By Scottie Andrew

It’s back-to-school season in my neighborhood, and the vibes are bittersweet. Parents seem both relieved and heartbroken to share their children with school again, and their kids are bundles of excited nerves who already miss summer. 

Been there, kids. But even if I wasn’t pumped to start waking up early again when August arrived, I always cherished those weeks leading up to the first day of school. It became an annual ritual — going school supplies shopping to pick out the prettiest pencil case. Scrambling to finish the summer reading assignments. Picking out the perfect first-day outfit (or whatever the best version of my school uniform was) to telegraph my personality. I loved the lead-up to that fateful first day back in the classroom as a student. Maybe conflicted parents need their own pretty pencil cases and special outfits to soften their back-to-school blues.

Here are some good things that happened this week.

Austin Steele/CNN

A one-man positivity machine

If you live in Atlanta, you probably know Kevin. He’s a singer, rollerblader and overall delightful local celebrity who lights up our city with positivity and 2000s pop hits. You’ll almost always find him on the Beltline, our popular walking path that connects downtown neighborhoods, offering high-fives to his many fans. His indefatigable joy is infectious (just try not to sing along with him to “No Scrubs” when he points in your direction) and impressive — Kevin covers 300 miles every week! Even in the thick of summer, Kevin’s still zipping by, still giving us Atlantans reasons to smile, sing and keep going.

“I’m not the average rollerblader,” he told CNN. “I’m not the average person. I’m just Kevin.”

Of course, his fans know Kevin isn’t just anyone. In fact, his rollerblading routine is only the latest in a lifetime of unique gigs. 

CNN

A smart plan that could slow Alzheimer’s

A new study offers hope for early-onset Alzheimer’s patients to slow or even improve the progression of their disease. New findings from a team at the University of California, San Francisco, suggest that participants who made intensive lifestyle changes improved their memory, judgment and problem-solving skills. Participants were challenged to stick to a vegan diet, exercise daily and join online support groups for 40 weeks. 

The pillars of the treatment plan sound simple enough — diet, exercise, stress reduction and social support — but the results for some participants were transformative: Tammy Maida, who was diagnosed in her late 50s, is riding her bike and balancing spreadsheets again at age 68. 

“I’m coming back,” Maida told researchers. “An older but better version of me.”

Laura Butz/National Trust

‘Blue dragons’ come back home

Thrilling news for us reptile lovers: The bewitching blue iguana is back from the brink of extinction! The lizards are endemic to the Cayman Islands, but they’ve had a rough go of it in paradise: Habitat loss, hunting and attacks from feral cats and dogs drove their population down to fewer than 25 wild iguanas just two decades ago. So, the National Trust for the Cayman Islands’ Blue Iguana came up with a comprehensive species survival plan — collect eggs from wild nests to ensure they survive, then raise them in captivity for their early life before releasing them back into the wild as adults. All that lizard rearing has worked — over 1,200 of them have been released on the islands in protected areas where these beauties are more likely to thrive.

Hunter Smith-Lihas

They found love in a hopeless place (the airport!)

I’m not a huge rom-com fan, but I love real-life love. And these two have an exceptionally sweet story. 

Hunter Smith-Lihas was a Spirit Airlines gate agent when he crossed paths briefly with John Lihas, a flight attendant for the same airline. Their meet-cute on the gangway was rudely interrupted when Lihas’ plane had to depart, and Smith-Lihas thought he’d never see Lihas again. But a gutsy Facebook friend request, flirty DM exchange and subsequent layover date led to love! The pair, now both flight attendants, took a leap, moved in together and got engaged on a working trip to Puerto Rico. They honeymooned in snowy Paris, flying in first class — finally, they were the ones being waited on! They live in Florida now, working for a new airline, but they’re grateful for that fateful day on the gangway.

“It’s just an overwhelming happiness,” Smith-Lihas told CNN. And now I’m smiling, too!

CNN

One family’s sacrifice saves a boy’s life

This one’s a heartbreaker with a beautiful ending. Two boys, Luca, age 2, and Felipe, just 1 year old, shared a hospital room in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Little Luca (pictured left) was in poor health after receiving a liver transplant, while Felipe remained on the waitlist for a new heart. When Luca’s parents found out their son wouldn’t survive, they immediately suggested to doctors that they donate Luca’s heart — and miraculously, Luca’s heart went to Felipe. 

Now, baby Felipe is getting stronger and healthier every day. The boys’ time together was brief, but their families are forever connected through Luca’s final act that saved Felipe's life.

“I gave him a kiss on the heart and said, ‘Son, give life,’” Luca’s father, Nicolas, told CNN. “And he, like a warrior, kept fighting and made this possible.”

This week on CNN’s 5 Good Things podcast, a pilot surprises his grandmother with the flight of a lifetime. The rivers in this nation are so clean, locals utilize them for their commutes. Plus, this group helps visually impaired people ride bikes through New York City. 

I leave you with this brand-new baby snow leopard, who stumbled into the world with comically oversized paws and the angelic face of a stuffed animal come to life. Click here to watch this cutie seize the day!

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Today’s 5 Good Things was edited by CNN’s Kimberly Richardson and Andrew Torgan.

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