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Joy

Southwest Airlines babysits a passenger's betta fish for months after she couldn't fly with it

Now that's customer service.

betta fish, southwest airlines, kira rumfola
via Pixabay

A beautiful betta fish.

It was a wild summer at U.S. airports where there were more cancellations and delays than usual due to spiking demand after the pandemic, understaffed airlines and severe storms. But a story from Tampa International Airport in Florida shows that amid the chaos, there was a brief glimmer of humanity.

News Channel 8 in Florida reports that after finishing her freshman year at college, Kira Rumfola was ready to return home to New York for the summer when she ran into a problem at Tampa International Airport. Unfortunately, she wasn’t able to bring her pet betta fish, Theo, with her on a Southwest flight home.

“As a recent addition to Kira’s life, Theo is very special to her, having provided comfort and companionship as she adjusted to college life,” Southwest wrote in a Facebook post.

It’s against Southwest policy to allow fish on its flights.

“Ismael, our Customer Service Agent, talked Kira and her father through multiple options,” Southwest wrote on Facebook. “When nothing worked out, Ismael offered to take care of Theo himself while Kira was home for the summer.”

Kira swore she'd be back in the fall for the next school session and would pick up her fish when she returned to Florida.

According to a Southwest Twitter post, Kira stayed in touch with Ismael and Jamee, his fiance and fellow Southwest employee, all summer. The couple regularly shared photos of Theo with Kira and they even bought him a larger fish bowl.

On September 15, Southwest shared a photo of Kira, Ismael and Jamee when they met up to reunite the student and her fish. Kira gave the couple a gift card as a thank-you. “Thank you again for the gift card, it was completely unnecessary,” Jamee wrote in a text shared by Southwest. “We hope you guys got back to your dorm ok. Let us know if you need anything.”

Theo lived with Ismael and Jamee for the entire summer—they had to be a bit teary-eyed to see him go.

The story struck a chord with people on Facebook, who thought it was an amazing show of customer service and humanity.

“That definitely shows going over and above. There is still kindness in our world!" Shelly Tibbs Eber Caulfield wrote.

"Ismael deserves a promotion! He's clearly shown he's willing to do any-fin possible to help a customer," Kristen Calvert wrote.

Matt Pope wins best joke. "That’s the greatest fish story featuring a guy named Ismael since that book by Melville," he wrote, making a reference to “Moby Dick."

Everyone appreciates a great story about someone going above and beyond in their job to help a customer. But what Ismael and Jamee did went far beyond customer service. They showed up as human beings to help a stranger take care of a beloved family member when they had run out of options. Now, that’s a great example of humanity at its best.

The only remaining question is, what will Kira do with Theo next summer?









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Joy

Emmy-winning director's obituary for his wife of 25 years has become a viral love story

"For those who never knew her, I'm sorry for your loss."

Canva, @BobWeide/Twitter

Bob Weide's obituary for his wife Linda is a beautiful tribute to a beautiful love story.

Everyone appreciates a story of true love that stands the test of time, even when it ends in loss. Emmy-winning screenwriter, director and producer Robert Weide has captured people's hearts with a love story for the ages—one that just happens to be his own.

Weide is best known for directing and producing the first five seasons of "Curb Your Enthusiasm," but he is currently in the spotlight for a more personal reason. His beloved wife, Linda, passed away in December 2022, and the obituary he wrote for her has gone viral for its pure love and charm.

Weide published the obituary in the Los Angeles Times, but also shared it on Twitter after other people started sharing it.

From the first line, we start to get a picture of the woman Weide was married to for 25 years.

"Linda Weide, my remarkable wife, believed everybody's age was nobody's business. Let's just say she was ageless and timeless. She had a kind of elegance from another era," he wrote.

Weide shared that she had been diagnosed with a rare, fatal neurological disease called Progressive Supranuclear Palsy in 2018. She died at home on Christmas Day, peacefully, in Weide's arms.

"If you must die, try to do it in the arms of someone who loves you," he wrote. "It helps."

He described how they met on September 30, 1994. "I walked into Café Aroma in Studio City, and there she was," he wrote. "She had it all—beauty, style, grace, intelligence, wit, a great laugh, a blinding smile and (can I say this in 2023?) legs that demanded to be shown off, and were."

He said he wrote in his journal that night, "I think I may be in big trouble." Thus began their 28-year-long relationship that included a 25-year marriage.

"She was remarkably low maintenance," he continued. "We both appreciated the occasional meal in a fine restaurant and traveling abroad, but some years I'd ask what she wanted for her birthday and she would answer, 'a grilled cheese sandwich.' Typical. She was generous to a fault, always putting others' needs before her own."

Weide shared that his wife had a particular "soft spot" for animals in need. "Our own animals were all rescues, and friends would tell her, 'If I can come back in another life, I want to be one of your animals.'" he wrote.

Linda was an actress and Weide shared some of her most memorable roles, but it's clear her role as the leading lady in his life meant the most to him.

"What a team we made," Weide wrote. "She was Gracie to my George. After we purchased side-by-side cemetery plots years ago, I asked her what she wanted her marker to say. She answered, 'I'm with Stupid.' (That request will not be honored.) Oh dear—what am I ever supposed to do without her?"

It can't be easy to wrap up a tribute to the love of your life after they pass, but Weide did it beautifully.

"They say, 'Nothing lasts forever,' but they didn't know about my love for her," he wrote. "28 years wasn't nearly long enough. Still, I may just be the luckiest SOB who ever lived. Rest well, Bunnie. I hope we'll be together again."

And finally, the perfect last line:

"For those who never knew her, I'm sorry for your loss."

Weide has been "surprised and a bit overwhelmed" by how people have responded to the obituary, but he's thrilled that so many people are getting a glimpse of

"I love that total strangers are confessing to tears and saying they can tell what a beautiful person Linda was. The fact that so many are getting a small taste of what I blessed with for 28 years is so moving," he wrote on Twitter. "Many of the comments have made me cry, some make me laugh...Others make me shout, 'Yes, yes!'"

"Anyway, my deepest appreciation to everyone who's taken the time to read or ❤️ or comment on the tribute," he continued. "You have made this new widower feel a little less lonely. And I know Linda sends her love, too.”

Thank you, Bob Weide, for sharing your love story with the world. It seems you were right—we all would have loved Linda.

Read Weide's obituary in full here. And if this story compels you to do something to honor Linda's life, Weide suggests making a donation to Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, her favorite animal shelter.


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Family

Kristen Bell's 'honest parenting approach' could help other parents.

Parents sometimes withhold honest information to protect their kids, but that may not be the best approach.

commons.wikimedia.org

Kristen Bell's honest parenting approach could help other parents.

Let's be honest here for a minute.

There are tough conversations that are just plain ol' uncomfortable for parents to have with their children. Some parents would rather deflect difficult questions or give a very made-up, childlike answer. For example, a parent might tell a child babies come from storks or they give them out at the hospital, just to avoid the topic of sex.

The thought is usually that the child is too young to know actual information about the difficult topic, so in a fit of panic, the parent makes something up. But as a licensed therapist with a degree in child development, I can tell you kids typically only ask questions they're ready to hear the answer to. In fact, they're really good at letting you know when you over-explain because they'll either change the subject or become obviously disinterested.

Actress Kristen Bell made headlines recently for her approach to discussing difficult topics with her children. She's honest with her kids, even about their father's addiction and recovery. Bell appeared in the magazine Real Simple and explained that there's nothing off the table to discuss with her two daughters, Delta, 8, and Lincoln, 9 1/2.

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Pop Culture

Rihanna's sign language interpreter goes viral for her performance during Super Bowl halftime

She's the MVP of ASL.

@RJiggie/Twitter

Justina Miles werk werk werked it.

Rihanna might have delivered an iconic Super Bowl halftime performance, but some are hailing Justina Miles, her American Sign Language interpreter, as the unexpected star of the show.

Miles is being applauded for the way she perfectly matched the pop diva’s energy as she mouthed the lyrics to hits like "Rude Boy," "Work" and "Umbrella" while leaning into ASL’s inherently expressive movements. The whole thing felt like its own choreographed routine, and fans were here for it.
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Pop Culture

Paul Rudd and Jimmy Fallon teamed up for a ridiculously delightful duet about beanies

They managed to find 12 words that rhymed with "beanie."

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon/Youtube

They wear teenies weenies beanies while sipping dry martinis.

Sometimes you listen to a song and have no idea whether you just experienced complete stupidity or utter genius. “Teenie Weenie Beanie” is one of those songs.

The song is about, you guessed it, tiny beanie hats, which might not seem like a bop at first. But when sung by two expert goofballs, Paul Rudd and Jimmy Fallon, it becomes far too silly not to love.

Plus, they managed to find 12 words that rhymed with "beanie." Even Dr. Seuss would be impressed.

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Democracy

Former Sandy Hook student shares heartbreaking story after surviving second school shooting

"The fact that this is the second mass shooting I have now lived through is incomprehensible."

@jmattttt/TikTok, @mdriddlen/Twitter

Jackie Matthews and Emma Riddle share that the MSU shooting was their second school shooting experience.

Experiencing the trauma of one school shooting is one too many. Living through two is utterly incomprehensible.

Jackie Matthews was in the sixth grade in Newtown, Connecticut, when a 20-year-old assailant shot and killed 26 students and faculty members at Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012. As the school district went into lockdown during the chaos, Matthews crouched in place with her classmates for so long that she still experiences back problems from it.

Now, as a senior at Michigan State University, Matthews has survived her second mass shooting at school. On the night of February 13, a 43-year-old gunman shot eight students on the MSU campus, killing three of them, before turning the gun on himself. Matthews posted a video to TikTok while sheltering in place in the middle of the night across the street from where some of the shootings took place.

"I am 21 years old and this is the second mass shooting I have now lived through," she shared. "Ten years and two months ago I survived the Sandy Hook shooting…I was hunched in the corner with my classmates for so long that I got a PTSD fracture in my L4 and L5 in my right lower back. I now have a full-blown PTSD fracture that flares up any time I'm in a stressful situation."

"The fact this is now the second shooting I have lived through is incomprehensible," she continued. "We can no longer just provide love and prayers. It needs to be legislation, it needs to be action. It's not OK. We can no longer allow this to happen."

@jmattttt

Enough is Enough. #spartanstrong #sandyhookstrong I hope you stand with me in putting an end to this horrific epidemic of gun violence.

Matthews wasn't the only MSU student who experienced their second school shooting on February 13. At least two students who had survived the Oxford High School shooting in Michigan in 2021 were also on campus that night.

Emma Riddle wrote on Twitter, "14 months ago I had to evacuate from Oxford High Schol [sic] when a fifteen year old opened fire and killed four of my classmates and injured seven more. Tonight, I am sitting under my desk at Michigan State Univeristy [sic], once again texting everyone 'I love you.'"

"When will this end?" she asked.

Riddle's father shared her tweet, writing, "This is my daughter Emma. Her safety and sense of peace has been ripped away twice in 14 months because America continues to choose guns over kids."

Another Oxford High School survivor was also on campus for the MSU shooting. Andrea Ferguson shared that her Oxford graduate daughter had just started attending MSU this semester.

“I never expected in my lifetime to have to experience two school shootings,” Ferguson told Local News 4 in Detroit as she described hearing from her daughter about the active shooter.

“She had just ended class and hopped on the bus and went across campus and called me, and while we were on the phone, all of the sudden she started getting text messages. It was like reliving Oxford all over again.”

The fact that multiple young people are experiencing multiple school shootings is a sobering reminder that the people who are killed or physically wounded are not the only victims of America's unique gun violence problem. Countless kids have been traumatized by mass shootings, either witnessing them firsthand or being close enough to them that their sense of safety has been forever affected.

We simply can't continue to wish and pray our mass shooting problem away away. Hopefully, it won't take another generation of survivors for us to gather the political will to finally take meaningful action.

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Joy

Service dog who inspired PAWS Act takes one last flight in touching video

Because of Kaya, uniting at-risk veterans with service dogs became federal law.

Southwest Airlines/Instagram

Kaya has flown with Southwest 250 times.

Editor's Note: If you are having thoughts about taking your own life, or know of anyone who is in need of help, the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is a United States-based suicide prevention network of over 200+ crisis centers that provides 24/7 service via a toll-free hotline with the number 9-8-8. It is available to anyone in suicidal crisis or emotional distress.

After helping countless veterans struggling with mental health find furry companionship, Kaya the German shepherd, devoted service dog and inspiration behind the PAWS Act of 2021, has passed. But not before her legacy was honored with one last flight.

In a clip posted to Instagram by Southwest Airlines, which Kaya had flown with 250 times, we see the sweet, yet tired pup resting on her furry blanket as the pilot explains her story.

Since 2014, Kaya and her owner Cole Lyle, a Marine Corps veteran, have flown all over the country helping other veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder. Their work together helped highlight the positive impact service dogs have in preventing veteran suicide, eventually leading to the PAWS Act (short for Puppies Assisting Wounded Servicemembers Act) becoming a federal law.
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