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These 9 things each take literally one second, but they'll make your life, and the world, better.

You have an unbelievable opportunity. Don't waste it.

Today is going to be an unusually long day.

Photo via splitshire.com/Pexels.


At 11:59 p.m. GMT (7:59 p.m. Eastern time), earth's official timekeepers will add an extra second. It happens once every several years to correct a slight calendar abnormality.

Some worry that the time glitch could crash computers around the world. Just like Y2K ... didn't actually do.

And then the sky turns into owl eyes and the shadow people descend. Photo by Bonnybbx/Pixabay.

But that probably won't happen. The most likely result is that every single person on earth will have a little bit of extra time! Which is something we all need, however brief.

Since it only comes around once in a long while, this is a second you really don't want to waste. Here are some things you can use it for.

1. Take a one-second shower.

Image via Thinkstock.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the average shower lasts eight minutes and uses 18 gallons of water. But a one-second shower uses roughly half a cup of water. It might not get you quite as clean, but water is precious. Over 750 million people worldwide don't have reliably clean water to drink at all.

If you don't lead by example, then who will?

2. Say the first part of the word "understandably."

Photo by Matt Lemmon/Flickr.

"Understandably" is a really fun word to say. It not only contains plenty of short vowel sounds but several plosives and alveolar nasals as well. Unfortunately, it takes more than a second to get the whole thing out. You can get about as far as "understandab" in one second. But it's still worth it.

3. Feel joy.

Image via Thinkstock.

Joy is one of the best things in the world to feel. And lucky for us, there are so many great things to feel joyful about this week — from the upcoming three-day-weekend to the Supreme Court making marriage equality the law of the land to the fact that bagels are available in basically every grocery store in the USA. So take a second to feel some good, ol' fashioned, unbridled joy.

4. Watch this animated GIF of Miley Cyrus speaking surprisingly eloquently on the restrictions of the gender binary.

You go, Miley!

GIF by ABC News.

5. Sneeze.

Photo by William Brawley/Flickr.

Even though sneezing means your respiratory system is irritated, it feels damn great. If you have to induce it, so what? You've earned a good sneeze.

6. Look at this picture of a giraffe.

Oh hey. Photo by Tony Hisgett/Flickr.

I hate to break it to you, but while you were out at lunch, giraffes started going extinct. So take a good look. A good long look.

Then go help save the giraffes.

7. Take one bite of pizza.

Photo by Pink Sherbet Photography/Flickr.

Pizza is the most delicious foodstuff on the planet. It's just bread, tomatoes, and cheese, and yet somehow, it's amazing. Plus, you can put nearly anything on top of it and it tastes just as good, if not better. You can't say that about any other dish (I'm looking in your direction, artichoke salad). So take a second and eat a single bite of pizza.

Oh, but not Papa John's. Seriously.

8. Do one second of volunteer work.

Photo by Jim Henderson/Wikimedia Commons.

Anything you want, really. There are lots of people who could use a hand. And you probably have a hand! Two of them, actually. And there are some great organizations that can connect your hands and those people. In your hometown, even! Even just for a second. Here's a great way to find them.

9. Just enjoy yourself.

Photo by Afrika Force/Flickr.

Let's face it. You've got 86,400 seconds every day to feel bad about everything that's stressful in your life and all the problems of the world. But this second is a bonus. So kick back, relax, and for just one second, do whatever you gotta do to make yourself feel great. 'Cause this is your time. It's extra.

Enjoy it.

Come to think of it, you can think about the giraffes tomorrow.

Pop Culture

Here’s a paycheck for a McDonald’s worker. And here's my jaw dropping to the floor.

So we've all heard the numbers, but what does that mean in reality? Here's one year's wages — yes, *full-time* wages. Woo.

Making a little over 10,000 for a yearly salary.


I've written tons of things about minimum wage, backed up by fact-checkers and economists and scholarly studies. All of them point to raising the minimum wage as a solution to lifting people out of poverty and getting folks off of public assistance. It's slowly happening, and there's much more to be done.

But when it comes right down to it, where the rubber meets the road is what it means for everyday workers who have to live with those wages. I honestly don't know how they do it.

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Joy

5-star Scottish resort offers whimsical afternoon tea experience with 'naughty sheep'

Cameron House's Woolly Wellness retreat includes tea in the garden with adorably rude guests.

Cameron House/Naughty Sheep

Cameron House's Woolly Wellness retreat includes a unique sheep encounter.

Remember when "goat yoga" was all the rage? And then "cow cuddling" and "turkey cuddling" made everyone's bucket lists?

Now we can add "nuzzling with naughty sheep" to the mix, but with a fancy Scottish twist.

Less than an hour from Glasgow, Scotland, the Cameron House resort sits on the bonnie banks of Loch Lomond, looking as if it were plucked straight out of a fairy tale. Sprawling green grounds, gorgeous lake views and a four-story castled mansion greet guests as their "home away from home" (only better), and a perusal of the reviews show guests raving about the 5-star resort's elegance, beauty and exceptional service.

I mean, just look at this place:

drone view of cameron house grounds and lakeCameron House sit on Lake Lochmond in Scotland.Cameron House


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A pitbull stares at the window, looking for the mailman.


Dogs are naturally driven by a sense of purpose and a need for belonging, which are all part of their instinctual pack behavior. When a dog has a job to do, it taps into its needs for structure, purpose, and the feeling of contributing to its pack, which in a domestic setting translates to its human family.

But let’s be honest: In a traditional domestic setting, dogs have fewer chores they can do as they would on a farm or as part of a rescue unit. A doggy mom in Vancouver Island, Canada had fun with her dog’s purposeful uselessness by sharing the 5 “chores” her pitbull-Lab mix does around the house.

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@caitlin.the.realtor/TikTok, used with permission

Wait, so 90's fashion is in, but 90's hair is out?

Every era has its own version of what’s attractive. And very rarely does that aesthetic hold power with the following generation. In fact, it often becomes the opposite of cool.

Just think of Elvis. He might have been a universal sex symbol for a time, but it also wasn’t long before his pompadour became passé. Same goes for Paul Newman’s rugged manliness, David Cassidy’s babyface, Tom Selleck’s mustache. Indeed, for everything a season.

Which brings us to the 90s. The age of beach blonde surfer boys (real surfing skills not required, but a plus). Of flannel, lots of flannel, and super chiseled bodies. Let’s not forget this was the dawning of the term “metrosexual,” and also the time period that brought us that Calvin Klein ad with Mark Wahlburg.

How exactly would these guys measure up with the Gen Z kids today?

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popular

A wild Eurasian crow befriended a toddler and won't leave his side

Crows are so much smarter than we think.

A Eurasian crow.

A family from Denmark has created a touching video montage documenting their unique friendship with a wild Eurasian crow. This crow, affectionately named Russell, has become an honorary member of their household, forming special bonds with each family member, including the pets.

However, the crow's relationship with their son, 2-year-old Otto, is truly extraordinary. “They could spend hours just playing,” Otto’s mother, Laerke Luna, says in a video shared by The Dodo. "When Otto is outside, he will never leave Otto’s side.”

Russell, the free-spirited crow, ventures away from the family's home from time to time, but never for too long. He always comes back and announces his return by tapping on the door, swooping in to lounge on the sofa, or awaiting Otto's return from school atop their roof.

“When we are inside, he will sit inside the window because he wants Otto to go outside with him,” Laerke said.

The family’s relationship with Russell didn’t come out of nowhere. When Russell was a young bird, he had health problems so the family took him and nursed the bird back to health. Eventually, they witnessed his first attempts to fly.

Recently, Russell became friends with another family member, their second child, Hedwig. Although he does get a little annoyed with the bird’s frequent attempts to nab his pacifier.

Even though it’s rare for humans to strike up such a close bond with a crow, according to research, it’s not that surprising. Audubon says that crows are “some of the smartest animals in the world” with an intelligence “on par with chimpanzees.” They are also very social and family-oriented, so no wonder Russell loves Otto and his family.

Crow Named Russell Waits For His Favorite Kid To Get Home From School | The Dodo


Learning

Why you shouldn't throw your dishwasher pod into the bottom of your dishwasher

Dishwashers actually use the dirty water to know how to wash your dishes.

Photos by cottonbro studio and PhotoMIX Ltd. via Canva

Why your detergent shouldn't go in the bottom of the dishwasher

There always seem to be something going on with the pods and powders you're supposed to use in the dishwasher to clean your dishes. Either the pods don't dissolve completely or the powder gets all goopy and hard, never really fully dispensing into the dishwasher.

The inconsistency in product dispensing can leave you wondering if the dishes are even getting cleaned, causing some to toss the detergent pod into the bottom of the dishwasher. It would seem that placing the detergent at the bottom would allow for it to actually reach your dirty dishes. But Melissa Pateras, a domestic expert, explains that doing it that way isn't doing what you think it's doing.

Pateras actually breaks down exactly how dishwashers work to clean your dishes while explaining why putting the detergent on the bottom is ineffective.

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