The Optimist: The un-celebrity president: Jimmy Carter shuns riches, lives modestly in his Georgia hometown & more stories that inspire 19AUG18

(Photo by Matt McClain/The Washington Post)

The un-celebrity president: Jimmy Carter shuns riches, lives modestly in his Georgia hometown

Thirty-seven years after leaving office, Jimmy Carter, 93, still bypasses the wealth and perks that flow so freely to other former presidents.

By Kevin Sullivan  •  Read more »

Listen to music composed to calm stressed-out shelter dogs A big-time songwriter and music producer once worked with the Supremes and the Temptations. Now he makes music played at shelters nationwide. By Duncan Strauss  •  Read more »

A woman found human ashes in a novelty she bought at Goodwill. Her daughter went searching for the rightful owner. The woman realized she'd mistakenly bought the ashes, and she asked her daughter: Should I bury them or take them to a river? Instead, her daughter posted a photo on Facebook. By Allison Klein  •  Read more »

New Jersey police rescued this bride from atop a car stranded in floodwater "Unfortunately due to the quickly rising floodwaters, this bride, her new husband and wedding party friends, got a rough start on things," posted the Bogota Police Department on its Facebook page. By Allison Klein  •  Read more »   The Lily NASA took away Jeanette Epps’s chance to make history. Now, she’s focused on inspiring the next generation. ‘I didn’t just wake up doing this stuff’ By Madhvi Ramani  •  Read more »   The night Aretha Franklin brought the nation’s first black president to tears President Obama, who mourned Franklin's death Thursday, once grew emotional listening to the Queen of Soul belt out "Natural Woman" at the Kennedy Center. By DeNeen L. Brown  •  Read more »   Californians rally around couple who allegedly started deadly Carr Fire: ‘It could have happened to any of us.’ Hundreds of notes of support have poured in, as residents say, “Please don't blame yourself." By Allison Klein  •  Read more »

Study: When a city’s trashy lots are cleaned up, residents’ mental health improves When empty spaces in Philadelphia were cleaned up, there was a significant jump in overall mental health for nearby residents, particularly for those struggling economically. By Mary Hui  •  Read more »

The Lily The sisterhood behind Oprah and Ava DuVernay’s hit show, ‘Queen Sugar’ Behind the scenes, Ava DuVernay exemplifies how to find, hire and foster new or underutilized talent By Macy Freeman and Ashley Nguyen  •  Read more »