands in the colder months. He gained national attention in 2023 when two teenagers robbed his lemonade stand of a couple of hundred dollars. His story went viral and donations started pouring in, including a $10,000 donation from hot cocoa maker Swiss Miss that enabled him to personally deliver a big donation to Utah’s Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, his favorite charity and the nation’s largest no-kill shelter for companion animals. Known to his neighbors as “Julian Business Man,” the passionate fourth-grader says: “It’s very satisfying to make money so I can do good things for people who don’t have money, like homeless people and people who are hungry. And dogs who need a home.” | |
If you happen to be red-green color vision deficient (a.k.a. colorblind) and want to see the brilliant hues of the fall foliage, you should head straight to Virginia. All 43 of the managed properties of Virginia’s state park system feature viewfinders with special lenses that expand the range of visible colors for colorblind people who normally see reds and greens in dull, often indistinguishable tones. Matt Wells, director of the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, says: “We’re proud to play a role in opening up a world of vibrant color for colorblind individuals to experience nature like never before.” | |
NEW RELEASES!
FREE #Positivity® Wallpapers Available Now!
| |
As a thank you for being a member of our community, we're excited to offer exclusive access to our FREE #Positivity® digital wallpaper.
Simply click the button below to enjoy this unique collection of backgrounds on your desktop, tablet or phone!
| |
Tip of the Month
In the real estate biz, patience truly is a virtue. Because your equity grows gradually, you need to be disciplined enough to hold onto your properties for the long term in order to see substantial returns.
| |
Check Out Our Web Series
Moshe is passionate about highlighting small businesses and what makes them unique, successful, and fun.
| |
Follow #MosheMeansBusiness on FB and Instagram for more tips! | |
|
The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy
Here’s a delicious recipe: Take four quirky characters, add some lively adventures and provocative conversations, then top with dozens of whimsical illustrations. Now savor the memorable life lessons you learn with them on their journey of discovery. British author Charlie Mackesy introduces us to a boy, a mole, a fox, and a horse, each with their own difficulties and fears, who work together to find their way and come out the other side with friendship and love. In a time of uncertainty, readers of all ages will take heart in every gem of hope and inspiration to be found in these pages.
| |
If you like our #Positivity® Newsletter...You’ll Love Our Podcast, Common Denominator. Each week, I have inspiring conversations with great thinkers. | |
|
Moshe returns to the hot seat to discuss how the upcoming presidential election will affect the real estate market, and the pros and cons of assisted living vs. workforce housing vs. commercial real estate. | |
Catch up on previous episodes:
- How To Stop Being Average with Michael Bernoff
- How Becoming More Magnetic Will Change Your Life with Jim Curtis
- Former FBI Agent Opens Up About 9/11, Israel-Gaza, and Trump Assassination Attempt with Jim DiOrio
| |
Spreading #Positivity®
Thank you, readers, for sending us your photos with your comments. We are so excited that you are helping spread a positive message everywhere you go! Let’s keep spreading #Positivity® together! Send us your photos and stories to info@moshepopack.com and include your name and social media handle. We will feature them in the next newsletter and on Facebook!
| | | | |