Hi, I'm Willow Belden and you're listening to Out There, the podcast that explores big questions through intimate stories in the outdoors.

Support for Out There comes from Fjallraven, making the outdoors accessible to everyone.

And from GoTena, a device that you pair with your smartphone so you can exchange texts even when there's no reception.

Support also comes from Ecosia, a search engine that uses their ad revenue to plant trees.

By using Ecosia when you search for things online, you'll be helping the environment

without spending any extra time or money.

Just head to Ecosia.co slash out to get started and plant your first tree.

The past year has been tough, really tough.

There was the mass shooting in Las Vegas, the New York City terrorist attack,

the Sutherland Springs shooting, multiple terror attacks in the UK,

the opioid crisis, deadly wildfires in California,

ethnic cleansing in Myanmar, an earthquake in Mexico,

sexual assault everywhere, Hurricane Harvey, Hurricane Irma, Hurricane Maria, and that's leaving

politics out of it altogether.

It's gotten to the point where when I turn on the news in the morning, I instinctively

brace myself for a new catastrophe.

Like every day I assume something terrible will have happened overnight.

And when disaster becomes the norm, it's hard not to feel overwhelmed by how terrible everything

is.

It's hard to see the good in life.

With Thanksgiving coming up, we wanted to share a story that brings a tiny ray of sunshine

into a dark time, a story that reminds us that there is still some good in humanity.

...