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Pop Culture

Drew Barrymore's unbridled joy over simple things holds a lesson for us all

Her zest for life is infectious.

joy, drew barrymore
@boyinquestion/Twitter

Drew Barrymore's joy is contagious.

Drew Barrymore's enthusiasm for the simple things is adorable, but it's even more delightful when you know what she's experienced in her life.

The actress got her start as a young child actor in the 1980s in films such as "E.T." and "Firestarter" and has had quite an extraordinary journey. Her struggles with drug addiction started at a startlingly young age, getting her blacklisted in Hollywood at the age of 12 due to her marijuana and cocaine habits. Her issues with her mother, who institutionalized Barrymore at 13 and from whom Barrymore emancipated herself at age 14, have also been well documented.

Barrymore, now 47, has come a long way since then. She has managed to repair her relationship with her mother, free herself from drug addiction and give up alcohol completely as well. She has two children of her own, a successful production company, a cruelty-free makeup line, a few books under belt and her own talk show.

Considering the intense personal struggles she had to overcome, she's doing extremely well.

But what people most appreciate about Drew Barrymore isn't so much her professional success as it is her love of, well, everything. She exudes a sense of joy and contentment about the smallest things, and her joie de vivre is infectious.

Seriously, who could not appreciate this kind of reaction to being outside in the rain?

Or her emotional reaction to finding a hidden window in the house she's renovating.

Or her sweet, peaceful snuggle with rescue puppies.

When a handful of people started in with comments like, "Yeah, it's easy to be happy when you benefit from generational wealth," they were quickly shushed. This world doesn't do Drew Barrymore slander. Not when she's been through the hell of a very publicly traumatic childhood and come out gloriously glowing and grateful on the other side.

Those of us who grew up alongside her remember. The assumption was that there would be a terrible ending to the tragic road she was headed down. The fact that she is here, not just surviving but thriving, is a sign of hope we can all appreciate.

May we all find as much joy in simple things as Drew Barrymore. Just imagine how much better the world would be if we all followed in her rain-soaked footsteps.

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Pennsylvania home is the entrance to a cave that’s been closed for 70 years

You can only access the cave from the basement of the home and it’s open for business.

Brian Marble/Facebook

This Pennsylvania home is the entrance to a cave.

Have you ever seen something in a movie or online and thought, "That's totally fake," only to find out it's absolutely a real thing? That's sort of how this house in Pennsylvania comes across. It just seems too fantastical to be real, and yet somehow it actually exists.

The home sits between Greencastle and Mercersburg, Pennsylvania, and houses a pretty unique public secret. There's a cave in the basement. Not a man cave or a basement that makes you feel like you're in a cave, but an actual cave that you can't get to unless you go through the house.

Turns out the cave was discovered in the 1830s on the land of John Coffey, according to Uncovering PA, but the story of how it was found is unclear. People would climb down into the cave to explore occasionally until the land was leased about 100 years later and a small structure was built over the cave opening.

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NFL star Chad Ochocinco saved 80% of his money by flying coach and wearing fake jewelry

He was flashy, not materialistic.

via Wikimedia Commons

Bengals wide receiver Chad Johnson in 2006.

A startling number of professional athletes face financial hardships after they retire. The big reason is that even though they make a lot of money, the average sports career is relatively short: 3.3 years in the NFL; 4.6 years in the NBA; and 5.6 years in MLB. During that time, athletes often dole out money to friends and family members who helped them along the way and can fall victim to living lavish, unsustainable lifestyles.

After the athlete retires they are likely to earn a lot less money, and if they don’t adjust their spending, they’re in for some serious trouble.

In a candid interview with NFL Hall of Famer and TV personality Shannon Sharpe, Chad Ochocinco (legally Chad Johnson) revealed that he saved 80 to 83% of the $48 million he made in the NFL by faking his lavish lifestyle because it made no sense to him.

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Finally, someone explains why we all need subtitles when watching TV

No, you're probably not losing your hearing.

Vox/YouTube

Finally, someone explains why we all need subtitles

It seems everyone needs subtitles nowadays in order to "hear" the television. This is something that has become more common over the past decade and it's caused people to question if their hearing is going bad or if perhaps actors have gotten lazy with enunciation.

So if you've been wondering if it's just you who needs subtitles in order to watch the latest marathon-worthy show, worry no more. Vox video producer Edward Vega interviewed dialogue editor Austin Olivia Kendrick to get to the bottom of why we can't seem to make out what the actors are saying anymore. It turns out it's technology's fault, and to get to how we got here, Vega and Kendrick took us back in time.

They first explained that way back when movies were first moving from silent film to spoken dialogue, actors had to enunciate and project loudly while speaking directly into a large microphone. If they spoke and moved like actors do today, it would sound almost as if someone were giving a drive-by soliloquy while circling the block. You'd only hear every other sentence or two.

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American mom living in Germany lists postpartum support and women are gobsmacked

“Every video you make gets me closer to actually moving to Germany.”

Aly TikTok Screenshots

U.S. mom living in Germany shares postpartum support she received.

Having a baby is not an easy feat no matter which way they come out. The pregnant person is either laboring for hours and then pushing for what feels like even more hours, or they're getting cut from hip to hip to bring about their bundle of joy. (Unless you're one of those lucky—or rather not-so-lucky—folks who get to labor for hours only to still end up in surgery.)

Giving birth is hard and healing afterward can feel dang near impossible, especially given that most states in the U.S. only offer six weeks of maternity leave and it's typically unpaid. But did you know that not everyone has that experience?

A mom who had her first child in the U.S. before meeting her current husband and relocating to Germany is shedding light on postpartum care in her new country. The stark contrast is beyond shocking to women living in the U.S. and she's got a few considering crossing the ocean for a better quality of life.

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Is tipping culture out of control? A former server explains why she won't tip at Starbucks.

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via Meghan Elinor/TikTok and UpSticksNGo Crew/Flickr

Meghan Elinor chimes in on the Starbucks tipping debate.

Tipping culture is rapidly changing in America, so understandably a lot of people aren’t sure what to do when they buy a coffee and the debit card reader asks for a tip. It used to be that people only tipped bartenders, drivers, servers and hairdressers.

Now people are being asked to tip just about any time they encounter a point-of-sale system. There is a big difference between tipping a server who lugged around hot plates of food for an hour-long meal and someone who simply handed you an ice cream cone.

"We're living in an era of inflation, but on top of that, we've got tipping everywhere—tipflation. I take it a step further and call it a tipping invasion. Because that's really what I think it is," etiquette expert Thomas Farley (aka Mister Manners) told CBS 8.

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One moment in history shot Tracy Chapman to music stardom. Watch it now.

She captivated millions with nothing but her guitar and an iconic voice.

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Imagine being in the crowd and hearing "Fast Car" for the first time

While a catchy hook might make a song go viral, very few songs create such a unifying impact that they achieve timeless resonance. Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car” is one of those songs.

So much courage and raw honesty is packed into the lyrics, only to be elevated by Chapman’s signature androgynous and soulful voice. Imagine being in the crowd and seeing her as a relatively unknown talent and hearing that song for the first time. Would you instantly recognize that you were witnessing a pivotal moment in musical history?

For concert goers at Wembley Stadium in the late 80s, this was the scenario.

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