Need a boost to your day? Here are 12 things that will cheer you up pretty fast!
By Lora O’Brien
T.S. Eliot may have claimed ‘April is the cruellest month.’ But honestly, I have beef with that.
Here in the UK, it’s just got to be November. I mean, sunlight disappears at around 4.30. It’s chilly. There’s nothing fun to celebrate – Hallowe’en is behind us, and Christmas is still a month away. So, what fun can we have?
Well, there is always some happy news. In fact, there’s still plenty to smile about! From randy tortoises to heroic 99 year olds, here are 12 things that will cheer you up, no matter how much you’re hating this grey, cold month…
12 Things That Will Cheer You Up Right Now
1. The Happy News Newspaper
Want to shut out the world around you and focus only on the good happening in the world? It’s now possible thanks to The Happy News Newspaper! It only publishes feel-good stories that will make your day. The first issue came out back in December 2015, after a successful Kickstarter campaign created by Emily Coxhead.
Not only does The Happy News share positive stories from across the globe, but it also has a section solely dedicated to celebrating Everyday Heroes. These are groups or organisations that can be nominated by YOU to be in the paper. Got anyone in mind?
I recommend reading this every day! This little newspaper is the perfect way to add a little sunshine to your world. In fact, it’s one of those things that will cheer you up every single day.
2. Diego the Tortoise Saves A Species
Tortoises don’t hit the news much, but this guy? He even has his own Wikipedia page! And you’d think that for someone who was born back in 1910, Diego would be living a chilled and quiet life. Nope! In fact, Diego has been hitting the news because he’s been saving so much sex, he’s pretty much saved his own species single…erm, ‘handedly’!
Randy Diego has fathered around 900 little Diego Jrs in his lifetime, and by doing so he’s contributed to the revival of his own species, the Hood Island tortoise. Originally from Española Island, Galápagos, Diego was captured as a young adult and transported to the USA where he spent decades living in a zoo. But by the 70’s, the Hood Island tortoise had become dangerously endangered – there were only 14 known to be alive in the wild, and only two of these were male.
If, like me, you’re not a fan of zoos, don’t fret: after an incredible job well done, Diego was released into the wild again at the beginning of 2020.
3. The Grandad With Vitiligo Who Knits Dolls
When I first read about João Stanganelli Junior, I thought I just had to include him in my list of things that will cheer you up! Seriously, my heart honestly swelled up.
This Brazilian grandfather is part of the 1-3% of the population who lives with severe vitiligo, a long-term skin condition that causes patches of the skin to lose their pigment. But instead of reading his story and feeling sad for him, I was so inspired by his ability to look on the bright side of it.
João turned to crocheting as a hobby when he retired, and soon become a natural with the needles. He used his newfound skills to create a doll for his granddaughter remember him by, adding in a few vitiligo patches.
João was then struck with the inspiration to make more inclusive dolls for other children, including a variety of disabilities including a doll in a wheelchair and dolls with vitiligo amongst others. He made these dolls with the hope that they would help these children to feel ‘normal’ – no matter what their condition may be. Aww!
4. A Zonkey Is Born
It’s not a donkey, it’s not a zebra. It’s….a zonkey! A rare zebra-donkey hybrid was born at the Tsavo East National Park in Kenya in 2020. The mother is assumed to have been impregnated by an amorous donkey when she strayed out of the Kenyan national park and into a neighbouring village months earlier.
The young zonkey has the sturdy body of its donkey sire and the striped legs of its zebra mother. Like mules, it will be unable to breed one its reaches maturity, but will otherwise be able to lead a normal life.
And the best part? Mama zebra is completely enamoured with her weird little baby! The two have formed one very happy family.
5. Three Animals Made A Comeback
This is one of those things that will cheer you up if you love animals! Three species are quite literally coming back from the brink of extinction.
First up: the world’s largest animal, the blue whale. It has been spotted in vast numbers in the waters in and around Antarctica. According to a team of researchers led by the British Antarctic Survey, there were 36 sightings of blue whales during their three-week survey in 2020. This was drastically different from the sighting of just ONE whale during their survey in 2018.
The devastating fire of the Notre Dame cathedral in Paris during 2019 saw three colonies of bees survive the flames. Beekeeper Sibyle Moulin struggled to visit the hives due to access to the damaged building being restricted, but has recently been able to check on the bees. She confirmed there are still 30,000 – 45,000 bees across three hives, are thriving and able to produce honey for the upcoming summer.
And lastly, but by no means least, there’s the grey wolf. Wolves have almost become extinct in the USA, but residents of Colorado may well save these beautiful animals if a ballot measure to reintroduce the predators passes this year. Other successful reintroduction programmes have repopulated the predators in some areas of America. Such rewilding helps keep herbivores in check, too.
6. Old Luxury Hotel Sheets Get A New Life
These casually trendy white shirts may look like ordinary linen. But I’ll bet you’d surprised to discover that they’re actually made from a common source of corporate waste: hotel bed sheets!
Before your mind starts conjuring up images of icky, dirty, used hotel sheets, rest assured that these shirts are made from luxury hotel linens and were in a near-perfect condition. After Dutch entrepreneurs Eugenie Haitsma and Johannes Offerhaus investigated what happened to old hotel bedding, they discovered that hotel chains retire bedding for even the most minor of holes and other damages that can very easily be remedied.
The result? Sustainable clothing line Archivist is breathing new life into these old hotel linens, turning them into comfortable shirts and loungewear for both men and women.
What a great idea, right?
7. Ten Types Of Apples Thought To Be Extinct Are Rediscovered
Delicious, Granny Smith and Pink Lady. It seems to me that those are the only three apples in the world, if a visit to the supermarket is anything to go by. But you may be fascinated to know that there used to be loads more members of the apple family, and thanks to two retirees, 10 forgotten varieties of apples, believed to have been extinct, have been rediscovered!
EJ Brandt and David Benscoter became amateur botanists back in 2019 for their NGO, the Lost Apple Project. When Benscoter was asked by his disabled neighbour to help with some chores, he made a remarkable discovery. The neighbour asked if he could pick some apples from her family’s property, which they had lived on since the 1900s. He noticed the apples were unlike any he had seen before, and started looking into what kind they were. This led him to purchase a book on extinct apples, which then led him to realise he had ‘rediscovered’ a variety that was thought to have been completely extinct!
Since then, the latest apple rediscoveries by the duo include the Sary Sinap, an ancient apple from Turkey; the Streaked Pippin, which originated as early as 1744 in New York, and the Butter Sweet of Pennsylvania, which comes from Illinois as far back at 1901.
Aren’t you dying to try these now?
8. Kids Are Still Hilarious
They may be the source of frustration for many parents sometimes. But they’re also the best source of entertainment. Whenever I feel fed up with parenthood, my toddler always finds something that nips my bad mood in the bud!
Kids can be simply hilarious. And if you need a little reminder, then you’ll enjoy this Buzzfeed thread. It shows some of the funny – and sometimes ruthless – things that kids have said. I mean, if silly kids aren’t one of the things that will cheer you up on a dark day, nothing will.
In fact, I dare you to read that thread and NOT cry with laughter!
9. The Mystery Mom Who Leaves Out Free Bagged Lunches
Not all heroes wear capes. And some of them remain anonymous, like the Maryland mother who left out hundreds of bagged lunches for her community during the Covid lockdowns.
She left a sign that said: “For anyone who needs it…I will be leaving some healthy sack lunches on this table for you if you are hungry and need to eat. Made with love by a neighbourhood mom in a clean and sanitized kitchen.”
The mom making the lunches was never identified. But the table was stocked with free lunches between 11am and 1:30pm every day for a number of weeks.
Thank god those stupid Covid lockdowns are over. But leaving food for those in need is one of those things that will always cheer you up whether you’re the giver – or receiver.
10. More People Are Growing Their Own Food
Goodbye supermarket, and hello garden! It’s a happy fact that more people are choosing to grow their own food.
In fact, recently, several seed banks and garden centres have reported high volumes of website traffic. And there are overwhelming amounts of digital orders taking place. Some people turn to growing their own food to save money. Others do it to reduce potential pesticide contamination. Some people just want to cook healthier, tastier meals. And even others are using this time to encourage their children to spend more time outdoors, and to learn more about how nature works.
What better way to do so than by planting and growing your own fruit and veg?
11. The Sweetest Family Ever
If you’re looking for things that will cheer you up right now, look no further! Britty Kitty‘s family is the sweetest thing ever. But in particular, there’s Lily.
I swear, this child is an angel on Earth. And what makes me even more sure of this is the contrast to her sister. Don’t get me wrong – baby Violet is adorable, too! But while Lily is likely to find a worm and pet it, Violet is more likely to try to stick it up her nose.
Check out their antics here.
12. Funniest Fake Tan Story Ever?
We’ve all struggled with fake tanning products, am I right? We’ve dealt with brown palms, unevenly tanned skin and smears of the product on our clothes. But new mom Keziah Jozefiak really takes the cake. And this story is guaranteed to be one of those things that will cheer you up today!
When she was getting ready to go out for a meal with her boyfriend, she realised her baby, five-month-old Raf, needed feeding.
She said she “went into autopilot” and started breast feeding him. Without realising she was leaving marks from the tanning product she’d put on her boobs. All over his face.
Keziah said: ‘When I looked down at Raf I just burst out laughing. I couldn’t believe the tan had left his mouth looking like Homer Simpson!’.
I dunno about you, but this made me laugh pretty hard!
Image: Metro.co.uk
Have you heard any good news stories? Know of any other things that will cheer you up right now? Let us know in the comments below!
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