Today’s Solutions: April 16, 2026

As the old saying goes, “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” In this week’s Thankful Thursdays prompt, we are expressing gratitude for educators! Virtual teaching during the pandemic has put an even brighter spotlight on the critical role of educators in our society, so it’s time to send them our thanks. 

Thankful Thursdays prompt #3: Write a letter of gratitude to a teacher, educator, or mentor you appreciate. 

We can all think of a teacher that has changed our lives. That could be a school teacher or professor, or perhaps a mentor, counselor, or coach. You can also write a letter to your children’s teacher or a friend who is an educator. Your letter can include favorite projects and activities you have done together and lessons and insights you have learned from them. Let them know how their dedication, creativity & kindness affects your life & interactions.

This is the third installation of our Thankful Thursdays series, a collaboration with Lost Art of Love Letters and Santa Barbara Response Network. Each Thursday, we will share a gratitude prompt from Lost Art of Love Letters to help you dive deeper into who and what you are grateful for.

Lost Art of Love Letters, started by artist Sondra Weiss, encourages everyone to practice creative letter writing on a wide variety of topics from mental wellness, social justice, and environmental protection to gratitude and self-love. Love letters from her project have made their way to museums, galleries, aquariums, and even the Climate Action Summit at the United Nations where environmental letters written by global youth were read to world leaders. 

Want to learn more about Thankful Thursdays and Lost Art of Love Letters? Check the video below from Sondra Weiss and share pictures of your love letters with us on social media @optimistdaily and @lostartofloveletters with #ignitecaring.

Solutions News Source Print this article
More of Today's Solutions

Why Western scientists are turning to Indigenous knowledge

BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM Marco Hatch describes his own work with characteristic dry humor: "I'm a glorified clam counter." What he's actually ...

Read More

The science of why you keep falling for the same type of person

BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM Most people have a type. Ask them to describe it and they will, with varying degrees of self-awareness: ...

Read More

Representatives from 185 countries establish the Global Biodiversity Framewor...

Amid mounting worries about the health of our planet's ecosystems, delegates from 185 countries gathered on Thursday, August 24th in Vancouver, Canada, for the ...

Read More

UK announces groundbreaking ‘Flee Funds’ scheme for domestic abus...

The UK Home Office is taking a significant step forward in the fight against domestic abuse by launching a £2 million (just over $2.5 ...

Read More