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Joy

10 things that made us smile this week

Grab your boost of serotonin here.

joy, happiness, good news
Polina Tankilevitch/Canva

Upworthy's weekly roundup of joy.

Holy moly—it's fall, y'all!

As pumpkin spice swoops in and we start unpacking our cozy sweaters and cute boots, we can practically taste the seasonal change in the air. Fall is filled with so many small joys—the fresh, crisp smell of apples, the beauty of the leaves as they shift from greens to yellows, oranges and reds, the way the world gets wrapped in a warm glow even as the air grows cooler.

Part of what makes the beauty of fall unique is that it's fleeting. Mother Nature puts on a vibrant show as she sheds what no longer serves her, inviting us to revel in her purposeful self-destruction. It's a gorgeous example of not only embracing change, but celebrating it.


We can find joy in every season when we look for it. That's the beauty of joy—it isn't limited to a certain time or place. It can be cultivated and harvested wherever we are, at any given time.

We're harvesting some joy right here and now. Here are 10 tidbits of joy to warm your heart and put a smile on your face.

1. John Cena sets a new world record with 650 wishes granted with the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

commons.wikimedia.org

John Cena has become the Make-a-Wish Foundation's most requested celebrity—and he never turns anyone down. He's now fulfilled the wishes of 650 kids, which is about as Upworthy as it gets. Read about some of the wishes he's granted and why it's so important to him here.

2. Baby gets lost in the sauce and can't stop laughing long enough to sleep. (Or maybe vice versa.)

How dang adorable is that?

3. A young man invited a 100-year-old veteran to spend a day at Disneyland with him and it's pure joy.
@isaiahgarza

I took a 100 year old veteran to Disneyland & we became best friends ❤️ #disneyland #kindness #friends #veteran #bestfriends

What a beautiful lesson in kindness. Read the full story here.

4. Fact: Babies belly laughing is the best sound in the world.

And it's especially delightful when they're laughing along with a sibling. I could watch this all day long.

5. Lizzo played James Madison's 209-year-old crystal flute at the Library of Congress and PHEW.

Clips from Lizzo's concert at Capital One arena went viral this week as she played a couple of notes on the flute on stage. This video from the Library of Congress shows off her flute-playing skills much more impressively, however. Read more about these historically significant moments here.

6. Wise dad knew exactly what to do when passing the toy store at the mall.

So simple, yet so brilliant. She even thought it was fun. Well played, dad.

7. Blake the rescue Rottweiler sings along with his owner and even matches her pitch.
@chopfromgta

Reply to @mc.lex please watch until the end 😭🥺🤍 #dogsoftiktok #rottweiler #rottweilersoftiktok #petsoftiktok #animals

Blake knows how to bring it. Read the full story here.

8. Amanda Nguyen's story of how she changed sexual assault laws for survivors is incredibly inspiring.

Millions around the world have been positively impacted by her relentless dedication to survivors' rights. Brava, Amanda. Read more about this amazing woman here.

9. Mama kitty showing her baby to her human mama's baby is just too sweet.

"Look! You two are the same!"

10. Let's dance our way through the weekend like this mom and son doing their morning routine.

That kiddo's got some moves. Noice.

Hope that brought a few smiles to your face! If you enjoyed this post and want to have more Upworthy stories delivered to your inbox, subscribe to our free newsletter, The Upworthiest.

Come back next week with another roundup of joy!

True

Making new friends as an adult is challenging. While people crave meaningful IRL connections, it can be hard to know where to find them. But thanks to one Facebook Group, meeting your new best friends is easier than ever.

Founded in 2018, NYC Brunch Squad brings together hundreds of people who come as strangers and leave as friends through its in-person events.

“Witnessing the transformative impact our community has on the lives of our members is truly remarkable. We provide the essential support and connections needed to thrive amid the city's chaos,” shares Liza Rubin, the group’s founder.

Despite its name, the group doesn’t just do brunch. They also have book clubs, seasonal parties, and picnics, among other activities.

NYC Brunch Squad curates up to 10 monthly events tailored to the specific interests of its members. Liza handles all the details, taking into account different budgets and event sizes – all people have to do is show up.

“We have members who met at our events and became friends and went on to embark on international journeys to celebrate birthdays together. We have had members get married with bridesmaids by their sides who were women they first connected with at our events. We’ve had members decide to live together and become roommates,” Liza says.

Members also bond over their passion for giving back to their community. The group has hosted many impact-driven events, including a “Picnic with Purpose” to create self-care packages for homeless shelters and recently participated in the #SquadSpreadsJoy challenge. Each day, the 100 members participating receive random acts of kindness to complete. They can also share their stories on the group page to earn extra points. The member with the most points at the end wins a free seat at the group's Friendsgiving event.

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Education

3,700-year-old Babylonian stone tablet gets translated, changes history

They were doing trigonometry 1500 years before the Greeks.

via UNSW

Dr. Daniel Mansfield and his team at the University of New South Wales in Australia have just made an incredible discovery. While studying a 3,700-year-old tablet from the ancient civilization of Babylon, they found evidence that the Babylonians were doing something astounding: trigonometry!

Most historians have credited the Greeks with creating the study of triangles' sides and angles, but this tablet presents indisputable evidence that the Babylonians were using the technique 1,500 years before the Greeks ever were.

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Family

Mom’s blistering rant on how men are responsible for all unwanted pregnancies is on the nose

“ALL unwanted pregnancies are caused by the irresponsible ejaculations of men. Period. Don't believe me? Let me walk you through it."

Mom has something to say... strongly say.

Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, commonly known as Mormons, are a conservative group who aren't known for being vocal about sex.

But best selling author, blogger, and mother of six, Gabrielle Blair, has kicked that stereotype to the curb with a pointed thread on reducing unwanted pregnancies. And her sights are set directly at men.

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Christine Kesteloo has one big problem living on a cruise ship.

A lot of folks would love to trade lives with Christine Kesteloo. Her husband is the Chief Engineer on a cruise ship, so she gets to live on the boat pretty much for free as the “wife on board.” For Christine, life is a lot like living on a permanent vacation.

“I live on a cruise ship for half the year with my husband, and it's often as glamorous as it sounds,” she told Insider. “After all, I don't cook, clean, make my bed, do laundry or pay for food.“

Living an all-inclusive lifestyle seems like paradise, but it has some drawbacks. Having access to all-you-can-eat food all day long can really have an effect on one’s waistline. Kesteloo admits that living on a cruise ship takes a lot of self-discipline because the temptation is always right under her nose.

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Science

She tattooed half her face and you'd never know it. Her skills are just that good.

This incredible medical tattoo technology is giving renewed hope to burn victims.

All images via the CBS/YouTube

Basma Hameed runs a tattoo shop, of sorts...


Meet Samira Omar.

The 17-year-old was the victim of a horrific bullying incident.

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Images via Alan Taylor/Flickr, used with permission.

Updating the kitchen.


Remember those beloved Richard Scarry books?

Books from when you were a kid?

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Education

Voice recordings of people who were enslaved offer incredible first-person accounts of U.S. history

"The results of these digitally enhanced recordings are arresting, almost unbelievable. The idea of hearing the voices of actual slaves from the plantations of the Old South is as powerful—as startling, really—as if you could hear Abraham Lincoln or Robert E. Lee speak." - Ted Koppel

Library of Congress

When we think about the era of American slavery, many of us tend to think of it as the far distant past. While slavery doesn't exist as a formal institution today, there are people living who knew formerly enslaved black Americans first-hand. In the wide arc of history, the legal enslavement of people on U.S. soil is a recent occurrence—so recent, in fact, that we have voice recordings of interviews with people who lived it.

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