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Joy

10 things that made us smile this week

10 things that made us smile this week

Upworthy's weekly roundup of joy and delight.

When the world is heavy—and it is right now, very much so—it's wise to try to balance digesting the 24/7 news cycle with some positive things. Not because we should ignore reality or turn a blind eye to tragedy, but because we are human beings with emotions and psyches, and focusing on what's going wrong all the time isn't good for us.

In fact, joy and laughter can be incredibly healing, even in the midst of struggle or sadness. That's really the whole point of these weekly roundups—to provide some wholesome, healthy endorphin-pushing delight when you need a little lift.

Fair warning: At least one of the things in this list might evoke some unexpected emotions, so you might want to grab a tissue. Not sad tears, just … well, you'll see. Totally worth it, I promise.

And with that, off we go.


Who broke this cat and why is this so funny? 

I've had over a dozen cats in my lifetime, and I've never once seen any of them do anything like this. Seriously, what? And the way it falls over backward? Hilarious.

Journalist's mom interrupts him while he's working and it's too precious.

Myles Harris is an Ohio-based journalist for ABC and he shared this video of his mom Sandi's drive-by hello. "HI BABY!!!" People loved it. Sandi is everyone's mama.

Middle schoolers' homemade boat sailed all the way from New Hampshire to Norway.

A group of middle schoolers in New Hampshire launched a homemade boat into the ocean in October 2020. Miraculously, 462 days and 8,300 miles later, a group of Norwegian sixth graders found it. Amazing. Read the full story here.

Oh, this little sweetheart big brother and his big feelings.

This is what true love looks like. That is one lucky baby sister.

Indiana Jones themed Rube Goldberg video is super cool.

@enbiggen

Indiana Jones

When you first watch this video, it may not be apparent that it's computer generated, but if you see how perfectly it loops from the end back to the beginning, it's pretty clear. Still a super cool video. Read the full story about it here.

Did you know baby x-rays are the cutest thing ever? 

Scroll through and wook at dose widdle bones in the widdle hand! And the widdle bones in the widdle footsy! And the kid in the x-ray machine? Oh my goodness.

Don't you just hate it when you get the static hair flyaways?

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA. [Deep breath.] HAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

Be right back, gotta go get myself a pet squirrel.

Any time I'm feeling stressed, I'm just going to put this video on repeat. Talk about soothing. Sheesh.

Grab a tissue and watch this fixer of beloved stuffies get to work.

Don't say I didn't warn you. I didn't expect it either. Oof. So sweet.

And finally, this is just about the cutest thing I've ever seen. Like, ever. 

You think it's just an unbelievably cute puppy standing next to a painfully cute chick, and then the puppy starts falling asleep (which isn't even fair), and then the chick tucks itself under the pupper's chin, and then you pass out because no one can handle this much cuteness.

There you go, friends. I hope that brought a little brightness to your day and a little joy to your weary hearts.

Pop Culture

Here’s a paycheck for a McDonald’s worker. And here's my jaw dropping to the floor.

So we've all heard the numbers, but what does that mean in reality? Here's one year's wages — yes, *full-time* wages. Woo.

Making a little over 10,000 for a yearly salary.


I've written tons of things about minimum wage, backed up by fact-checkers and economists and scholarly studies. All of them point to raising the minimum wage as a solution to lifting people out of poverty and getting folks off of public assistance. It's slowly happening, and there's much more to be done.

But when it comes right down to it, where the rubber meets the road is what it means for everyday workers who have to live with those wages. I honestly don't know how they do it.

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Joy

5-star Scottish resort offers whimsical afternoon tea experience with 'naughty sheep'

Cameron House's Woolly Wellness retreat includes tea in the garden with adorably rude guests.

Cameron House/Naughty Sheep

Cameron House's Woolly Wellness retreat includes a unique sheep encounter.

Remember when "goat yoga" was all the rage? And then "cow cuddling" and "turkey cuddling" made everyone's bucket lists?

Now we can add "nuzzling with naughty sheep" to the mix, but with a fancy Scottish twist.

Less than an hour from Glasgow, Scotland, the Cameron House resort sits on the bonnie banks of Loch Lomond, looking as if it were plucked straight out of a fairy tale. Sprawling green grounds, gorgeous lake views and a four-story castled mansion greet guests as their "home away from home" (only better), and a perusal of the reviews show guests raving about the 5-star resort's elegance, beauty and exceptional service.

I mean, just look at this place:

drone view of cameron house grounds and lakeCameron House sit on Lake Lochmond in Scotland.Cameron House


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A pitbull stares at the window, looking for the mailman.


Dogs are naturally driven by a sense of purpose and a need for belonging, which are all part of their instinctual pack behavior. When a dog has a job to do, it taps into its needs for structure, purpose, and the feeling of contributing to its pack, which in a domestic setting translates to its human family.

But let’s be honest: In a traditional domestic setting, dogs have fewer chores they can do as they would on a farm or as part of a rescue unit. A doggy mom in Vancouver Island, Canada had fun with her dog’s purposeful uselessness by sharing the 5 “chores” her pitbull-Lab mix does around the house.

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@caitlin.the.realtor/TikTok, used with permission

Wait, so 90's fashion is in, but 90's hair is out?

Every era has its own version of what’s attractive. And very rarely does that aesthetic hold power with the following generation. In fact, it often becomes the opposite of cool.

Just think of Elvis. He might have been a universal sex symbol for a time, but it also wasn’t long before his pompadour became passé. Same goes for Paul Newman’s rugged manliness, David Cassidy’s babyface, Tom Selleck’s mustache. Indeed, for everything a season.

Which brings us to the 90s. The age of beach blonde surfer boys (real surfing skills not required, but a plus). Of flannel, lots of flannel, and super chiseled bodies. Let’s not forget this was the dawning of the term “metrosexual,” and also the time period that brought us that Calvin Klein ad with Mark Wahlburg.

How exactly would these guys measure up with the Gen Z kids today?

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popular

A wild Eurasian crow befriended a toddler and won't leave his side

Crows are so much smarter than we think.

A Eurasian crow.

A family from Denmark has created a touching video montage documenting their unique friendship with a wild Eurasian crow. This crow, affectionately named Russell, has become an honorary member of their household, forming special bonds with each family member, including the pets.

However, the crow's relationship with their son, 2-year-old Otto, is truly extraordinary. “They could spend hours just playing,” Otto’s mother, Laerke Luna, says in a video shared by The Dodo. "When Otto is outside, he will never leave Otto’s side.”

Russell, the free-spirited crow, ventures away from the family's home from time to time, but never for too long. He always comes back and announces his return by tapping on the door, swooping in to lounge on the sofa, or awaiting Otto's return from school atop their roof.

“When we are inside, he will sit inside the window because he wants Otto to go outside with him,” Laerke said.

The family’s relationship with Russell didn’t come out of nowhere. When Russell was a young bird, he had health problems so the family took him and nursed the bird back to health. Eventually, they witnessed his first attempts to fly.

Recently, Russell became friends with another family member, their second child, Hedwig. Although he does get a little annoyed with the bird’s frequent attempts to nab his pacifier.

Even though it’s rare for humans to strike up such a close bond with a crow, according to research, it’s not that surprising. Audubon says that crows are “some of the smartest animals in the world” with an intelligence “on par with chimpanzees.” They are also very social and family-oriented, so no wonder Russell loves Otto and his family.

Crow Named Russell Waits For His Favorite Kid To Get Home From School | The Dodo


Learning

Why you shouldn't throw your dishwasher pod into the bottom of your dishwasher

Dishwashers actually use the dirty water to know how to wash your dishes.

Photos by cottonbro studio and PhotoMIX Ltd. via Canva

Why your detergent shouldn't go in the bottom of the dishwasher

There always seem to be something going on with the pods and powders you're supposed to use in the dishwasher to clean your dishes. Either the pods don't dissolve completely or the powder gets all goopy and hard, never really fully dispensing into the dishwasher.

The inconsistency in product dispensing can leave you wondering if the dishes are even getting cleaned, causing some to toss the detergent pod into the bottom of the dishwasher. It would seem that placing the detergent at the bottom would allow for it to actually reach your dirty dishes. But Melissa Pateras, a domestic expert, explains that doing it that way isn't doing what you think it's doing.

Pateras actually breaks down exactly how dishwashers work to clean your dishes while explaining why putting the detergent on the bottom is ineffective.

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