LULU GARCIA-NAVARRO, HOST:
OK, happiness alert. It's been, to say the least, a pretty volatile newsweek filled with foul language, health care cliffhangers and, of course, angry tweets from the president targeting members of his own administration and party. So we thought we should bring you just a little bit of pure joy. Our friend Sam Sanders hosts the It's Been A Minute podcast. Check it out. And each week, he ends his show with something that I think is just kind of wonderful. Sam joins us now to explain. What are we about to hear, Sam?
SAM SANDERS, BYLINE: Yeah. So for years now, on my Facebook page, every Friday, I post a note basically saying, what's the best thing that happened to you all week? Please brag. And so as we made the new show, the new podcast, we said, well, what if we did that but in the podcast? So we put this call out to our listeners every week. And we ask them to send us the sound of their own voice telling us the best part of their week. And this is a wonderful, nice way for people to be happy in the midst of new cycles that feel so not happy.
GARCIA-NAVARRO: Not happy, indeed. All right, let's take a listen.
LONNIE: Hey, Sam. This is Lonnie. And I'm with my almost 10-year-old daughter, Mary Grace.
MARY GRACE: Hey Sam.
LONNIE: So the best thing that happened to us this week is...
MARY GRACE: I went to camp for the very first time.
LONNIE: And not only did Mary Grace go to summer camp, but it was actually the camp that I used to go to when I was a kid, which, as a dad, just gives me all the feels.
MARY GRACE: It was pretty awesome.
TYLER: Hey, Sam. Tyler here. My best thing that happened this week was watching my twin 6-year-old boys take first and third in their city dive competition.
MEG: My dog, who has had a paw injury, has stopped limping.
RYAN: My son Max turned two years old.
KAREN: My six friends and I went on our 27th Annual Girls Weekend.
ARIELLE: I'm moving in with my girlfriend of two years. And I'm just so excited to be starting to build our home together.
CAITLIN: I got to host my little sister's baby shower. And I'm just so excited to welcome my first nephew in September.
LAUREN: Hi, Sam. This is Lauren. Today, I actually just took the GRE. And I did really, really well on it.
SANDERS: Wow.
LAUREN: Which means that I get to go to grad school.
SANDERS: Congrats.
GARCIA-NAVARRO: Congrats. Aw, that's so lovely.
LAUREN: I can't tell you how much work I put in to this. And I'm just over-the-moon happy right now. I hope you have an amazing rest you week and a great weekend. Thanks a lot. Bye.
SANDERS: So you heard from Lonnie and Mary Grace, Tyler, Meg, Ryan - not Meg Ryan - two different people. Karen, Arielle, Caitlin, and Lauren, who nailed the GRE. Congrats.
GARCIA-NAVARRO: Congrats, indeed. Those were the voices of listeners from It's Been A Minute, NPR's new podcast rounding up the news and culture of the week, hosted by our very own Sam Sanders. A reminder that there are still great things happening in the world every day. Got to focus on the good. Thanks so much, Sam.
SANDERS: Thank you, Lulu.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
