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Joy

10 things that made us smile this week

Did someone order some mood-boosting serotonin?

@opiethepitbully/TikTok, @thedadsocial/Instagram

Upworthy's weekly roundup of joy

Spring has sprung, y'all! Officially on paper, at least. It's still flippin' cold and brown where I live, but we can see the daffodils stretching their way out of the ground and it won't be long before everything bursts into bloom.

Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "Earth laughs in flowers." That feels true, doesn't it? These early days of spring are a bit like preparing to watch your favorite comedy, snuggled up on the couch with your people (or your cat), nummy snacks and comfy pants, smiling in anticipation because you know you're about to have some big laughs.

Hopefully, that's also how you feel jumping into these weekly roundups of joy, knowing you're about to get hit with some mood-boosting serotonin and cant-help-but-smile goodness. (That's how I feel each week pulling these lists together–it's like a little weekly smile therapy.)

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Joy

An 8-year-old snuck his handwritten book onto a library shelf. Now it has a 56-person waiting list.

Dillon Helbig's 81-page graphic novel— written by "Dillon His Self"—captured the hearts of his local librarians and their patrons.

KTVB/YouTube

Dillon Helbig's 81-page graphic novel captured the hearts of his local librarians.

Writing a book is no easy task, even for adult professional writers. Many would-be authors dream of a day when their work can be found on library shelves, unsure if it will ever come.

But for 8-year-old Dillon Helbig, that day has already arrived—in truly unconventional fashion—thanks to his own determination to make it happen.

Dillon wrote his 81-page graphic novel, "The Adventures of Dillon Helbig's Crismis" (written by "Dillon His Self") in a hardcover journal with colored pencils over the course of a few days. He even put a label on the back of the book that reads "Made in Idho" [sic] and put an illustrated spine label on it as well. Then, without telling anyone, he brought it to his local library in Boise, Idaho, and slipped it in among the books in the children's section.

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Joy

10 things that made us smile this week

Upworthy's weekly roundup of joy.

Upworthy/Instagram (manulikeginobili/TikTok, _crazyzoo/TikTok, skinbyjoe/TikTok)

The world is filled with moments of joy.

Have you ever wondered what happens in your brain when you're smiling?

The act of smiling releases molecules in your brain called neuropeptides, which help you fight off stress. Then come smaller neurotransmitters such as serotonin (which acts as an anti-depressant) and endorphins (which provide mild pain relief). These chemicals may just be tiny molecules floating around in your brain, but they make a big difference in how you feel.

At Upworthy, we're all about small things making a big difference. Whether it's the life-giving sound of a baby's laughter, the delight of a person dancing like no one's watching or the beauty of a random act of compssion, little doses of joy can go a long way toward creating the kind and peaceful world we all want to live in.

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Parenting

A soon-to-be dad asked for the best parts of having kids. Parents delivered with heartwarming joy.

He was tired of only hearing about how his life would soon be over and how he'd never sleep again.

Photo by Lawrence Crayton on Unsplash

Baby giggles are one of the best things about parenthood.

The dizzying preparation stage of soon-to-be-parenthood can be a little daunting. Everyone and their grandma—literally—bombards you with congratulations, advice and doomsday-like predictions about how your life is about to change.

People try to prepare you for parenthood by sharing horror stories or warning you about how hard it's going to be with the best of intentions. Parenting can be tough, and going into it with overly rose-colored glasses can lead to some painful reality checks. But too many jokes about never sleeping again or anecdotes about toddler tantrums can also dampen what should be a joyful time of anticipation and excitement and make parenting sound like a total drag, which it's not.

That's why soon-to-be-dad Harris Fanaroff took to Twitter to ask parents what they really love about raising kids.

"I’m tired of hearing the…'You’ll never sleep again' 'Your travel life is over' 'Say goodbye to your weekends,'" Fanaroff wrote. "My first baby is joining us in the next 3 weeks and I’m excited, nervous, anxious, and grateful. I’d love to hear your favorite parts of having a newborn/baby/kids."

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Pop Culture

Over 300,000 people from 192 countries filmed their life on July 25, 2020. The highlight reel is incredible.

"Life in a Day" is like a home movie of humanity that illustrates our diversity, yet also shows how very much alike we are.

Life in a Day/YouTube

The "Life in a Day'" documentary gives us a glimpse of daily life around the world in the early months of the pandemic.

Despite our tumultuous history of conflict over our differences, there is far more that unites humanity than divides us. We are wholly unique individuals who share various group identities, but at the end of the day, we are all simply human.

Nothing makes that fact clearer than peeking into the daily lives of people all over the world—seeing how we all connect with our families and friends, how we enjoy the outdoors, how we take care of ourselves and others, how we create our livelihoods and more. But few people are able to travel extensively enough to see those things firsthand.

That's where the YouTube Original "Life in a Day" comes in.

The original "Life in a Day" video project was crowdsourced from ordinary people around the world who filmed their lives on July 24, 2010. From the 80,000 clips sent in, a filmmaking team under the direction of Kevin Macdonald, Tegan Bukowski, and Loressa Clisby pieced together an award-winning documentary.

Then, when the coronavirus pandemic hit in early 2020, MacDonald decided to revisit the idea to capture the experience we were sharing as a global community. Only this time, more than 300,000 people from 192 countries sent in their day-in-the-life films from July 25, 2020 to contribute to the project.

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uplifting

Did someone order some mood-boosting serotonin?

1. There can't possibly be anything sweeter than this kid singing 'Three Little Birds'

2. Dad gives his baby girl a relaxing 'spa day' while Mom and big sis are out at the salon

3. Speaking of relaxation, has a baby alligator ever been this happy?

5. Security guard named 'Pocket' might be the biggest Taylor Swift fan at the concert

5. Bruce Willis being showered with love on his 68th birthday is what it's all about

6. 100-year-old Grace Linn is an inspiration with her speech about banning books

7. Dad who never wants his picture taken makes an exception for the perfect dad joke

8. Good doggo does the 'pick a card' date challenge and it's the cutest thing ever

9. Irish dance meets Megan Thee Stallion and it's an unexpectedly awesome combo

10. Kids from Dream Catchers Academy in Nigeria recreated Rihanna's halftime dance and DANG

Dillon Helbig's 81-page graphic novel— written by "Dillon His Self"—captured the hearts of his local librarians and their patrons.

Upworthy's weekly roundup of joy.

1. The way this baby belly laughs every time the bird chirps. Oh. My. Goodness.

2. Shop owner gifts a $700 prom dress to a girl who drove six hours to her store.

3. This girl is on fire, for real.

4. A Fred Meyer store gave its entire Powerball bonus to the local food bank.

5. Dad shares a genius way to handle a kid drawing on the wall.

6. Dad narrates his son's trip to the mall 'Look Who's Talking'-style and it's delightful.

7. Mom shares a perfect, real-life example of the 'Dad is RIGHT THERE' phenomenon.

8. Boy reassures rescue dog that he'll be cared for and protected, and where's my tissue?

9. Dog sneaks around on tiptoe to get what he wants and it's hilarious to witness.

10. Here's to the friends who immediately go in for the snuggle when they see you.

This girl's pep talk to herself is winning over the internet.

Upworthy's weekly roundup of joy

1. Professor's grad students surprised him with a silly response to his 'irrational fear' of hammerhead sharks.

2. A soon-to-be dad asked parents to share their favorite parts of parenting. The responses were beautiful.

3. Ever seen a bunch of parrots get tucked into bed with kisses and a bedtime story?

4. Two lonely geese found a second chance at love through a singles ad.

5. This tattoo is proof of the power of tea at grandma's house.

6. People are loving the way this mom handled her son's bedtime meltdown.

7. A 62-year-old fashionista is inspiring older women on TikTok with her sense of style.

8. Friends threw an epic party for their friend who got her U.S. citizenship.

9. Watching foxes hunt in the snow is as fascinating as it is entertaining.

10. Dance your way through the weekend with the smooth moves of this guy and…himself.

He was tired of only hearing about how his life would soon be over and how he'd never sleep again.

"Life in a Day" is like a home movie of humanity that illustrates our diversity, yet also shows how very much alike we are.