+
Sign up for
The Upworthiest
Our top stories of the day delivered straight to your inbox.
popular

Watch elderly residents revert to their childhood selves with joyful indoor tube rides

senior, retirement, flashback, childhood, joy
StoryPoint Saline/Facebook

Seniors in the StoryPoint Saline retirement community enjoying a flashback to their childhoods.

No matter how young or old, every person benefits from experiencing pure, unbridled joy.

Some forms of joy are rich and meaningful, such as spending quality time with a child or grandchild, laughing together with an old friend or building a bond with a beloved pet. Other forms of joy are lighter, such as watching a comedy routine, riding a roller coaster or making a sandcastle at the beach.

We need both kinds of joy in and throughout our lives. In fact, research has shown that laughter therapy is good for the general health of seniors, and that joy is linked to a long life. A University College London study found that older people were up to 35% less likely to die during a five-year period if they reported feelings of happiness, excitement and contentment on a typical day.

Joy is good for our elders, which is probably why a video of older folks being dragged around on inner tubes like children has gone viral.

The video was shared on Facebook by the StoryPoint Saline Retirement & Assisted Living Facility, and it's just sheer delight.

It appears the inner tube was secured to the top of a rolling platform, which allowed it to be pulled easily around on the hard floor.

And the elderly folks weren't the only ones who got in on the fun. The younger employees and/or volunteers also took turns being flung around.

People loved the video and the joy it clearly brought the residents.

"I'm sure they all loved this and it probably took them back to their childhood day's of fun in the outdoors," wrote one commenter. "Such a wonderful time to share with these residents…laughter is the best medicine."

"Those folks looked so happy and probably had a feeling of being a kid again even if just for that moment and time," wrote another. "Everyone deserves to remember how good it felt as kids again. Kudos to who put this in motion and did it!!"

"That's absolutely brilliant," wrote another. "It's beautiful seeing them so happy and enjoying themselves, just love it!!!"

"Omg love the excitement and happiness on everyone's faces........looks like everyone had a blast!!!!!!" wrote another. "Who wouldn't want to live at this senior's community?"

Indeed, most of us would appreciate living in a community that showed this much care and was this much fun in our golden years. While not every elderly person would physically be able to do this, many would—and what a great way to safely bring some thrills into these residents' lives and some childlike happiness to their hearts.

And as an added bonus, we get to see it and share in their joy too. Nothing but smiles all around.

From Your Site Articles
Joy

Sorry, Labradors. After 31 years, America has a new favorite dog.

The American Kennel Club has crowned a new favorite.

via Pixabay

A sad-looking Labrador Retriever

The sweet-faced, loveable Labrador Retriever is no longer America’s favorite dog breed. The breed best known for having a heart of gold has been replaced by the smaller, more urban-friendly French Bulldog.

According to the American Kennel Club, for the past 31 years, the Labrador Retriever was America’s favorite dog, but it was eclipsed in 2022 by the Frenchie. The rankings are based on nearly 716,500 dogs newly registered in 2022, of which about 1 in 7 were Frenchies. Around 108,000 French Bulldogs were recorded in the U.S. in 2022, surpassing Labrador Retrievers by over 21,000.

Keep ReadingShow less
dogs
Pop Culture

Author is causing debate over theory that we've 'tricked' ourselves into loving lobster

"Lobsters are like diamonds. Bad product, great marketing."

via JasonKPargin/TikTok

Jason K. Pargin shares his controversial theory on lobster.

Novelist Jason K. Pargin has inspired an online food fight after his video about lobster received over 500,000 views on Tiktok and nearly 6 million on Twitter. Pargin believes that we’ve all been tricked into liking lobster and that people only like it because it’s considered high class.

Pargin is the author of the “John Dies at the End” and “Zoey Ashe” series and the former editor of Cracked.com.

"I don't think anyone actually enjoys eating lobster. I think they've just been convinced that it's a high-class food for a really specific reason,” Pargin says in his controversial video. He then describes how just a few centuries ago lobster was once used as prisoners' food and ground into fertilizer.

Keep ReadingShow less
lobster
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.

Keep ReadingShow less
family
Pop Culture

This 1940s guide on 'how to be pretty' for teen girls has some surprisingly modern suggestions

In a resurfaced video from the 1940s, Mary Stuyvesant, a Ponds beauty consultant, spoke to a group of high school girls about "how to be pretty."

Glamourdaze/YouTube

1940s guide on "how to be pretty" is surprisingly modern.

Often, when we think of the 1940s and the messaging that was sent to women and girls back then, we tend to imagine lessons about how to get and keep a husband. But it turns out that all messaging wasn't the same and some girls were receiving a much more progressive message about their appearance.

In a resurfaced video from the 1940s, Mary Stuyvesant, a Ponds beauty consultant, spoke to a group of high school girls about "how to be pretty." Surprisingly, the advice is rather timeless and not at all focused on becoming the best wife and mother you can be, but on learning to care for yourself. Stuyvesant refers to your physical appearance as icing on a cake and that good icing tastes nice but the cake is the most important part.

She goes on to explain to the girls that who they are as people is the cake and that's the part that needs the most attention.

Keep ReadingShow less
how to be pretty
Joy

Weatherman rescues a chicken in a blizzard and now they're an unlikely best friend duo

"Now that she's a part of the family, she's a total diva!"

The Dodo/YoutTube

Weatherman rescues a chicken in a blizzard and now they're friends.

There's a little-known saying that every weatherman needs a chicken. OK, it's little known because I totally just made it up, but you have to admit, it's just random enough to make you wonder if you missed out on a weird colloquialism. But in this case, it may be a new saying because weatherman David Neal found a stray chicken while reporting on a blizzard, and they've somehow become best friends.

The chicken, now named Penelope, was running around in the snowstorm while Neal was filming, so he tried to catch her so he could make sure she was warm. Penelope had other plans and gave Neal a literal run for his money. Eventually, with the help of a bystander who was likely as confused as the chicken, Neal was able to get Penny in his arms.

Of course, he had some explaining to do once the cameras were rolling again, and he handled it like the pro he is, holding a live chicken.

Keep ReadingShow less
pet chicken
Pop Culture

Taylor Swift wows fans by diving below the stage of her Eras Tour concert

Even non-Swifties agreed that this move was next level.

Today Info/Youtube

Taylor Swift "diving" below the stage of her Eras Tour concert

The highly anticipated, Ticketmaster-bustingTaylor Swift Eras Tour has officially begun. And it’s looking like the pop star is pulling out all the stops to deliver a heap of spectacle.

Case in point—a video from the “Anti-Hero” pop star's kick-off concert that’s making quite the splash online.

In a mesmerizing blend of live performance and hologram wizardry, audiences saw Swift, clad in a flowy red dress, dive into a pool built into the stage. She then swam across to emerge through waves in a shimmery jumpsuit, just before climbing a ladder and disappearing into a cloud.

Basically, it was like a romantic fairy tale brought to life.

Keep ReadingShow less
video
Trending Stories