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10 things that made us smile this week

10 things that made us smile this week

From dedicated dads to delightful donkeys, here are some reasons to smile.

We can all use more reasons to smile, and thankfully there is no shortage of them. Here we've gathered ten snippets of delight, joy, and hope to help you sail into the weekend with a happy heart.

Enjoy.


Good dog becomes VERY concerned when his owner jumps into the lake.

Don't worry, hooman, I come save you! The way the doggo went around to get into the water instead of jumping in leads me to believe maybe it was even a little scared to go in. But doggone it, there was a life to save! Sweet puppers.

Yikes on bikes, this kiddo is a great little actor.

First of all, fun costume. Second of all, the kid is ALL IN. Terrifyingly good.

Love this dad teaching his daughter a tricky skateboarding move.

Three cheers for awesome dads.

Speaking of skating, how often do we see a news anchor reporting WHILE skateboarding?

You just know this guy has been waiting for the opportunity to show off his skating skills his whole broadcast news career. Congratulations, dude!

Librarians are superheroes and this "Tough Topics" guide proves it.

Some people don't want to go up to a librarian and ask where to find a book about [fill in somewhat embarrassing/stigmatized/uncomfortable topic here]. This "Tough Topics" guide uses the Dewey decimal system, so it's actually universal to all libraries.

This donkey adores this human and it's so dang cute.

I love you. I love you. I loooovvvveee yoooouuuu. (Could live without kissing a donkey's nostril, but that's just me.)

This flower carpet in Belgium is absolutely stunning.

Every other summer, volunteers create an elaborate flower carpet in the center square of Brussels. 500,000 Dahlias and Begonias went into this carpet, which was made in 2018. Absolutely stunning.

Miles Bonham is a wickedly talented 5-year-old.

It's the zoom-in on the sippy cup that really drives the point home here. This kid is incredible. Read more about Miles and his musical talents here.

Kind kiddo gives his coat to a classmate who he noticed didn't have one.

Click the right arrow to see the sweet message from the kid's teacher. What a stand-up little guy!

The Rock is every parent with a kid in the backseat singing a neverending song.

Hilarious. We parents have alllll been there. But this patience is impressive, and the encouragement he gives his daughter despite having endured the same song over and over and over and over is just so sweet. Read more about The Rock singing along with his kiddos here.

Hope that brightened up your week! Tune in again next weekend for more reasons to smile.

Carsten Vollrath/Canva

Imagine watching your four-tier wedding cake hitting the ground before you even get a bite.

It's quite common for people to fantasize about their wedding day—the ceremony, the bridal party, the dress, the cake—and some people spend months or even years meticulously planning every detail. People even spend thousands of dollars hiring wedding planners to make sure that the big day stays fully organized and all the moving parts come together without a hitch.

But no matter how well you plan, sometimes things that simply can't be predicted happen. And how you and your beloved handle the hitches and glitches on your wedding day can say a lot.

Especially when that hitch or glitch is something major…like watching the beautiful, four-tier wedding cake—the one you spent time choosing and lots of money creating to share with your wedding guests—come crashing to the ground right in front of you.

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Wholesome 'Old Biker Dude' goes from zero followers to modern day social media sensation

Emmett's sweet travel and cooking videos have explode in popularity.

@karvetv/TikTok

What's not to love about Old Biker Dude?

Hi, folks! Meet Emmett, the retired, motorcycle-riding nomad better known as “Old Biker Dude.”

On any given day that you have access to YouTube, you can follow along on Old Biker Dude’s ultra wholesome off-grid adventures, where he might show you how to bake a trout to perfection, show off his impressive solar-powered wagon or take in the majestic beauty of the surrounding mountains and trees.

For the longest time, almost nobody was following Emmett or his content. Despite posting regularly, his videos largely went unviewed.

Then a stranger completely turned things around.

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A woman sitting cross-legged on a yoga mat

Everyone wants to know how long they will live and there are many indicators that can show whether someone is thriving or on the decline. But people have yet to develop a magic formula to determine exactly how long someone should expect to live.

However, a doctor recently featured on the "Today" show says a straightforward test can reveal the likelihood that someone aged 51 to 80 will die in the near future.

NBC News medical contributor Dr. Natalie Azar was on the "Today" show on March 8 and demonstrated how to perform the simple “sit to stand test” (aka sit-rising test or SRT) that can help determine the longevity of someone between 51 to 80.

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Author, educator and mother Esther Wojcicki.

Esther Wojcicki has earned the right to tell people how to raise their kids. She’s an educator, journalist and bestselling author of "How to Raise Successful People" who has raised three daughters—two are CEOs and the other a doctor.

Susan Wojcicki is the CEO of YouTube, Anne Wojcicki is the co-founder and CEO of 23andMe and Dr. Janet Wojcicki is an anthropologist and epidemiologist who works on HIV progression and obesity risk in children.

In "How to Raise Successful People" Esther Wojcicki says the secret to success is the result of “TRICK”: trust, respect, independence, collaboration and kindness. In a new article she wrote for NBC Chicago, she boiled that down to one rule, “Don't do anything for your kids that they can do for themselves.”

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Kids watching their parents dance to Taylor Swift is sheer delight.

We all know parenting can be tough, but if there's one thing that makes the roller coaster of emotions totally worth it, it's seeing our children's faces light up with joy.

Children's smiles are infectious, and not in the scary pandemic kind of a way. There's simply nothing better in this world than the face of a bright-eyed little human beaming with happiness, which is why a recent TikTok trend has people grinning from ear to ear themselves.

The premise is simple: The parent asks the kid to record them dancing to Taylor Swift's "Love Story" with the screen facing away from them (under the guise that the parent dancing needs to see themselves). So instead of recording the parent dancing, it's actually recording the kid's face watching them.

And oh, the love and joy on these kids' faces is so, so sweet to witness. Watch:

@thechavezfamilyy

The end 😭😭 why am I bawling at this trend?! He’s SO CUTE #momsoftiktok #momtok #toddlersoftiktok

That face. OMG.

And check out the encouragement from this little fella:

@themarshhfamily

The end did it for me 🥹😭I birthed such a sweet, loving and encouraging little boy!! #momtok #toddlersoftiktok #taylorswiftchallenge #lovestorychallenge #boymom #toddlermom

Seriously, seeing close-ups of kids' joy should be a daily thing.

@makingthemoffitts

#nationaladoptionmonth #adoptionawareness #thisisadoption #thisisfostercare #adoption #fostercare #makingthemoffitts #lovestorychallenge #taylorswift

Some dads have gotten in on the trend as well. Look at the way this little girl beams at her daddy.

@durbanofamily

Had to jump on the trend! Love this beautiful girl!

Of course, part of the beauty of having kids is you simply never know what they're going to do. While some youngsters gaze lovingly at their parents while they dance, others have a … well … different reaction. Check out this girl's facial expressions:

@haleigh.booth

It’s the side eye at the end for me 😆😂😂😂😂

Hilarious. And because this is the internet, naturally someone had to do the TikTok trend with their dog. Gotta admit, Ellie's toothy grin is pretty darn cute as well.

@elliegoldenlife

This is why I don’t dance 😂

TikTok trends can sometimes be strange, annoying or problematic, but once in a while one comes along that brings people together in surprisingly delightful ways. Seeing people's kids' pure enjoyment watching their parents being silly is simply the best.


This article originally appeared on 11.15.22

Joy

Owner of plus-size dress shop gifts $700 prom dress to 'shy' teen after watching her light up

Creating moments like these is why she opened her store in the first place.

@juicybodygoddess/TikTok

Elyse Monroe found the perfect dress, then found out it costs nothing.

Adolescence is a harrowing time for body image and self-esteem all around, but few milestones are as universally daunting as finding a prom dress. Whether it’s due to budget constraints, not being able to find a dress that fits, or both, what should be a fun event is often viscerally dreaded.

This was certainly the case for Summer Lucille. Lucille told Today.com that growing up, “if you weren’t skinny, there weren’t many options, and it was devastating for me because I’ve always loved fashion.”

She recalled, “I went to my prom looking like a church lady in a suit dress with a jacket because it was the only thing that fit. It was a very sad period in my life.”

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