10 things that made us smile this week

With summer on its way out and the Delta variant on its way in, we could all use a mental and emotional pick-me-up. Here are 10 things that brought a smile to our faces this week. We hope they do the same for you.

1. The top two high jump champions choosing to share the gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics.

When they tied for first place, they could have done a jump-off to see who got gold and who got silver. But Qatar's Mutaz Essa Barshim and Italy's Gianmarco Tamberi, who are friends both on and off the field, opted to share the gold medal—and their celebration is one for the ages. Read the story here.

2. Speaking of golden Olympic moments, how these swimmers celebrated with Tatjana Schoenmaker when she broke the world record.

At the end of the day, the Olympics is about excellence, sportsmanship, and international friendship. This reaction of South Africa's Tatjana Schoenmaker to breaking a world record in the 200-meter breaststroke is great, but the way her competitors shared in her joy is totally delightful.

3. 7-year-old Rowyn Montgomery giving his second-grade classmates a pre-school-year pep talk.

After Rowyn was bullied at school, he decided to make kids happy by making motivational videos for them. What an amazing kiddo! Read more about Rowyn here.

Tiverton 7-Year-Old Has a Motivational Message for his Classmatesyoutu.be

4. Rescued chimpanzee's affectionate reunion with his foster parents.

According to WSVN, Limbani the chimpanzee was born with pneumonia and rejected by his mother, so he was nursed to health by foster parents who gave him round-the-clock care and nurturing in the early months of his life. Though people have varying opinions about rescued animals being kept in captivity, there is no question that the affection between Limbani and his caregivers is real.

5. Speaking of reunions, this soldier surprising her mom at work is just the best.

There's no shortage of surprise military homecoming videos out there, but they're always awesome to see. The emotional toll of having loved ones deployed is palpable when you see the relief and joy in these reunions.

6. This abuela tossing aside her cane and showing us her incredible dance moves.

I dare you to watch this video start to finish and not smile. So much life in this lovely elder, and so much joy in watching her express herself through dancing.

7. Speaking of elders, check out this young man forming a human chair for a woman stuck on an elevator.

Cesar Larios was performing a move for his moving company in 2014 when he got stuck inside an elevator in an assisted living facility inside a 10-story building. Stuck with him was 79-year-old Rita Young who had trouble walking and standing for too long. To help her out, Larlos made himself into a chair so she could sit for the 30 minutes they had to wait to be rescued. Read the story here.

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8. On the other end of the age spectrum, did you catch the 14-year-old phenom diver who kept getting perfect 10s in her first Olympics?

Quan Hongchan of China is a marvel, truly. This Olympics is her first international competition, and she completely blew everyone else out of the water with a series of perfect dives to take home the gold. Such a joy to see such incredible talent in someone so young.

9. And even younger, the three 13-year-olds and a 12-year-old who took home four of the six medals in women's skateboarding.

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Skateboarding made its Olympic debut in Tokyo, and the medal results show how much potential exists in the sport. But even more than that, the camaraderie and joyful support of the young athletes at the skate park was a delight to see. The six medalists in the two women's events were ages 19, 16, 13, 13, 13, and 12, which is just incredible. Read the story here.

10. If that doesn't dazzle you, perhaps this proud, pretty peacock will.

Sometimes a simple natural phenomenon is all we need to be reminded of the inherent beauty and wonder in the world. No matter how many times you see it, a peacock showing off its plumage is always stunning. And in slo-mo, the shimmy just adds an extra layer of awesome.

There we go. Amazing Olympic moments, incredible humans young and old, delightful reunions, and awesome animals. The world is full of beauty and goodness—we just have to keep looking for it.

Happy weekend, everyone!