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Joy

10 things that made us smile this week

Upworthy's weekly roundup of joy.

happy, joy, smile
Alexas_Fotos/Canva

Looking for a smile? We've got 10 for you.

Last weekend, most Americans gained an hour as we set our clocks back to standard time and questioned for the umpteenth time why we still entertain the whole daylight savings time thing. It's weird that we still do this, right? Not just me?

On the one hand, this fall time change is a gift. How often are we just handed an extra hour out of thin air? On the other hand, the sun now sets an hour earlier, which means it gets dark at a ridiculous time from now until the winter solstice.

The dark afternoons and colder weather can drum up some not-so-happy feelings for many people, so it's good to find ways to brighten our days. That's where Upworthy comes in. Each week, we round up 10 of the most smile-worthy finds from around the internet to give people an extra shot of joy.


This week's list is full of adorable kids and fabulous relatives, reminding us that so many of life's greatest joys come from our fellow human beings. So kick back, relax and enjoy these highlights from around the internet.

Feisty feminist preschooler goes off on a classically Italian rant and it's molto bene.

@giuseppe_matilde

Secondo voi ha ragione matilde ? #foryoupage @Giò Canaletti seguitela tutti su istragram matilde_vaccar

You don't have to understand a word of what this wee one is saying to appreciate her passionate embodiment of a Sicilian grandmother, but when you do know what she's saying, it's even better. In a nutshell, she's retelling how "Anna" was giving her grief for wearing a miniskirt and she said Anna needed to mind her own skirt, basically. Brava, little one. Read the full story here.

Young people showed up big for the midterm elections. If this kiddo is any indication of what's coming up, the future is in good hands.

@recesstherapy

Don't forget to vote! Do you think they should have a say?? #vote #votetiktok #recesstherapy

So much wisdom and clear thinking for a 6-year-old. Honestly, he probably could vote now. He seems to have a better head on his shoulders than a fair number of adults, frankly.

This kid punking his mom with a full-on dad joke is an inspiration.

Seriously, that's a hilarious prank. Might have buy some leeks just to pull this one on the family.

Uncle hyping up his nephew for his first steps is so joyful.

The way he freaked out, which freaked the kiddo out, and then shifted his voice to calm him down. These are just the best moments.

This year's John Lewis Christmas ad dropped. It's certainly smile-worthy, but you also might want to grab a tissue.

Every year, U.K. retailer John Lewis & Partners releases a Christmas ad that plunges us straight into our feelings. One year it was about Elton John's childhood, last year it was about an unexpected alien visitor and this year it's about a man going the extra mile to make a foster child feel welcome and connected when she arrives at his home. A beautiful glimpse of the best of humanity.

12-year-old gets a haircut from Vic Blends and he is a seriously fabulous kid.

Some kids just make your jaw drop at the way they think and talk. What a sweet kid with clearly great parents. And great to see Vic is as positive and encouraging as always.

Brothers brought swagger to their 'flower boys' role and this should always be a thing.

The moves! The fanny packs! The bride shared that they gave these two flower boy positions because they knew they would shine in those roles. "No drama over here just good vibes," she wrote. What a delightful addition to an already joyful event.

Dad 'overstood' the assignment to get his daughter some sanitary pads with wings in the very best way.

[A little f-bomb warning at the end.]

@k.othabarber

#KTB #storytime

Too hilarious. But honestly, bringing a girl wings when she's on your period is never a bad idea. Good job, dad. Read the full story here.

Let's all head into the weekend with the joy and enthusiasm of this newly adopted shelter pup.

Hope we made you smile! Come back next week for another roundup of joy, and if you want more posts like this delivered straight to your inbox, check out our free newsletter, The Upworthiest.

Joy

Sorry, Labradors. After 31 years, America has a new favorite dog.

The American Kennel Club has crowned a new favorite.

via Pixabay

A sad-looking Labrador Retriever

The sweet-faced, loveable Labrador Retriever is no longer America’s favorite dog breed. The breed best known for having a heart of gold has been replaced by the smaller, more urban-friendly French Bulldog.

According to the American Kennel Club, for the past 31 years, the Labrador Retriever was America’s favorite dog, but it was eclipsed in 2022 by the Frenchie. The rankings are based on nearly 716,500 dogs newly registered in 2022, of which about 1 in 7 were Frenchies. Around 108,000 French Bulldogs were recorded in the U.S. in 2022, surpassing Labrador Retrievers by over 21,000.

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Family

Pediatrician shares two simple tips that could save a child's life at a pool party

"The more folks present, the safer the pool is, right? Wrong."

Photo by Ash Dowie on Unsplash

If there's a body of water anywhere, a designated adult needs to have their eyes on it.

It's that time of year when the weather across the country is warm enough for families to enjoy outdoor barbecues, picnics and pool parties. That means it's also the time of year when tragedy will strike a certain percentage of families who get blindsided by how quickly and easily a child can drown in a backyard pool, even when they're surrounded by people who care about them and their safety.

We've all been at a gathering where adults are coming and going, chatting, setting up food, taking trips to the bathroom, all while kids are busy playing in the water. In such scenarios, it's easy to assume that someone else is keeping an eye on the pool.

But as pediatrician Diane Arnaout has shared, the harrowing reality is that the more people there are at a pool party the more likely it is that a child could slip into the pool or become distressed in the water without anyone noticing.

In a Facebook post that has been shared more than 77,000 times, Dr. Arnaout wrote:

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Drew Barrymore speaks during the FLOWER Beauty launch at Westfield Parramatta on April 13, 2019, in Sydney, Australia.

Drew Barrymore, 48, has been in the public consciousness since she starred as Gertie in 1982’s mega-blockbuster, “E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial,” a performance that earned her an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress. So, it makes sense that many people of a certain age feel as if they’ve grown up with her.

Now, she’s an even more significant part of people’s lives as the host of “The Drew Barrymore Show,” which runs every weekday on CBS.

On May 25, the show’s Instagram page posted a touching video of an off-the-cuff moment between Barrymore and a fan during a taping of her show. In the clip, Barrymore realizes that someone in the audience is crying. So, instead of ignoring the fan, she jumps to action to see what is the matter.

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Pop Culture

Musician uses traditional Chinese instrument to create hypnotic cover of 'Hotel California'

There are literally hundreds of covers of this song floating around on the internet, but this one has its own unique flair.

Moyun/Youtube

Moyun peforms "Hotel California" on the guzheng.

The Eagles' hit song, “Hotel California,” has been covered countless times over the years by a variety of artists, including the likes of Nancy Sinatra, the Gypsy Kings and that guy at your local karaoke spot.

And while every rendition gives the song a fresh dynamic, one musician with a penchant for mystery has transformed the rock n’ roll staple into something entirely new.

Using a traditional Chinese string instrument called a guzheng, Moyun plays the song focusing mostly on its two guitar solo arrangements, creating a sound that has all the otherworldly beauty of an ancient folk tale.
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Pop Culture

Man rewatches shows from his childhood and his recaps of the bonkers storylines are priceless

Rob Anderson's hilarious recaps of shows like "Mighty Ducks," "Beethoven," and "7th Heaven" might make you wonder how they got made in the first place.

@hearthrobert/TikTok

These plots makes zero sense.

While there are no doubt some timeless classics from our childhood that remain every bit as amazing as we remember, many are straight-up cringey upon a later viewing. Really, it’s to be expected as societal viewpoints change…sort of a marker of how far we’ve collectively come.

And so, what do we do with these problematic pieces of old-school pop culture? Well, we can certainly update them to better reflect a more modern attitude, but that also comes with a set of potential problems. Or we could simply never watch them again. Certainly an option given all the content out there. But then we might miss an opportunity to better understand what seemed to work for the mainstream then, and why it doesn’t work now.

And then there’s the third option—allow ourselves to be entertained by their cringiness.

That’s certainly the route taken by Rob Anderson. Over on TikTok, Anderson has taken ultra-popular movies and television shows from his childhood and given them hilarious recaps capturing how absurd some of the storylines are.
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Joy

Woman decides that she is the love of her life and marries herself at her retirement home

“I said, you know what, I’ve done everything else. Why not?”

77-year-old woman decides she's the love of her life and marries herself.

We joke about marrying ourselves or a platonic friend if some arbitrary amount of time has passed without a proposal from an imaginary suitor. And sure, some people do wind up marrying a friend in more of a business arrangement, but it's not very common that someone follows through with marrying themselves.

Dorothy "Dottie" Fideli, decided that she was going to break the mold. The 77-year-old sat down and thought about all of the things she had done in life and who was with her the entire time cheering her on. It was an easy answer: herself. She was her biggest cheerleader, the person who always showed up and the love of her life, so Fideli made the plan to marry herself.

On a beautiful May day, friends and family gathered in the O’Bannon Terrace Retirement Community, where Fideli is a resident, to witness the ceremony.

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