In 2007, Wes Dixon gave his teenage girlfriend Kelsey Dixon (@kelseyrileydixon) a cherry tree sapling for their first anniversary. They planted it in his mother’s backyard in Pennsylvania and did what seemed like a sweet but slightly impractical thing: they decided to take a photo with it every year.

They kept that promise for nearly two decades. Through high school graduation, through moving 3,000 miles away, through marriage, through the year they forgot and had to make peace with the gap in the series — they kept coming back to that tree. The annual photo became a living timeline of their relationship, the tree growing taller and wider behind them as they changed too.

Then came the pregnancy photo. Kelsey was expecting twins, and her mother-in-law was keeping an eye on the tree back in Pennsylvania. That’s when she noticed something she’d never seen before in 17 years.

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The cherry tree had sprouted new shoots from one of its roots. Basal sprouts, sometimes called suckers, a cluster of small new growth emerging from the base of the original tree. In nearly two decades it had never done this. It did it the year the Dixons were expecting their first children.

“My mom sends me a picture,” Kelsey narrated in a video posted to her Instagram, “and there’s a little baby tree growing. She pointed out that it’s growing from one of the roots of the main cherry tree.”

The video hit 48 million views. Kelsey and Wes appeared on ABC News and the TODAY show to tell the story. The comment that seemed to capture what people were feeling: “We’re so much more connected to these beautiful living beings on earth than we can even fathom.”

There’s no scientific reason to think the tree knew. Basal sprouting is a normal form of vegetative reproduction for ornamental cherries, triggered by stress, root disturbance, or just the right conditions underground. The timing was coincidence.

But it was a very good coincidence, and the Dixons are not inclined to overthink it. Kelsey has since written a children’s book called “Roots and Wings,” inspired by the tradition and the sprout, and partnered with plant retailer The Sill on a line of trees meant for marking meaningful moments — anniversaries, births, new beginnings.

They also, for the record, skipped 2019. Kelsey said she’s made her peace with it. “I kind of love it now that we missed it,” she told Newsweek. “It’s a good demonstration of imperfection being part of life and relationships.”

The tree is still in the backyard. The baby branches are still growing.

A single door can open up a world of endless possibilities. For homeowners, the front door of their house is a  gateway to financial stability, job security, and better health. Yet for many, that door remains closed. Due to the rising costs of housing, 1 in 3 people around the world wake up without the security of safe, affordable housing. 

Since 1976, Habitat for Humanity has made it their mission to unlock and open the door to opportunity for families everywhere, and their efforts have paid off in a big way. Through their work over the past 50 years, more than 65 million people have gained access to new or improved housing, and the movement continues to gain momentum. Since 2011 alone, Habitat for Humanity has expanded access to affordable housing by a hundredfold. 

A world where everyone has access to a decent home is becoming a reality, but there’s still much to do. As they celebrate 50 years of building, Habitat for Humanity is inviting people of all backgrounds and talents to be part of what comes next through Let’s Open the Door, a global campaign that builds on this momentum and encourages people everywhere to help expand access to safe, affordable housing for those who need it most. Here’s how the foundation to a better world starts with housing, and how everyone can pitch in to make it happen. 

Globally, almost 3 billion people, including 1 in 6 U.S. families, struggle with high costs and other challenges related to housing. A crisis in itself, this also creates larger problems that affect families and communities in unexpected ways. People who lack affordable, stable housing are also more likely to experience financial hardship in other areas of their lives, since a larger share of their income often goes toward rent, utilities, and frequent moves. They are also more likely to experience health problems due to chronic stress or environmental factors, such as mold. Housing insecurity also goes hand-in-hand with unstable employment, since people may need to move further from their jobs or switch jobs altogether to offset the cost of housing. 

Affordable homeownership creates a stable foundation for families to thrive, reducing stress and increasing the likelihood for good health and stable employment. Habitat for Humanity builds and repairs homes with individual families, but it also strengthens entire communities as well. The MicroBuild® Initiative, for example, strengthens communities by increasing access to  loans for low-income families seeking to build or repair their homes. Habitat ReStore locations provide affordable appliances and building materials to local communities, in addition to creating job and volunteer opportunities that support neighborhood growth. 

Everyone can play a part in the fight for housing equity and the pursuit of a better world. Over the past 50 years, Habitat for Humanity has become a leader in global housing thanks to an engaged network of volunteers—but you don’t need to be skilled with a hammer to make a meaningful impact. Building an equitable future means calling on a wide range of people and talents.Here’s how you can get involved in the global housing movement:

Speaking up on social media about the growing housing crisis 

Volunteering on a Habitat for Humanity build in your local community

Travel and build with Habitat in the U.S. or  in one of 60   countries where we work around the globe

Join the Let’s Open the Door movement and, when you donate, you can create your own personalized door 

Shop or donate at your local Habitat ReStore

Every action, big and small, drives a global movement toward a better future. A safe home unlocks opportunity for families and communities alike, but it’s volunteers and other supporters, working together with a shared vision, who can open the door for everyone. 

Visit habitat.org/open-door to learn more and get involved today. 

It wasn’t long ago that a millennial was seen as a college kid that baby boomers chided for being entitled and Gen Xers thought were way too sincere and needed to learn how to take a joke. Today, the oldest millennials, those born around 1980, are now in their mid-40s and have lived long enough to have some serious regrets.

They also have enough experience to take some pride in decisions that, in hindsight, were the right moves. The good news is that at 40 there is still plenty of time to learn from our successes and failures to set ourselves up for a great second half of life. These lessons are also valuable to the Gen Zers coming up who can avoid the pitfalls of the older generation.

The Reddit thread that hit a nerve

A Reddit user who has since deleted their profile asked millennials nearing 40 what their biggest mistakes were at this point in life and they received more than 2,200 responses. The biggest regrets these millennials have are being flippant about their health and not saving enough money when they were younger.

They also realized that the carefree days of youth are fleeting and impossible to get back. So they should have spent less time working and more time enjoying themselves. Many also lamented that they should have taken their education more seriously in their 20s so they have more opportunities now.

The responses to this thread are bittersweet. It’s tough hearing people come to grips with their regrets but the realizations are also opportunities to grow. Hopefully, some younger people will read this thread and take the advice to heart.

Here are 21 of the most powerful responses to the question: “Millennials of Reddit now nearing your 40s, what were your biggest mistakes at this point in life?”

On health and relationships

1. “Not taking care of my hearing, not even 35 and going deaf.” – Kusanagi8811

2. “Not getting healthy earlier.” – zombiearchivist

3. “Staying too long at a job in my 20s, just because it was safe and easy. When I finally got the motivation to leave, ended up with an almost 50% pay boost.” – Hrekires

4. “Thinking that I could and should put myself on the back burner for anything and anyone else.” – lenalilly227

5. “Smoking and not dealing with my sh** the right way.” – Allenrw3

6. “Pining after the wrong person.” – runikepisteme

7. “I turned 40 this year and just started liking who I am. Why the fuck did it take 40 years for self acceptance?” – guscallee

8. “Take care of your f***ing back. Lift with your knees. Sure it’s rad when you grab a fridge by yourself and lift it in the back of a moving truck unaided, but one day that shit is going to have consequences that won’t just magically go away by resting and ‘taking it easy’ for a week.” – GuyTallman

9. “I wish I spent more time with my dad while I had the chance.” –........

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