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10 things that made us smile this week

Instant mood boost.

Uber driver, bearded dragon with favorite sock, father and son embracing

Alan Wagner/X, The Dodo/YouTube, r/SinjiOnO/Reddit

Upworthy's weekly roundup of joy

In a world of negative headlines, misinformation, and the various pitfalls of social media, it's easy to get down on the internet. Most people surveyed say they'd like to return to pre-online days when life seemed simpler, and we weren't bombarded with information and distractions all day long.

But the internet has also allowed us to connect, create and learn in ways that were previously unfathomable. We can talk face-to-face with loved ones from across the planet in real time. We can send photos, videos and art to one another in the blink of an eye. We can share things that made us laugh with countless others to bring an immediate smile to their faces, wherever they are on the planet.

Here at Upworthy, we're all about bringing out the best of humanity, which includes sharing gems of joy that remind us of the good in people and our world. We hope this week's roundup makes you smile as well!

1. Flower girl takes her job seriously, and schools her dad in what's what

See on Instagram

Might as well give that girl the corner office right now, cuz she's got boss written all over her.

2. 12-year-old steps up for a younger kid being teased for singing 'Let it Go'

See on Instagram

That's how it's done. The fact that he's shy and hates performing and still offered to accompany that kiddo speaks volumes. Well done, Mama.

3. Wallace the Uber driver gamified his passengers' ride experience

— (@)

Three cheers for Wallace. Gotta love someone who loves their job this much. Read the full story here.

4. Identical twins surprise their dad with a classic identity swap prank, and his reaction is delightful

Reddit - Dive into anything from MadeMeSmile

Not an easy feat to trick a parent of identical twins, but they pulled it off. Such a sweet family. Read the full story here.

5. Percy the bearded dragon really, really, really loves his favorite sock

Who knew lizards could have so much personality? Read the full story here.

6. Pet mom narrates her dog and cat kerfuffles like 'Fight Club' and the deadpan delivery is everything

@mickeymarisandmeg
Replying to @gourdfarmer in which we see a sideways skiddily dap and a very underwhelming butt fluff trophy #labradorretriever #fightclub #dogsoftiktok #catsoftiktok #capcut #animals

Bamboozled by the sideways skiddily daps. Perfection. Read the full story here.

7. Woman's neighbor tells her to wear her yellow dress to her art show opening for the best reason

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Scroll through for the whole story. What a sweet surprise (though, according to people in the comments who live or have lived in Ithaca, not at all surprising—apparently quite a wonderful community there).

8. Is there anything sweeter than a 96-year-old grandma meeting her 1-day-old grandchild for the first time?

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How incredibly special. Also, go Grandma! Looking amazing at 96.

9. Man shares his dad's rave review of 'Barbie,' in which he calls her more of a superhero than Superman

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Wow. He apparently really liked it. Pretty amazing considering he's not the target demographic for the film.

10. Not even sure how to describe this raccoon, but…well, just watch

— (@)

Is it thirsty? Hungry? Cooling off? Whatever it is, it's amazing to witness. Get it, raccoon.

If you enjoyed this roundup and would like to receive more like it in your inbox, sign up for our free newsletter, The Upworthiest, here.

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The following story, which feels like the promise of a hit rom-com, comes courtesy of a twist of fate created by the World Cup and an Airbnb.

In 2013, after six years of battling an illness, Ana was living in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Having been financially drained by years of being sick, she invested the last of her money to buy two bunk beds and convert one of her bedrooms into an Airbnb for small groups of friends.

The Airbnb was a last-ditch effort to pay her rent and medical bills. A year later, the modest investment grew into a success, Ana’s health began to return, and the World Cup, one of the largest sporting events in the world, was coming to Rio.

To take advantage of the soccer fanatics flocking to the Cidade Maravilhosa (Marvelous City), Ana and her roommate, Fabio, turned a half room in their apartment into an Airbnb rental to give tired soccer fans a place to sleep.

“Though it was a small (pantry!) room, we added a bunk bed and listed two beds on Airbnb. One day after the listing went live, we had tons of requests for ‘Fabio’s Pantry,’” she shared. “It was fully booked for the entire World Cup period except for one week in July.”

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Around this time, Ana was feeling well enough to go on her first vacation in years and took a quick trip to Uruguay. Just before she left, Ana received a reservation from a man named "Darko B." for the only unbooked days in July.

“I have always been a big fan of the movie ‘Donnie Darko’ and thought it was a strange coincidence, but didn't think anything of it,” Ana wrote. “I accepted the request, let him know I would not be there for check-in and Fabio would care for him until I was back the following week.”

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Tina Platamura

A second helping of dessert. Candy before dinner. A few more minutes in the bath. Money for the ice cream truck.

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Bach wrote a whole song about a woman obsessed with coffee. It's delightfully relatable.

Bach's "Coffee Cantata" lyrics are a hilarious argument between a highly caffeinated young woman and her father trying to get her to quit her coffee habit.

Public Domain (left) Photo by Hunter Newton on Unsplash (right)

Bach's 300-year-old Coffee Cantata feels surprisingly modern.

When you think of Johann Sebastian Bach, you might picture a bewigged man in tailcoats composing classical symphonies and concertos frequently associated with high-falutin' society. At the very least, you probably don't picture a comedian.

But "the father of classical music" had a silly side, and it came out in full force in his nearly 300-year-old "Coffee Cantata" (aka "Schweigt stille, plaudert nicht," or "Keep quiet, don’t chatter."). In the "Coffee Cantata," the voices we hear are a narrator who opens and closes the scene, a father (Herr Schlendrian) who has an issue with coffee-drinking women and Liesgen, his highly caffeinated daughter who is willing to give up anything for a cup o' Joe.

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Witness and enjoy how the lyrics of Bach's "Coffee Cantata" translate to English:

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via Levi Strauss and Ricardo Gomez Angel/Unsplash

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Photo by Phuong Tran on Unsplash

Recently, blogger Jen Hatmaker had a funny conversation with a friend about parenting:

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Want to be an adult? Fine."

Photo via iStock.

Hatmaker's post went viral, with thousands of parents chiming in with their own stories of tough love, both giving and receiving.

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