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Tense video shows two barbers rushing to save little girl from running into traffic

The heroes say they went into "dad mode" and immediately acted.

@obthebarber/Instagram

Some people step into action without a second thought.

When two barbers noticed a young girl racing by their window and into oncoming traffic, they only had seconds to act. And thankfully, they did without hesitation.

Osvaldo Lugo recently posted a harrowing surveillance video to the Instagram account of his Connecticut-based business, the Look Sharp Barbershop, which shows himself and an employee, Rafael Santana, racing out to scoop up a young girl mere seconds away from bolting into oncoming traffic.

Lugo tells ABC7 that he simply went into “dad mode” the minute he spotted the girl in the shop window, who had escaped her mother at a nearby bus stop. Thank goodness he did, and that he and Santana were able to help the girl reunite with her mom, who seemed “confused and shocked but grateful,” per Today.com.

Even knowing this story has a happy ending, viewers found the footage terrifying, and commended the barbers on their bravery and fast action.

“I can’t believe how long I was holding my breath while watching, even knowing that you both were to save her before she ran into the traffic,” one person wrote.

Another added, “Omg this gave me chills! Thank God you guys saw her & most importantly went into action.”

The East Hartford Police Department also praised Santana and Lugo in a Facebook post, which read:

“Heroic Barbers to the Rescue! Today, we want to give a massive shoutout to the quick-thinking and brave duo, Osvaldo Lugo and Rafael Santana of LookSharp Barbershop.Their swift action saved a little toddler who had escaped from his mother and started moving towards traffic on Main Street. Thanks to them, a potential tragedy was averted, and a family remains whole. We’re incredibly grateful for these everyday heroes among us!”

As for Luca and Santana, their actions aren’t considered anything out of the ordinary. As Santana shared with TODAY.com, “We did this out of love and we’d do it a million times again. We protect and serve our community at all costs.”

It’s never a bad time to share stories like these. But right now, they seem more important than ever.

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Joy

Animal shelter celebrates being empty for the first time in nearly 50 years

The silence coming from a Pennsylvania animal shelter during this holiday week is being hailed "a true miracle."

Adams Count SPCA/ Facebook

So many animals spent Christmas in loving homes.

For the first time in 47 years, the Adams County SPCA met the holidays with silence. Not a creature was stirring—not even a mouse.

Because this year, every kennel was empty. All the animals had either been adopted or reunited with families, thanks to what the organization called a “true Christmas miracle.”

To celebrate, the Adams County SPCA shared a photo of its employees and volunteers smiling alongside all the empty kennels, and thanked the community for its continued support.

“This year we have adopted out 598 animals and reunited 125 strays with their owners! WOW! It has been a busy year!” the post read.

This miracle comes despite the shelter “discouraging” potential pet owners from adopting pets during Christmastime, as there is a long-standing belief that animals adopted during this season as gifts are more likely to be returned weeks later. (TODAY)

While this belief is certainly warranted (there are plenty of tragic stories of Christmas pets being returned once the novelty wears off), studies show that might not necessarily be the case. In fact, a lot of research has found the opposite—that animals given as gifts are far less likely to be returned to shelters.

And to add to that optimism, several people responded to the Adams County SPCA’s post with pictures of their own fur babies adopted from the organization, showing them in happy, healthy homes.

"Happy Jack who was named Briscoe, is excited to hear the great news!"

"Toulouse (adopted 16 years ago) says Meowy Christmas and congratulations"

"Harper was adopted 4 years ago from Adams County SPCA. So grateful for all you do. Merry Christmas!"

The shelter also regularly adds “happy tails” of adopted animals living their best lives, including Bootsie the cat, adopted in November.

As Bootsie's new parents can attest, the sweet feline is “adored” by all, but has been a “game changer” for their autistic daughter, hope.

"Hope cuddles Bootsie when she’s upset instead of having full blown meltdowns, cuddles him and practices her verbal expressions of compassion, love and affection. Thank you so much for all you do!" their post read.

So maybe, just maybe, we can really believe this was a well deserved miracle after all.

But still, the work continues. As the organization explained in a subsequent post on Dec 26th, other overwhelmed shelters in the state have reached out in need of support. Right now resident owner surrenders still take priority, but they are branching out to surrounding counties when able.

In their words: “We are going to do the best we can to help as many animals and people [as] we can.”

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Joy

5 things that will make you smile this week

If you're looking for a little sunshine, we've got you covered.

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Things to make you smile.

Are you looking for something to make you smile? Well, you've come to the right place. Starting off on a positive note can set the tone for the rest of the week. For those who enjoy our weekly 10 things that made you smile this week article, here's an extra dose coming at the start of each week. Now you can find some bright spots to look forward with each passing day!

Mondays can be a drag for a lot of us. Unless you're starting your week on vacation, of course. For the rest of us, we're just trying to get through the work week while keeping our sanity intact. If you're looking for a little sunshine, we've got you covered. Read on…

National Relaxation Day.

Photo by Vu Thu Giang on Unsplash

1. Throw on your most comfortable pajama pants and call your boss.

August 15 is National Relaxation Day. Yes, you heard me right. It's a day dedicated to relaxing and as it's a national day, it should be paid time off right? Well, I'm not sure if that's how it works but it should. In the event that you don't have any PTO days saved and are terrible at faking a cough, you can set your day up to be as relaxing as possible for when you get home from work. Grab some ready-made margaritas from your local grocery store on your way home and do your best to become a human burrito for the rest of the day.

2. Beauty, brains and an uncontrollable tendency to turn green.

"She-Hulk: Attorney at Law" premiers on Disney+ August 18. I love everything Marvel so sign me up. This trailer is amazing. Who wouldn't want a hulk for their attorney? Mark Ruffalo is still The Hulk so no need to get all huffy about the studio changing things. The series looks pretty entertaining, especially if you're a Marvel fan.

Harry Styles

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3. Music brings people together.

How many of us remember screaming at the top of our lungs at our favorite artist's concerts as teens? Heck, some of us still do this as adults. Well, you're in luck if you're a Harry Styles fan. Styles is touring from August 15 through November 15. Now, he may not be everyone's cup of tea but I'm sure there are teen and young adult girls and nonbinary people who would be thrilled to get their hands on some tickets. That's if the shows aren't already sold out.

Photo by Marty O’Neill on Unsplash

4. Roses are red, violets are smelly and no matter what you try, they won't taste like jelly.

I'm sure someone appreciated the bad poetry, and August 18 is the day you should read some of yours out loud. You may be wondering why someone would read bad poetry out loud. It's because it's National Bad Poetry Day! Look, I'm sure someone sits around trying to think of the most ridiculous things to celebrate and through a petition or I don't know, putting it on a super-official-looking website, it becomes a thing. Let's not ask questions. It's the little things in life that bring us joy. Now gather some friends, grab some wine and have a bad poetry reading event in your living room. Some towns even have events just for bad poetry, so see if your town has one. Someone's bound to make you laugh hard enough to pee a little.

5. This one's for the thriller movie fans.

Many people enjoy being scared. They go to haunted houses, prepare for Halloween like it's a year-round event and, of course, watch horror movies. Within the horror genre there are thrillers to really mess with your head to keep you on edge long after the movie has ended, such as "Orphan." The movie is still on enough people's minds after the original was released 13 years ago, so the creepy child looking murderer is returning on August 19. This movie will keep you in suspense and make you walk around filled with anxiety long after. If that's your thing, you'll appreciate the late sequel.

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Innovation

She just landed her dream home and it all started with trading a single bobby pin

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Demi Skipper's 'Trade Me Project' on Instagram.

It’s amazing what you can do with perseverance, optimism and a single bobby pin.

The Today Show recently highlighted the incredible success of 30-year-old Demi Skipper’s “Trade Me Project,” where Skipper documented her 28 trades that landed her the keys to her very own dream home.

And it all started with (you guessed it) a bobby pin. The real crazy part: It happened in the span of just a year and a half.

You might be thinking, “wait, I’ve heard this story before, haven’t I?”

Indeed, Skipper's idea was inspired by Kyle MacDonald, whose initial red paperclip trade landed him a house within a year, back in 2005. He even has a TED Talk about it:

What if you could trade a paperclip for a house? | Kyle MacDonald | TEDxViennawww.youtube.com

I’m fairly certain, though I have no hard evidence to prove it, this is the concept behind a hilarious scene from "The Office," where Dwight Schrute tries to educate us all about “The Art of the Swap.”

Spoiler alert: The swap doesn’t go quite as well for Dwight as it does Skipper and MacDonald.

Dwight's 'Art of the Swap' - 'The Office'www.youtube.com

Since Skipper recorded her bartering journey on Instagram and TikTok, the story of a bobby pin magically transforming into a home—and more importantly, what that represents—has gone mainstream yet again.

The bobby pin led to earrings …

Across social media, Skipper would note which items got swapped, along with their retail value. In this case, something worth a penny got traded for something with a thousand times more monetary value.

… which were traded for glassware …

As we will see, big changes happen as a result of small moments.

… then a vacuum …

Personally I might have just stopped the trading journey here.

… then a snowboard …

Here’s where things really started to rev up.

… eventually she traded for a car …

… and an even better car …

No offense to the Dodge Caravan.

… fast forward to a controversial Chipotle Celebrity Gift Card …

Yeah, some people were not jazzed about this one, and called it her worst trade. To be fair, free Chipotle every day for a year, plus a catered meal for 50, that racks up.

“You’ll be lucky to get $500 for it,” one user wrote.

As it turns out, luck was indeed on Skipper’s side.

… which got traded for this …

Skipper made one Chipotle fan an offer they couldn’t refuse. In exchange, Skipper received an off-the-grid trailer worth about $40,000.

There was one caveat: The trailer would require a drive from Skipper’s home in San Francisco over the border with Canada to pick it up. But I mean, once you’ve made it this far, what’s a few thousand miles?

… and finally, a new home.

And then came the final chapter when a house flipper in Tennessee, who had been following Skipper’s bobby pin saga, reached out showing interest in a trade. One solar-powered trailer for one house.

And it happened on the day after Thanksgiving, no less.

Running up to her new home, a teary Skipper is seen in the TikTok video saying, “This just shows you: it’s possible!”

According to Today, Skipper reports that people have been “overwhelmingly positive” in their response, saying that “people really have doubted me, and I certainly did at times during the journey too. But I learned a lot about myself in the process, and I was really amazed by my ability to stick with it.”

Now what?

Well, first there’s the big move from California to Tennessee. Then, renovation. Followed by … doing it all over again. Skipper revealed her plans to “donate the next house … to a person who needs it, no mortgage, no rental” and that would be the start of a brand new trade journey.

“There’s been a couple of people who have done this once, but no one’s crazy enough to do it twice,” said Skipper.

After hearing this story, I can't help but think of what other amazing things might occur as a result of really working toward something every day.

Or, when viewed from a lens of something other than success, I think about how our world might be changed with the simple commitment of one kind act each and every day.

There are people, like Skipper, who are leading by example. And it certainly makes that first step seem much more doable, whether that’s a bobby pin, a good deed or even a kind word.

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Culture

10 things that brought a smile to our faces this week

Upworthy/Instagram, Buitengebieden/Twitter

Time to celebrate as we head into the holiday weekend! To kick things off, here are ten of the best things we found this week. Kick back, relax, and enjoy these hits of happiness.

1. Watch blind paralympic champion runner David Brown tear up the track in the 100m.

Brown sprints tethered to his guide, Jerome Avery. The rubber finger bands allow Avery to run in exact unison with Brown, guided by his movements. As his guide, Avery calls out potential obstacles and keeps Brown informed of how far he has left to go. The goal is to run as one person. Incredible to watch.

2. Soldier Ethan Houston surprising his mom at the grocery store after being deployed in Germany for two years.

The scream says it all. Probably scared some of the customers at first, but we all get it. It's the ongoing sacrifices of military families and the joy of reunion all wrapped up in 30 seconds.

3. This delightful reminder that little kids are hilarious and deep and have a totally different concept of time than adults do.

Teacher George Pointon shares his year one (kindergarten in the U.S.) students' responses to the question, "If you could travel time, where would you go?" Absolutely delightful answers and analyses. Read the story here.

Photo by Eddie Kopp on Unsplash, George Pointon/Twitter

4. 70-year-old becomes Yankees' bat girl 60 years after being rejected for being a girl

Lifelong New York Yankees fan Gwen Goldman wrote to the general manager of the team when she was 10 years old, expressing her dream of being the team's bat girl. The manager told her she would be "out of place in the dugout." But times change, thankfully, and Goldman got to fulfill that dream this week. Read the full story here.

cdn.upworthy.com

5. A woman lost her dog two years ago. When she went to a shelter to adopt a new puppy, there he was.

Aisha Nieves's beloved dog Kovu had been missing for two years, and she assumed he was gone forever. But when she went to an animal shelter looking for a new pup to adopt, she noticed a dog that looked like Kovu. Then she saw the scar over his eye and knew it was him. "He was screaming, trying to get away from the guy holding him and run to me," she told The Morning Call. Then, he just jumped on me, and we started kissing and hugging." Gulp.

6. The best beauty hack and most adorable positive affirmation influencer you'll ever see.

"I wook so cute" should be everyone's mantra when they look in the mirror. And look how responsive she is to her mommy's comments. Maybe we should all get ourselves "sticked up," as she seems to be onto something here.

7. Speaking of adorable, this puppy being overtaken by sleep despite trying his best to fight it is just too much.

Are we all feeling this at the end of a long week? Soooo tired, but refuse to sleep because we don't want to miss anything. (Definitely need to have the sound up for this one. We feel you, dawg.)

8. This story of a BLM flag being torn starts on a down note, but ends with a beautifully uplifting message.

The Millers weren't terribly surprised to find their Black Lives Matter flag vandalized, but an anonymous neighbor who bought them two replacement flags left a note that restored their faith. "I saw it as a chance to remind you, remind myself, remind vandals and kind people alike that you can't tear away someone's humanity, you can't tear away their pride, you can't tear up love and compassion and good hearts the way you can tear up the fabric." Read the full story here.

assets.rebelmouse.io

9. A homeless artist was discovered, and Oprah surprised him by buying one of his paintings for $5000.

Richard Hutchins has a heck of a life story, from having his art studio burn down to spending time in jail (where he made paintings on the backs of envelopes, using Skittles for paint) to living on the streets of Los Angeles. With the help of Charlie Rocket, he's been rocketed into artistic fame and success. This video of Oprah surprising him is just pure delight.

10. This incredible reminder of the power of art to shift our perspectives and help us see the world in a whole new way.

Human beings are simply amazing, and few things make that as apparent as art. The things we can conjure up in our imaginations and share with the world never cease to amaze.

Regardless of what's happening in the world, there are always stories big and small that can bring a smile to our faces and a moment of peace to our hearts. You just have to know where to look for them—and hopefully, we're making that search a little easier.

And just for funsies, here's a bonus boost of adorableness:

Why is that puppy the cutest thing ever? Why?

Enjoy the long weekend if you get one, and keep seeking joy, everyone!

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Heroes

The 10 happiest things we saw this week

Rex Chapman/Twitter, Felix Gretarsson/Instagram, Upworthy/RudyWillingham/Instagram

Every day, people are being amazing in large and small ways. When headlines get you down, you need a little boost of humanity's awesomeness to remind you that things aren't as bleak as they can seem. Here are 10 of this week's best examples of people being awesome.

1. Felix Gretarsson, the man who received the world's first full double arm and shoulder transplant, is making incredible progress.

Doctors expected might have feeling near his elbows after a year. It's been less than six months, and he's already able to move his bicep voluntarily and has feeling as far down as his forearms. Read his amazing story here.

Felix Gretarsson/Instagram

2. Rudy Willingham is making the world a little more delightful with perfectly placed stickers and paper cutouts.

How fun is this?

3. Sarah Cunningham shares how she started giving #FreeMomHugs to people in the LGBTQIA+ community and launched a movement.

Many LGBTQIA+ people aren't embraced by their families when they come out. Sarah Cunningham's warm heart offers a beacon of love and hope for Pride month.

4. An anonymous donor whose great-grandfather enslaved people gave a six-figure inheritance to a Black-led nonprofit.

The grad student got a big inheritance on their 25th birthday, and when they found out how the family's wealth was built, they decided to do something about it. Read the whole story here.

Change Today, Change Tomorrow/Instagram

5. This dad's unbridled joy—and impressive acrobatics— at his kid's graduation.

Everyone needs a cheerleader with this much enthusiasm in their lives.

6. A 17-year-old yeeted a mama bear off a wall in her backyard with her bare hands.

The "Oh No" soundtrack and the fact that no parties were seriously harmed make this absolutely wild story a happy one. (But yes, don't try this at home, kids.)

7. A reporter was doing a story on animal shelters and got adopted by the sweetest doggo ever.

How could anyone say no to this? Is there a heart melting emoji?

8. Speaking of dogs, Tornado the service dog is making a huge difference in this 5-year-old autistic boy's life—and his mother's.

Dogs really can be incredible friends to humans.

9. When a neighbor sees a need and steps up to meet it unasked, a community thrives.

This neighbor saw kids playing volleyball without a net in an empty lot. So he brought out a net and the neighborhood kids all pitched in to get it set up. Caring community at its best.

10. Doorbell camera captures kids returning a wallet they found in someone's driveway.

"I'm just going to put it over here so no one takes any money." Honesty. Integrity. Helpfulness. Someone has taught these kids so well!

Good things are happening everywhere, all the time—we just need to look for them. Hope this happiness round-up helps you end the week on a positive note!

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7 things that made us happy this week

We work hard at Upworthy to bring you humanity at its best to counter all of the negative stories that get far too much attention. As part of that commitment, we've started making lists of the positive news stories we come across each week that make us especially happy.

Some of them have been shared on our platform, while some we didn't quite have the time to get to, but still believe they deserve some attention.

1. Cranes are returning to Ireland for the first time in 300 years

The crane is an important figure in Irish folklore but sadly has been missing from the country for three centuries. Over the past two years, a few have reappeared during mating season and ecologists hope they will re-establish their population.

2. School bus driver says kindergartners' relentless questioning made armed hijacker let them go

A school bus driver in South Carolina was honored for thwarting an attempted hijacking. However, he says the true heroes are his kindergarten passengers who peppered the hijacker with relentless questions.

3. Sister memorializes her deceased brother with Masters dissertation

Molly Schiller lost her brother six years ago to a heart condition. She just submitted her Masters dissertation researching the condition that took him from her.

4. Marcus Rashford: British soccer player becomes youngest to top Sunday Times Giving List

via Wikimedia Commons

Manchester United's Marcus Rashford, 23, was honored for successfully lobbying the UK government to continue providing free school meals during the coronavirus lockdown. He has since formed a child poverty task force, linking up with some of the nation's biggest supermarkets and food brands.

5. This is what inclusion looks like

Kudos to Tumble Activity for giving disabled people what they deserve. All spaces should be designed and built with different abilities in mind.

6. A Sikh man becomes the first fan ever inducted into the NBA Hall of Fame

Toronto Raptors superfan Nav Bhatia's name was immortalized over the weekend when he joined the ranks of Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, and Wilt Chamberlain in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Bhatia became the first fan ever inducted because for being a wonderful example of how sports can bring people together.

7. Boy gets 3D-printed hands, grips bottle for the first time

Thanks to a 3D printer, 11-year-old Gavin Sumner can grip and hold things for the first time in his life. He looks pretty happy about it.

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