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Family

They say that friends become your family when you get old. Presenting Exhibit A.

True
Ad Council + AARP

Taking care of older friends and family can be hard work, but it can also be rewarding.

Meet Donna, Nicki, and Bill. They're lifelong friends, and as one of them nears the end of life, they've become family.

From the love of opera music ("20 million albums!") to the simple joys of life (like finding the best soup in town), these two ladies are helping Bill make it through, one day at a time.


"All that really matters is shelter, food … and if you get to have friends, how lucky you are!" All images via AARP and Ad Council.

Bill had a stroke while at the opera with Donna and has been more frail since then. But Donna and Nicki are up for the challenge — helping him try to walk every day, listening to opera with him, and navigating the daily struggles that living with the after-effects of a stroke can present.

Caregivers like these are people to cherish, and they've made it their passion to help Bill be as comfortable as he can at this stage of life.

It's clearly something they love doing and wouldn't trade for anything in the world.

But folks who take care of others are often the uncelebrated, behind-the-scenes people in our culture.

As for Bill, he definitely celebrates these two:

"They're gorgeous; they're smart; I enjoy them immensely. It's almost overwhelming to list their virtues."

"It's a wonderful world, and I'm happy to be in it still," says Bill.

Caregivers are a vital part of our society, and they're also often working full- or part-time jobs while balancing these demands.

It's a labor of love, certainly, but it's also frequently a hidden part of what people do. Check out more of this sweet story of this unusual yet crucial relationship here:

Some facts, all from the National Alliance for Caregiving and AARP:

  1. Nearly one-fourth of all of America's caregivers are millennials (ages 18—34), and they're equally likely to be male or female.
  2. The value — that is, if it were paid — of caregiving by family members was approximately $470 billion per year in 2013.
  3. About 40 million family caregivers help another adult or loved one carry out daily activities.
  4. More than half (55%) of family caregivers report being overwhelmed by the amount of care their family member needs.

We need to celebrate people like these every chance we get.

Pop Culture

Folks are admitting that Boomers weren’t totally wrong. Here are 19 things they got right.

OK, Boomer, you're right about this one.

via Patrick Lannigan/Flickr

The gaze of the approving Boomer.

Over the past few years, Baby Boomers (1946 to 1964) have been getting a lot of grief from the generations that came after them, Gen X (1965 to 1980), Millenials (1981 to 1996), and now, Gen Z (1997 to 2012). Their grievances include environmental destruction, wealth hoarding, political polarization, and being judgemental when they don’t understand how hard it is for younger people to make it in America these days.

Every Baby Boomer is different, so it's wrong to paint them all with a broad brush. But it’s undeniable that each generation shares common values, and some are bound to come into conflict.

However, life in 2023 isn’t without its annoyances. Many that came about after the technological revolution put a phone in everyone’s hands and brought a whole new host of problems. Add the younger generations' hands-on approach to child rearing and penchant for outrage, and a lot of moden life has become insufferanble.

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baby boomers
Identity

Non-Americans are sharing the ‘dead giveaway’ someone is American and they are pretty right

The dead giveaway is when they call me "honey" or "sweetie" or "darling."

via Flickr, Flickr, and Flickr

Three American tourists enjoying the sights.

One of the most interesting things about traveling the world is noticing how people from your country are a bit different from the place you’re visiting. In America, you’re mostly around fellow countrymen so it’s hard to notice the things that make us stand out.

But when you travel abroad, you quickly notice that no matter how hard you try to blend in, there are a lot of dead giveaways that show people you’re from the states that go way beyond your accent.

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americans
Pop Culture

Weird viral photo of Adele's face exemplifies the phenomenon called the Thatcher effect

The 42-year-old optical illusion is still astounding people.

upload.wikimedia.org /Credit: Condé Nast (through Vogue Taiwan)

Prepare to get Thatcherized.

It seems that Adele is going viral once again.

Perhaps you’ve seen the image in question previously (it seems to make the rounds every couple of years). But in case you missed it—it’s Adele’s face. Normal, just upside down.

Only it’s not normal. In fact, when you turn Adele’s face right side up, what you notice is that her eyes and mouth were actually right-side up THE ENTIRE TIME, even though the entire head was upside down. So when you turn the head right side up, the eyes and mouth are now UPSIDE-DOWN—and you can’t unsee it. Do you feel like you're Alice in Wonderland yet?

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psychology
Health

Doctor's alcohol tip that 'could save your life' goes viral on TikTok

Something to keep in mind for holiday parties and beyond.

@drhoeflinger/TikTok

A doctor's take on drinking at parties

New Year’s Eve is often a night filled with celebratory shots and champagne toasts. But as the party night fast approaches, one doctor is gently reminding folks the importance of partying responsibly during the holidays. Really, it’s a piece of advice that’s important all year long.

Dr. Brian Hoeflinger, an Ohio based neurosurgeon with over two decades of experience, has a TikTok channel filled with educational videos and lifestyle tips. But it’s his latest clip explaining just how long it takes our bodies to break down alcohol that has gone viral.

In the video, which was shared on Christmas Day, Dr. Hoeflinger sets the scene of a party where “a lot of drinks are going down” by setting up a bunch of shot glasses filled with water.

“Say you’re having five drinks in the first hour,” he says, taking five fake, water-filled shots. “As you’re taking them, that alcohol is building up in your system fast. [It] goes to your brain within five minutes and starts to affect you."

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tiktok
Family

Mom’s reaction to toddler giving herself a haircut shows the power of 'gentle parenting'

"Seriously, this is impressive parenting."

Designerluxury4you TikTok

Mom's reaction to toddler's self haircut

An unsupervised toddler with a pair of scissors is nightmare fuel for parents.

Will you find shredded books, a hole in your new couch, or a pile of lopped off hair when you emerge from your quick trip to the potty?

Toddlers may still be very young, but they are fast and have a knack for getting ahold of unapproved things quickly, inflicting maximum destruction. TikTok user, @designerluxury4you, shared a video of their toddler proudly showing off the haircut she had given herself.

Experiencing your child giving themselves or their siblings a haircut seems to be a rite of passage for parents.

But the way this mom handled the discovery is showing how gentle parenting is changing the game. It's pretty safe to say that most parents would react in a more expressive way and immediately remove the scissors from the child's hands. This mom responded in the kindest and most respectful way you can imagine and maybe the internet is a little better for having seen it.

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gentle parenting
Health

'Burnout coach' shares how embracing boredom can help you recover from work stress

Repetition and consistency can create a mini miracle.

via Gabriela Flax/TikTok and Mizuno K/Pexels

Boredom, the cure for burnout.

If your job makes you feel burned out, you’re not alone. A recent poll of 10,243 workers in 6 countries found that 40% of respondents were burned out. The World Health Organization defines burnout as an “increased mental distance from one’s job,” feelings of depression and negativity.

The people most likely to be experiencing burnout are those ages 18 to 29, and women reported higher levels of burnout (46%) than men (37%).

Gabriela Flax, a self-described burnout coach, says the best prescription for people who feel like they’ve sacrificed their mental health for their job is a hefty dose of boredom. Flax was once a product manager who had to find a better work balance after suffering migraines, panic attacks and constant exhaustion from work.

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burnout
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