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10 things that made us smile this week

Upworthy's weekly roundup of joy

Photo by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash

Looking for a reason to smile? We've got 10 of 'em.

Hey all!

This week's list of smile-worthy finds is filled with good old-fashioned goodness. If you're looking for a little pick-me-up, take a scroll will us through all kinds of human kindness, a whole bunch of wholesome hilarity and oodles of adorable awesomeness.

We hope this roundup brings you as much delight as it did us. Enjoy!

1. Sweet kid playing ding-dong ditch shares positive affirmations on stranger's door camera

"You matter, okay?' What a sweetheart. Well done, parents, whoever you are. (Read the full story here.)

2. A very pregnant Jessie J bonded with her pregnant fans at a concert in the sweetest way

The way to a pregnant woman's heart is through snacks, there's no doubt about it. What a lovely, lovely moment.

3. Little girl has a blast with TikTok aging filter, serving as inspiration for us all

What if we all had this much fun with aging, rather than freaking out when we see a wrinkle? Read the full story here.

4. Speaking of fun with aging, this woman's reaction to finding out she's going to be 100 is so wholesome and relatable

None of us feel as old as we really are once we're well into adulthood, but we can stay young at heart. (And apparently young in face—what the heck is her skincare regime?!?) Watch this delightful woman celebrate her 100th birthday here.

5. Sweet kid keeps getting free donuts, and when you see him tell the story, it's not hard to see why

Give Jack all the donuts. All of 'em.

6. Margot Robbie was elated to speak with a deaf fan in Australian sign language

The "Barbie" star is the woman of the moment, for sure, and this endearing moment just made people fall even more head over heels for her. Read the full story here.

7. Public Service Announcement: Earth is a ravioli. I repeat, Earth is a ravioli.

Technically speaking, seems accurate.

8. Behold the purest, most wholesome f-bomb you will ever see

As a former teacher, I applaud this kiddo for his grasp of phonics. It's not like "certificate" is easy to spell, and what a lovely gift for his brother (and his parents, who will tell this story forever).

9. Smoochiest pooch gives the quickest, sneakiest kisses

"What? I didn't do anything."

10. Watch a Dreamer and her family find out she passed her nursing exam (and maybe grab a tissue):

These kinds of videos never get old. You can clearly see the amount of hard work and support that went into her success and how proud her family is of what she's accomplished.

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Wonder how volunteering can change your life? Ask a Peace Corps Volunteer.

Those who give back get so much in return.

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Larissa Gummy was first introduced to the work of the Peace Corps in high school. All it took was seeing a few photos shared by her ninth-grade teacher, a returned Peace Corps Volunteer, to know that one day, she would follow in those footsteps.

This inspiration eventually led Larissa away from her home in Minnesota to Rwanda in East Africa, to give back to her family’s country of origin and pursue her passion for international development. Though her decision confused her parents at first, they’re now proud and excited to see what their daughter has accomplished through her volunteer work.

And just what was that work? Well, it changed from day to day, but it all had to do with health.

Mostly, Larissa worked for Rwanda’s First 1,000 Days Health project, which aims to improve the conditions that affect the mortality rate of kids within the first 1,000 days of being born (or almost three years old). These conditions include hygiene, nutrition, and prevention of childhood diseases like malaria and acute respiratory infections (ARI). Addressing malnutrition was a particular focus, as it continues to cause stunted growth in 33% of Rwandan children under the age of five.

In partnership with the local health center, Larissa helped with vaccination education, led nutrition classes, offered prenatal care to expecting mothers, and helped support health education in surrounding communities. Needless to say—she stayed busy with a variety of tasks.

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13 side-by-side portraits of people over 100 with their younger selves

These powerful before-and-after photos reveal just how beautiful aging can be.

Centenarians — people 100 years or older — are a rarity. Their lives are often scrutinized as holding the key to aging.

Czech photographer Jan Langer's portrait series "Faces of Century" shows them in a different light: as human beings aged by years of experience, but at their deepest level, unchanged by the passing of time.

In the series, Langer juxtaposes his portraits with another portrait of the subject from decades earlier. He recreates the original pose and lighting as closely as he can — he wants us to see them not just as they are now, but how they have and haven't changed over time. That is the key to the series.

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To celebrate Fiona Apple's birthday, here's her epic 1997 takedown of celebrity culture

Her "career suicide" moment was brilliantly ahead of its time.

via Long Day Closes/X

Fiona Apple speaking at the 1997 MTV Video Music awards.

In 1997, singer-songwriter 19-year-old Fiona Apple was a massive breakthrough artist on MTV, having recently scored big hits with “Shadowboxer,” “Criminal” and “Sleep to Dream” from her debut album, “Tidal.”

However, even though she was still a teenager, she was already suspicious of celebrity culture.

When accepting the award for the single "Sleep to Dream" at the MTV Video Music Awards, she gave an impromptu speech taking dead aim at the music industry. She asked the young people watching to stop emulating the stars they see in music videos and to be themselves.

Her speech was a bold move by a young woman in a room full of celebrities, rock stars and industry people. At the time, it looked like she was committing career suicide in front of the world. Twenty-six years later, it seems even more audacious in a world where the notion of being sellout is a Gen X relic and the entire culture is dominated by influencers.

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An 8-year-old snuck his handwritten book onto a library shelf. Now it has a 56-person waiting list.

Dillon Helbig's 81-page graphic novel— written by "Dillon His Self"—captured the hearts of his local librarians and their patrons.

KTVB/YouTube

Dillon Helbig's 81-page graphic novel captured the hearts of his local librarians.

Writing a book is no easy task, even for adult professional writers. Many would-be authors dream of a day when their work can be found on library shelves, unsure if it will ever come.

But for 8-year-old Dillon Helbig, that day has already arrived—in truly unconventional fashion—thanks to his own determination to make it happen.

Dillon wrote his 81-page graphic novel, "The Adventures of Dillon Helbig's Crismis" (written by "Dillon His Self") in a hardcover journal with colored pencils over the course of a few days. He even put a label on the back of the book that reads "Made in Idho" [sic] and put an illustrated spine label on it as well. Then, without telling anyone, he brought it to his local library in Boise, Idaho, and slipped it in among the books in the children's section.

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10 things that made us smile this week

Upworthy's weekly roundup of joy

1. Sweet kid playing ding-dong ditch shares positive affirmations on stranger's door camera

2. A very pregnant Jessie J bonded with her pregnant fans at a concert in the sweetest way

3. Little girl has a blast with TikTok aging filter, serving as inspiration for us all

4. Speaking of fun with aging, this woman's reaction to finding out she's going to be 100 is so wholesome and relatable

5. Sweet kid keeps getting free donuts, and when you see him tell the story, it's not hard to see why

6. Margot Robbie was elated to speak with a deaf fan in Australian sign language

7. Public Service Announcement: Earth is a ravioli. I repeat, Earth is a ravioli.

8. Behold the purest, most wholesome f-bomb you will ever see

9. Smoochiest pooch gives the quickest, sneakiest kisses

10. Watch a Dreamer and her family find out she passed her nursing exam (and maybe grab a tissue):

Those who give back get so much in return.

These powerful before-and-after photos reveal just how beautiful aging can be.

Centenarians — people 100 years or older — are a rarity. Their lives are often scrutinized as holding the key to aging.

1. Prokop Vejdělek, at age 22 and 101

2. Bedřiška Köhlerová, at age 26 and 103

3. Ludvík Chybík, at age 20 and 102

4. Vincenc Jetelina, at age 30 and 105

5. Marie Fejfarová, at age 101

6. Antonín Kovář, at age 25 and 102

7. Anna Vašinová, at age 22 and 102

8. Stanislav Spáčil, at age 17 and 102

9. Anna Pochobradská, at age 30 and 100

10. Antonín Baldrman, at age 17 and 101

11. Marie Burešová, at age 23 and 101

12. Vlasta Čížková, at age 23 and 101

13. Ludmila Vysloužilová, at age 23 and 101

Her "career suicide" moment was brilliantly ahead of its time.

It was the largest such event ever filmed.

Photographer James Balog and his crew were hanging out near a glacier when their camera captured something extraordinary.

It was the largest such event ever filmed.

But once upon a time, Balog was openly skeptical about that "global warming" thing.

In fact, it wasn't until 2005 that Balog became a believer.

Watch the video of the event of the glacier calving below:

Dillon Helbig's 81-page graphic novel— written by "Dillon His Self"—captured the hearts of his local librarians and their patrons.

Talk about playing hard to get.

No more going cross-eyed!