I appreciated this Instagram post as a reminder that happiness or a happy ending does not necessarily mean getting what you wanted. When faced with challenges, I experience the most growth not by everything working out as I had hoped, but often by accepting situations and people just as they are. Acceptance also helps me discover a better, more resilient version of myself, one with a greater capacity to face obstacles. Some of the other possible happy endings listed are: finding yourself again, making new connections, and trusting yourself to take the next steps. — CD

Tom Rosenthal wanders London's parks with a simple mission: find someone sitting alone on a bench and ask if they'll chat for his podcast, his podcast "Strangers on a Bench." He keeps his guests anonymous - no names, no workplaces. Listening to a few episodes hammered home the realization that there's no such thing as an ordinary life. — MF

If you're finding that using quotation marks no longer returns exact phrase matches on Google, here's a workaround: After conducting your search, click on "Tools" under the search bar, then click on “All Results” and choose “Verbatim”. This will display search results that match the exact phrase you entered. — CD

The next big step after installing solar panels on your roof is to install big batteries in your garage. That way you can manage your power better and have plenty on hand during power outages. The slickest off-the-shelf solution is a Tesla Powerwall. The non-Tesla alternative we went with is about the same price ($12,000 per 13 kwh) and capacity, but with a slightly longer warranty. We installed two Franklin lithium iron phosphate batteries, the standard composition for homes. Instead of feeding our electrons back into the grid at a low price, we get to use all the energy we produce during evenings and nights, and for charging our electric car. And during storms, we keep the lights and refrigerators on. Franklin is a complicated system installed by pros. For the true do-it-yourselfer who wants the cheapest possible home battery system, go to BigBattery.com to get your gear. — KK

In 1987, my wife Carla and I launched Boing Boing, a zine exploring cyberpunk sci-fi, indie comics, and fascinating oddballs. It evolved into a blog with contributions from our journalist friends, covering technology, culture, politics, and wonderfully weird discoveries. After 20 years of increasing ad dependence, we're excited to offer an ad-free premium version that's so much cleaner. Recomendo readers get 25% off their first year – I hope you'll check it out! — MF

This all-in-one package tracking page will be particularly useful during the holiday season. It allows you to track up to 40 packages from over 2,500 different carriers worldwide. — CD

An artist I follow on Instagram is Andy Thomas. He creates these very whimsical, hard to explain animations of fantasy shapes. He says he does not use AI. They appear to be half biological, half algorithmic creations and are unlike anything I’ve seen. I like their energy. — KK

This titanium quick-release keychain is built like a tiny tank with a clever ball-bearing collar mechanism. I use it to separate my house key from a carabiner that's clipped to my shoulder bag. It takes deliberate action to detach (no accidental separations), yet disconnects smoothly when you want it to. Here's a photo so you can see how small it is. — MF

For a riveting multi-cultural experience, watch Pachinko, now streaming on Apple+ (2 seasons). It’s a multi-generational saga of a Korean family migrating from their peasant roots, into second class persecuted citizens in Japan and eventually striving for overachievement in the US. They switch between three languages, so Korean subtitles are in yellow, Japanese in blue, none for English. The depictions of everyday life are very authentic, with high realism, and first class productions, but the story is still a Korean drama. — KK

Messages for Life are short, inspirational emails that have been brightening my days. They arrive only on weekday mornings and always contain a positive message, like reminders to slow down, relax, celebrate yourself, and play. These messages convey a lot of wisdom in a very natural and relatable way. They feel like love letters from the Universe. — CD

Remember how awful the Battleship board game was? This solitaire online version is nothing like that. Think Sudoku with boats, with a dash of Minesweeper thrown in.. Instead of random guessing, you use logic to figure out where ships are hiding. — MF

I discovered barberries through a friend who praised their nutritional benefits, especially their berberine content. The dried berries I bought look like tiny, dark red raisins but pack an intense tartness - think nature's Warheads. They make a perfect tangy addition to salads, yogurt, and cereal. — MF

I recently came across a Reddit thread that asked, “What’s your ‘I can’t believe other people don’t do this’ hack?” Here are some tips I had never heard of before:

• I have a keyboard shortcut on all my devices where @@ automatically enters my email address.

• When you're cleaning up "goopy" stuff that can't be absorbed, use two flat stiff things like the edge of two pieces of cardboard and literally scoop it up.

• I am shocked at the number of people that don’t put their sheet sets in the matching pillow case for storage until use. It keeps it all together!

• Clean out your fridge before grocery shopping! Eliminates mystery Tupperware and always reminds you of something you need to pick up.

• When tech stops working and you need to “turn it off and back on again”, turn it off, and ALWAYS wait 10-15 seconds or more before turning it back on. This allows the capacitors inside holding the memory bits to fully discharge, and it allows the device to fully reset fresh.

• 2 colour matched £10 flower bouquets combined are normally more varied and bigger than a £20 bouquet.

Check out the entire thread here. — CD

I am working on a new book of my photography that has all the images arranged by color. That arrangement is surprisingly compelling and unleashes all kinds of new joys. This has made me very attentive to the idea of following a color. Rob Walker publishes a fantastic newsletter devoted to noticing things, called The Art of Noticing, and recently featured the concept of color walks, where you follow colors while walking, as a way of amplifying your ability to notice things. It really works. — KK

Vorfreude means “the pleasure of anticipation.” I learned it from Jono Hey’s excellent Sketchplanations newsletter. “The magic of vorfreude lies in how it stretches out the pleasure of any upcoming event or experience,” writes Jono. “Once I hit 'Confirm' to book a trip, it kicks off joy for months whenever I think about the trip.” — MF

I’ve long carried a mini-pharmacy in my daypack, packed with small doses of common over-counter medicines for occasional use. Mosts are used to supply my companion travelers. I recently upgraded to a very compact container that takes up almost no room. The Portable Travel Pill Box ($4) can hold 10 different medicines, which I label with dosages. It is very handy, and goes with me everywhere my bag goes. — KK

NPR’s Stress Less newsletter series shares actionable strategies to reduce stress and increase joy. This series, based on a resilience course created by psychologist Judith Moskowitz, teaches eight strategies to boost your day-to-day well-being. 

The 8 skills to manage stress are: 

• Positive events: Notice when positive things happen in your life

• Savoring: Relish the positive things in your life

• Gratitude: Appreciate what brings you happiness

• Mindfulness: Focus on the present moment without judgment

• Positive reappraisal: Find the silver lining 

• Self-compassion: Be kind to yourself

• Personal strengths: Recognize your unique abilities

• Attainable goals: Make plans that set you up for success

The series launched on September 30, and I am currently on week 2 of the 5-week program. However, you can sign up for the Stress Less newsletter at any time and access the archived issues, as well as the upcoming weeks, if you subscribe now. — CD 

I’ve learned that ChatGPT and other chatbots are often more useful when you ask them to help you write your prompt. For example, instead of asking “Write an action-item list for planning a trip to Kyoto next fall,” ask “I’m taking a trip to Kyoto next fall. Write a prompt I can use to ask you to create an action-item list.” — MF

Difftext.com is an online tool that quickly finds the differences between two blocks of text. You can copy and paste text or drag in files, and it will highlight the differences in plain text, markdown, or code. There have been many times in the past when I wished I had something like this, so I was very happy when Recomendo reader Spencer Smith shared it. — CD

An Instagram artist I enjoy following is Adam Hale. His Daily Splice artfully spans photography, collage making, photogramery, gifs, cut outs, video clips, mash ups, and other visual experiments. — KK