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UPS driver breaks down into tears saying goodbye to dogs he's known for over 10 years

The driver was making his last route, and shared an emotional farewell with his furry friends.

Photo credit: Canva

Mail carriers are a vital part of our community.

People in service jobs can become really bonded and connected with the people they serve—as well as their animals.

For a Georgia-based UPS driver, his last shift meant having to say goodbye to two sweet Brittany breed pups that greeted him along his route over the past 10 years. Bidding that decade-long friendship farewell was nothing less than a tearjerker.

In a touching clip shared by @ABC News' TikTok on June 23, the UPS driver (named Mario) makes his way to the house, package in hand, as the dogs welcome him with full tail-wagging excitement. Honestly, without the sniffles of the dog mom capturing the video, you’d probably think nothing of this interaction.

ups driver, ups, brittany dogs, positive news, feel good stories, wholesome tiktok, dogsA Brittany puppy.Photo credit: Canva

“Hey Mario,” the woman says, overcome with emotion. “Thank you.”

“Thank you,” Mario whispers back, also verklempt.

“I love you man, I really do,” the woman says, to which Mario replies, “Thank you I love you too.”

While the dogs don’t audibly say anything, the love they feel for Mario is also very visible. The entire video is five seconds shy of a minute, yet it packed quite the emotional punch in very little time.

@abcnews After more than a decade of dog treats and deliveries, a UPS driver in Georgia shared an emotional moment with a couple of pups and their owner as he bid them farewell during his last shift.
♬ original sound - ABC News

“This should be a UPS commercial," one person wrote.

Even the official UPS TikTok account chimed in, saying “You never expect a goodbye to hit this hard.”

So many people shared their appreciation for some truly positive interactions, especially in such dark and uncertain times.

“THIS is what our world needs,” one person wrote, while another echoed, “this is what this world is supposed to be like, nothing but love.”

“I needed this today. There's so much hate in this world. My heart really hurts,” added a third.

Indeed, there might be many unsavory things happening right now, but so much of the world also looks just like this, full of harmonious coexistence, shared appreciation, easygoing friendships, and love for one another. Those things might not always make headlines, but they do exist, and sharing these moments gives us reason to keep going.

ups driver, ups, brittany dogs, positive news, feel good stories, wholesome tiktok, dogsA mail delivery carrier.Photo credit: Canva

It also just goes to show how mail carriers provide not only a vital service, but a sense of much-needed community to animals and humans alike. As folks in the comments suggested, Mario, the woman, and the doggos can hopefully continue their friendship even if his time at UPS is ending. After all, why rob these pups of their BFF?

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Pop Culture

Tom Hanks shares the 'best' advice an angry director told him, and it applies to everyone

He took it to heart, and it changed his life and career.

via Ralph_Ph/Wikimedia Commons

Tom Hanks speaking to a crowd in London in 2023.

Tom Hanks, 68, has had an incredible career as an actor, playing lead roles in iconic films such as Forest Gump, Philadelphia, Apollo 13, Saving Private Ryan, and Sleepless in Seattle. He also has remarkable longevity in the business, having been on the A-list for the last 40-plus years. He picked up one of the secrets to his success at age 21 when a frustrated director shared some practical wisdom he'd never forget.

Hanks shared his advice on June 15, 2023, during “An Evening with Tom Hanks,” in London, hosted by fellow actor Richard E. Grant (Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Gosford Park). As a young man, Hanks worked for a repertory theater, doing background roles and working as an understudy on Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shew, when the lead actors came to rehearsal hungover and didn’t know their lines. This angered the director, who demanded they come to work like professionals.

What's the best advice Tom Hanks ever received?

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

“This is my job, and it's your job here. And I can't tell you guys what to do every time. Stop asking me where you should be. Stop asking what the motivation is. That's your job,” Hanks recalled the director saying before delivering advice that would change his life: “You gotta show up on time. You have to know the text, and you have to have an idea.”

The best advice Tom Hanks ever received: “You gotta show up on time. You have to know the text, and you have to have an idea.”

The advice changed how Hanks approached being a professional actor and helped propel him to the industry's top. The strange thing for Hanks is that it’s advice that many actors still need to hear. “You tell me, are there not a ton of actors that are working who don't do any of those things? And they still get to come and get paid to do it?” he told Grant.

tom hanks elvis, tom hanks australia, tom parker, hanks advice, tom hanks roles, how to act, directorsTom Hanks at the "Elvis" premiere in Australia. via Eva Rinaldi/Wikimedia Commons

Hanks elaborated on the three pieces of advice, adding that showing up on time means “a little bit early,” and knowing the texts means understanding "what’s going on” and being prepared. Finally, " having an idea” means bringing something to the table that will “move it a little further down the line.”

When you boil all of Hank’s advice down to its core, it means to take the initiative. Show up early, be prepared for what you must do, and then improve upon the situation by bringing some fresh ideas to share. From the director’s perspective, it’s invaluable to work with actors who want to enhance their vision so they don't have to control every aspect of the production.


Whether it’s a director, your boss, or your spouse, there’s nothing people love more than being able to depend on those who care enough to go the extra mile so that the project is a success. Show that you’re more than just an actor looking for fame, an employee looking for a paycheck, or a spouse who wants little more than to keep a roof over their head.

Hanks’ advice is great for anyone who wants to go above and beyond and become an integral part of a team. As actor Steve Martin once said, “Be so good that you’re undeniable.” It’s no wonder that Hanks has had such a great career. He took the director's advice to heart and became one of the most successful and beloved actors of all time.

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Joy

Death doula reveals the big lesson working with the dying has taught her about happiness

She has a very unique window into life.

via TED and Canva/Photos

Alua Arthur and a man in hospice care.

Death is a highly complicated and mysterious subject that rightfully makes a lot of us uncomfortable. But, according to Alua Arthur, a death doula who is an expert on the topic and works closely with the dying and their families, by embracing this uncomfortable fact of life, we can all find more joy in the time that we have left.

Arthur, a former lawyer, experienced a life-changing moment in Cuba when he met a traveler battling uterine cancer. Their time together changed her perspective on life. “We spent the 14-hour bus ride talking about her life and also her death,” she recounted in a 2023 TED Talk. “And it was a highly illuminating conversation. I heard firsthand how hard it was for her even to be able to talk about her fears around mortality and her disease because people censored their own discomfort with mortality rather than make space for her.”

Arthur says the woman helped her “see that I did not like the life that I was living.” After that interaction and the death of her brother from cancer, she left her law career and decided to work with those who are dying and their families. Arthur’s experiences with the dying led her to an important life lesson: "I took that invitation to start living like I was dying,” she told Simon Sinek on his “A Bit of Optimism” podcast.

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As a death doula, Arthur provides non-medical support for people at the end of their lives, as well as their friends and family. This support can include anything from legal advice to counseling. She says she’s like a birth doula, but “for the other side” of life.

Ten years of working with those transitioning out of life have profoundly changed how Arthur sees the world. "I think I speak a little bit more clearly about how I feel. I brush up against my vulnerability a lot more often. The idea of individualism seems to be fading in me. I'm more comfortable being needed and needing people in my life because I see how communal our lives are and can be, and I want that for myself,” she told Sinek.

Arthur also embraces a lot more pleasures in life. “I eat more delicious foods, I'm not as concerned about my weight, if we're going to be silly about it. Like, I eat whatever I want because this life is short, and I want to use my taste buds as long as I got them. I love French fries and cake, so I'm trying to get 'em while I can,” she admits.

The death doula is skeptical of those with rigid habits who want to increase their longevity. "I think it's death denial at its core. I think we live in a highly death-avoidant culture, and that tells you if you pop enough supplements and if you drink enough baby's blood, you'll live to 177,” she told Sinek. “But why do you want to live to 117 anyway? What is it that we're trying to avoid by wanting to live forever, and what are you doing with that extra time that you wouldn't do now with the finite time that you have?"

As a death doula, Arthur often counsels people in their final days to help them understand their lives, and in doing so, she found meaning in her own. "Tomorrow could be it, and if that's the case, why not live my life right now with the fullness that I can while I'm still here?" she told Sinek.

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Family

Busy mom overcome with emotion when elderly man says the perfect thing to her

He chose positivity and it made all the difference.

via Canva/Photos

A happy mother and her smiling child.

Parents of newborns know they are in the middle of a joyous and stressful era. But far too often, the people they run into choose to frame things negatively when talking to them about their young child. They’ll say things like, “Don’t worry, it gets better” or “Boy, do you have your hands full.”

That’s why Steph Morrison's video on TikTok touched so many hearts. It’s about the fantastic things that can happen when people choose to see things in a positive light instead of a negative one.

“The sweetest thing just happened,” Morrison begins in her video. “I was just finishing my walk and we were just pulling down our street and this old man, he stopped so we could walk by because we’ve got the double-wide stroller that takes up the whole space, and he goes ‘Wow! You’re going to have a lot of fun.’"

The comment blindsided Morrison because it reframed how she looks at being a parent.

@_stephmorrison_

I never would have guessed what the man would say nor did I ever predict tears would roll down my face like they did. Thankful for this sweet glimmer from God 🫶🏼✨ #momspiration #momsoftiktok #momsover30 #quotesforyou #momquotes #postpartumjourney #postpartumlife #happywords #happinessbegins #creatorsearchinsights

“I don’t know why I’m getting emotional telling you now. But most people say, ‘You’ve got your hands full’ and it’s my biggest pet peeve, but he was so sweet and I could, like, see the memories flash through his eyeballs as he said that to me: ‘You’re going to have a lot of fun.’”

“Like, dang! That’s the type of vibe and energy I’m going to bring to motherhood,” she continued. “I was having a really great time with the kids already, so I don’t know why I’m crying while telling you this. But if you’re a mother out there, I hope you’re having a lot of fun, too, because why not?”

Everyone knows that parenting can be hard. But it’s also filled with joy, laughter, hope, possibilities and new experiences. The elderly man’s comments were a great reminder to Morrison and her followers to focus on the joy and possibilities of being a parent instead of the challenges and hard work.



The video struck a chord with mothers in the comments who shared similar experiences.

“An older man in the grocery store stopped me when my son was 8 months old and said, ‘Young enough to still talk to the angels, put in a good word for me!’” Rachel wrote. “My only son is 7 months old. I can’t have any more kids due to life-threatening complications at birth. The other day, a man said to me, ‘He gets to have you all to himself. Isn’t that so special?’” Happy_Gilmoree added.

CaitlinPrice25 hit the nail on the head. “Society makes us feel like kids are a burden,” she wrote. “Just a little change of perspective can make all the difference.”

A positive mindset can make life much easier for parents, but it’s also great for their children. Children look to their parents and model their behavior; those with a positive attitude are likely to raise happy, optimistic children. “A mother’s ability to model positivity becomes a powerful tool in shaping a child’s character, fostering qualities such as kindness, compassion, and a positive outlook on life,” The Motherhood Center in Houston, Texas, writes.

The story also reminds everyone, whether they are parents or not, of the importance of leading with positivity when dealing with others. The man could have said something cliché such as “I hope you’re getting enough sleep,” but instead, he reminded Morrison of the joy of parenting, and she made his remark her north star. That’s the power of positivity.

This article originally appeared last year.

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