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89 things to hold onto after the election (16 of which actually matter for democracy).

After this election, there is fear, anxiety, and disappointment felt all across our country. So here's a list of things — from silly to serious to sacred — that are all sources of positivity the American government can't take away.

1. The freedom to seek and acquire information.

2. Running barefoot through grass.

3. Parallel parking on the first try.


4. Knowing that otters hold hands when they fall asleep so they don’t float away from each other.

5. Faith in the goodness of other people.

6. Getting the triple-word and triple-letter score.

7. The freedom to practice your religion.

8. When you trip and think “no one saw that,” but then you make eye contact and laugh with the one stranger who did, in fact, see that.

9. Global inspiration Malala Yousafzai.

10. Dogs.

11. Naps. Most especially naps on a bed where the sun is shining through the window and warming everything up.

12. Really fast, reliable Wi-Fi.

13. Libraries.

14. Knowing people are out there who really do dedicate their whole lives and careers to helping people.

15. Being buried under lots of blankets with the window open.

16. Bonfires, especially with s’mores and friends and maybe a crunchy leaf pile or two.

17. The feeling you get when you pull on your jeans and they fit exactly right.

18. The right to assemble.

Photo courtesy of Rachel Nass.

19. That “yes!” feeling when you get to your subway platform and the train is waiting for you.

20. When a cat does that mushing-its-head-onto-yours thing.

21. The first day of fall jacket weather.

22. The right to teach others about what’s important to you.

23. When your kids surprise you with something nice all by themselves.

24. Going to a movie alone. (And getting the big popcorn.)

25. Surprise military homecoming videos, especially ones involving dogs.

26. Baking your own bread and smelling it all through the house.

27. Making a baby laugh.

28. Mac ‘n‘ cheese.

Just stare at the photo and breathe. Image via iStock.

29. The first time you successfully communicate with a native speaker of a language you’ve been trying really hard to learn.

30. Laughing so hard that you’re out of breath.

31. Popping bubble wrap.

32. Harry Potter.

33. When someone asks if you and your best friend are brothers/sisters because the two of you are so in sync.

34. Watching a child learn to play an instrument.

35. Seeing a really cool animal in the wild.

36. The ability of every law-abiding American citizen to run for public office and effect change.

37. Your first windows-down car ride of the season after a long, hard winter.

38. When you’re first dating and your hand brushes against theirs and you feel like your heart might explode.

39. The Budweiser Clydesdales.

Sure, the middle of the Super Bowl seems like a great time for a nice cry. GIF via Budweiser.

40. A dollar slice and an ice-cold soda.

41. The hopeful feeling of meeting a really self-assured young girl.

42. Making art, even when you’re not very good at it.

43. The satisfaction that all people get when things fit perfectly into other things.

44. Rainbows. (Related: double rainbows.)

45. The joy in someone you love’s voice when they call to let you know they finally achieved something they’ve been working toward for a really long time.

46. When you’re reading a book and you find the previous reader’s notes in the margins.

47. Seeing the first sprouts of something you planted and watered and nurtured starting to grow.

48. When you get that first text and realize that they might just be crushin’ on you back.

49. Falling asleep in a freshly made bed.

50. The right to learn.

51. National treasure Lin-Manuel Miranda.

52. New school supplies.

53. This GIF:

Brushy, brushy!

54. The smell of new books. And old books. Let's just say books.

55. Chocolate chip cookies, especially warm ones that fall apart when you eat them.

56. Diving for pennies in a pool.

57. Sitting quietly in a room with all the people you love, all doing your own thing, existing together.

58. Hot coffee.

59. Falling in love.

60. Finding money in your pocket.

61. Catching a whiff of something that brings back a memory you’d forgotten.

62. Being a little bit drunk in the girls’ bathroom and making friends with really nice strangers.

63. Running into your childhood teacher after you’re all grown up.

64. Jewel of our nation Michelle Obama.

She isn't actually going to leave the country, guys. Image via Lawrence Jackson/The White House.

65. The ability to be silly, even when things are looking bleak.

66. When you get your liquid eyeliner cat-eye perfect on the first try.

67. The ability to form and participate in supportive communities.

68. When a stand-up comedian perfectly explains the thought you’ve had rattling around in your head for years.

69. When you get a haircut and they massage your head a little bit while they wash your hair.

70. Tom Hanks in "Big." Also, Tom Hanks in "Toy Story." Actually, just Tom Hanks.

71. The right to vote in elections.

72. Weirdly inspirational commercials that make you cry.

73. Encouraging notes from strangers in books or in happy graffiti.

Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images.

74. The right to organize and to support organizations like Black Lives Matter, Planned Parenthood, or the ACLU.

75. Cuddling up inside while it thunderstorms outside your window.

76. A really well-made gin and tonic.

77. Jon Stewart, Samantha Bee, Stephen Colbert, and John Oliver.

78. The rush of sneaky enthusiasm you have for winning a board game.

79. The right to free speech.

80. Girl Scout cookie season.

81. When the perfect bop-along song comes on in the grocery store and you’re in the mood to dance down the freezer aisle.

82. The ability to laugh in the face of adversity.

"I would say laughter is the best medicine. But it's more than that. It's an entire regime of antibiotics and steroids." — Stephen Colbert

83. The kindness of strangers.

84. Giving the perfect Christmas gift.

85. Grandmas on Facebook.

86. Nailing a song when you sing karaoke.

87. The feeling of accomplishment that comes from doing something difficult.

88. When you start crying a little, so then your friend starts crying, and then you laugh because you feel silly for crying, so your friend starts laughing, and you both end up cracking up and covered in tears.

89. Hope for a better world tomorrow.

Health

4 simple hacks to help you meet your healthy eating goals

Trying to eat healthier? Try these 4 totally doable tricks.

Photo by Anna Pelzer on Unsplash

Most of us want to eat healthier but need some help to make it happen.

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When it comes to choosing what to eat, we live in a uniquely challenging era. Never before have humans known more about nutrition and how to eat for optimal health, and yet we’ve never been more surrounded by distractions and temptations that derail us from making healthy choices.

Some people might be able to decide “I’m going to eat healthier!” and do so without any problem, but those folks are unicorns. Most of us know what we should do, but need a little help making it happen—like some simple hacks, tips and tricks for avoiding pitfalls on the road to healthier eating.

While recognizing that what works for one person may not work for another, here are some helpful habits and approaches that might help you move closer to your healthy eating goals.

man pulling chip out of a chip bagOur mouths loves chips. Our bodies not so much.Photo by Bermix Studio on Unsplash

Goal: Snack on less junk food

Tip: Focus your willpower on the grocery store, not your home

Willpower is a limited commodity for most of us, and it is no match for a bag of potato chips sitting on top of the fridge. It’s just a fact. Channeling your willpower at the grocery store can save you from having to fight that battle at home. If you don’t bring chips into your house in the first place, you’ll find it a lot easier to reach for something healthier.

The key to successful shopping trips is to always go to the store with a specific list and a full stomach—you’ll feel much less tempted to buy the junky snack foods if you’re already satiated. Also, finding healthier alternatives that will still satisfy your cravings for salty or crunchy, or fatty foods helps. Sugar snap peas have a surprisingly satisfying crunch, apples and nut butter hit that sweet-and-salty craving, etc.

slice of cakeYou can eat well without giving up sweets completely.Photo by Caitlyn de Wild on Unsplash

Goal: Eat less sugar

Tip: Instead of “deprive,” think “delay” or “decrease and delight”

Sugar is a tricky one. Some people find it easier to cut out added sugars altogether, but that can create an all-or-nothing mindset that all too often results in “all.” Eating more whole foods and less processed foods can help us cut out a lot of ancillary sugar, but we still live in a world with birthday cakes and dessert courses.

One approach to dessert temptation is to delay instead of deprive. Tell yourself you can have any sweet you want…tomorrow. This mental trick flips the “I’ll just indulge today and start eating healthier tomorrow” idea on its head. It’s a lot easier to resist something you know you can have tomorrow than to say no to something you think you’ll never get to have again.

Another approach when you really want to enjoy a dessert at that moment is to decrease the amount and really truly savor it. Eat each bite slowly, delighting in the full taste and satisfaction of it. As soon as that delight starts to diminish, even a little, stop eating. You’ve gotten what you wanted out of it. You don’t have to finish it. (After all, you can always have more tomorrow!)

colorful fresh food on a plateA naturally colorful meal is a healthy meal.Photo by Anna Pelzer on Unsplash

Goal: Eat healthier meals

Tip: Focus on fresh foods and plan meals ahead of time

Meal planning is easier than ever before. The internet is filled with countless tools—everything from recipes to shopping lists to meal planning apps—and it’s as awesome as it is overwhelming.

Planning ahead takes the guesswork and decision fatigue out of cooking, preventing the inevitable “Let’s just order a pizza.” You can have a repeating 3-week or 4-week menu of your favorite meals so you never have to think about what you’re going to eat, or you can meal plan once a week to try new recipes and keep things fresh.

It might help to designate one day a week to “shop and chop”—getting and prepping the ingredients for the week’s meals so they’re ready to go in your fridge or freezer.

woman holding blueberries in her handsOrganic foods are better for the Earth and for us.Photo by andrew welch on Unsplash

Goal: Eat more organic/humanely raised food

Tip: Utilize the “dirty dozen” and “clean 15” lists to prioritize

Many people choose organic because they want to avoid pesticides and other potentially harmful chemicals. Organic food is also better for the planet, and according to the Mayo Clinic, studies have shown that organic produce is higher in certain nutrients.

Most people don’t buy everything organic, but there are some foods that should take priority over others. Each year, researchers from the Environmental Working Group (EWG) analyze thousands of samples of dozens of fruits and vegetables. From this data, they create a list of the “Dirty Dozen” and “Clean 15” fruits and vegetables, indicating what produce has the most and least pesticide residue. These lists give people a good place to start focusing their transition to more organic foods.

To make organic eating even simpler, you can shop O Organics® at your local Albertsons or Safeway stores. The O Organics brand offers a wide range of affordable USDA-certified organic products in every aisle. If you’re focusing on fresh foods, O Organics produce is always grown without synthetic pesticides, is farmed to conserve biodiversity, and is always non-GMO. All animal-based O Organics products are certified humane as well. Even switching part of your grocery list to organic can make a positive impact on the planet and the people you feed.

Healthy eating habits don’t have to be all or nothing, and they don’t have to be complicated. A few simple mindset changes at home and habit changes at the grocery store can make a big difference.

Around 1 a.m. on April 24, semi-truck drivers in the Oak Park area of Michigan received a distress call from area police: An unidentified man was standing on the edge of a local bridge, apparently ready to jump onto the freeway below.

Those drivers then did something amazing. They raced to the scene to help — and lined up their trucks under the bridge, providing a relatively safe landing space should the man jump.

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Joy

Woman's explanation of 'girl math' has some scratching their heads while others nod along

In so many ways it makes a lot of sense...if you don't think about how nonsensical it is.

Woman's explanation of 'girl math' has some people confused

If you've been on any social media platform lately then you've likely heard about the different types of math. No not the one that makes 80s babies cry (otherwise known as common core), but the silly "math" like "boy math" or "girl math." Each explanation more ridiculous than the next while some take on a more serious tone, it's the silly ones that keep people wanting more.

Kelley Lorraine posted a video of her sitting in the car with her husband as she tries to explain "girl math" to him. It didn't take long for him to express confusion, many times interjecting with questions and audible noises of disproval. What was interesting to me was that everything she said made perfect sense...as long as you don't think about it too much.

Kelley's version of "girl math" had to be one of the most oxymoronic-nonsensical-logical reasoning that's ever been explained for this "math" challenge.

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Angelina Jordan blew everyone away with her version of 'Bohemian Rhapsody."

At Upworthy, we've shared a lot of memorable "America's Got Talent" auditions, from physics-defying dance performances to jaw-dropping magic acts to heart-wrenching singer-songwriter stories. Now we're adding Angelina Jordan's "AGT: The Champions" audition to the list because wow.

Jordan came to "AGT: The Champions" in 2020 as the winner of Norway's Got Talent, which she won in 2014 at the mere age of 7 with her impressive ability to seemingly channel Billie Holiday. For the 2020 audition, she sang Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody," but a version that no one had ever heard before.

With just her Amy Winehouse-ish voice, a guitar and a piano, Jordan brought the fan-favorite Queen anthem down to a smooth, melancholy ballad that's simply riveting to listen to.

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Joy

Jimmy Carter's former talent handler shares a sweet story about him meeting a young girl

The way Carter interacted with the second grader exemplifies the 99-year-old former president's genuine care and kindness.

Jimmy Carter has grown to become one of the most beloved former presidents in history.

Jimmy Carter turned 99 years old on October 1, 2023, with people from around the world paying tribute to the longest-living former president. Carter has been in hospice for the past 7 months, and as he nears the end of his long life, people are sharing their personal stories involving the man known for his decades of humanitarian, peace-building work after leaving the White House.

One story comes from Noel Casler, a comedian and talent handler who has worked with many celebrities and public figures. He took to X (formerly Twitter) to share an encounter he witnessed between Jimmy Carter and a young girl at the Goodwill Games.

"When I was Prez Carter’s talent handler it was the Goodwill Games in NYC. When Carter arrived I was to take him to [the] stage to join Ted Turner, Gov Pataki, Gerald Levin & Giuliani to kick off the event," he began.

On their way to the stage, Casler shared, a young girl who was a standout inner-city school student in around the second grade approached President Carter to say hello.

"You would have thought the world stopped for Jimmy Carter," Casler wrote. "He knelt down to look her in the eyes and began a long series of questions about the subjects she was studying, what her favorites were." When she said math and science were her among her favorites, Carter "lit up."

But what showcases Carter's caring personality is the way he treated her.

"He smiled and acted as if she was the only person there," Casler explained. "The thing is he didn't talk to her like she was a kid. There wasn't condescension of any air of I'm an ex-Prez wan a pic to show off."

"It was one man talking to the future generations and coming from a place of deep empathy, compassion and care for how we leave this planet and the lives of those upon it. Faith in action."

Casler wrote that he got nervous when they started calling for Carter to head to the stage, but the former president was "chill."

People frequently cite Carter's humility and compassion for others as highlights of his post-presidency legacy, and this interaction showcases those qualities beautifully.

Casler also expounded on Carter's ability to talk to anyone with ease.

"I’ve seen him on other occasions speak with full authority on the magic of Chuck Leavell’s left hand & hanging with the Allman Brothers. Carter is a renaissance man if ever there was one but his greatest gift is the example of how he lives in life," he wrote. "Happy 99th President Carter."

People loved reading this simple, personal story about a man who will leave the world with many such examples of his care and attention to whoever was in front of him.

"This is such a wonderful thread about a very special, compassionate man," wrote Nancy Sinatra. "Thank you, Noel. Thank you."

"Exactly who Jimmy Carter is," shared Jody Dean. "Once interviewed him and Ernie Banks on the same day. President Carter sat before Banks in our green room, listening to Ernie in rapt attention. An 8-year-old with a signed Ernie Banks baseball card could not have beamed more brightly."

"Jimmy Carter is the best human being to ever be president and it was honestly mean of us to make him do that," wrote Hunter Felt.

"Thank you, Noel, for this heartrending tribute. Carter is a jewel and remembering him always lifts my sagging spirits." shared Marina Margetts.

Happy 99th, Jimmy Carter, the former U.S. president whose legacy of human kindness and compassion will endure long after he leaves us.

Canva

Marty and Jess Ansen have spent nearly 500 days onboard Princess Cruise Lines

For many, if not most of us, the purpose of retirement is to sit back and enjoy life. A chance to see the world, take up new hobbies, explore what it means to simply exist without having to clock in.

So it’s almost no wonder that more and more retirees are finding themselves on cruise ships, where relaxation, adventure (and having someone else do your chores) are the name of the game.

Retired Australian couple Marty and Jess Ansen can certainly attest to this—having spent close to 500 days sailing around the world on their 51 back-to-back cruises.

That’s right. 51 cruises. Back. To. Back.

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Family

12 hilariously relatable comics about life as a new mom.

Embarrassing stains on your T-shirt, sniffing someone's bum to check if they have pooped, the first time having sex post-giving birth — as a new mom, your life turns upside-down.

All illustrations by Ingebritt ter Veld. Reprinted here with permission.

Some good not so good moments with babies.



Embarrassing stains on your T-shirt, sniffing someone's bum to check if they have pooped, the first time having sex post-giving birth — as a new mom, your life turns upside-down.

Illustrator Ingebritt ter Veld and Corinne de Vries, who works for Hippe-Birth Cards, a webshop for birth announcements, had babies shortly after one another.

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