“Try not to become a man of success but rather try to become a man of value."
In October 2016, that quote from Albert Einstein sat atop the Facebook page of Tim McMillan, a police officer in Georgia.
McMillan become a sensation after his Facebook post went viral in 2016. In it, he explains how he pulled over a Black teen for texting while driving:
“I pulled a car over last night for texting and driving. When I went to talk to the driver, I found a young black male, who was looking at me like he was absolutely terrified with his hands up. He said, 'What do you want me to do officer?' His voice was quivering. He was genuinely scared," McMillan wrote.
But McMillan said he wasn't interested in harassing or arresting the young man, let alone inflicting violence upon him. Nonetheless, the teen's emotional response hit McMillan like a punch to the gut.
“I just looked at him for a moment, because what I was seeing made me sad. I said, 'I just don't want you to get hurt.' In which he replied, with his voice still shaking, 'Do you want me to get out of the car.' I said, 'No, I don't want you to text and drive. I don't want you to get in a wreck. I want your mom to always have her baby boy. I want you to grow up and be somebody. I don't even want to write you a ticket. Just please pay attention, and put the phone down. I just don't want you to get hurt,'" he wrote.
Officer Tim McMillan talks about pulling over a Black teen
Image via Facebook
McMillan said the interaction made him reflect on a deeply personal level about the national attention being paid to acts of police violence against Black Americans, particularly young Black men.
“I truly don't even care who's fault it is that young man was so scared to have a police officer at his window. Blame the media, blame bad cops, blame protestors, or Colin Kaepernick if you want. It doesn't matter to me who's to blame. I just wish somebody would fix it."
Blink, a new documentary from NatGeo, is now streaming on Disney+ and Hulu.
True
It’s December, and we’re all currently in the thick of it: Wrapping presents, baking cookies, and scouring the toy aisles for that must-have gift of the season. But in the middle of all the holiday chaos, it’s easy to lose sight on what the season is really about: making meaningful memories with our loved ones.
From volunteering to building a bucket list to watching maybe the most uplifting documentary we’ve ever seen, we’ve put together five simple and wholesome activities that will leave you and the entire family a little more connected and a whole lot happier. Ready to make memories that last? Let’s dive in.
Make a difference close to home
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A 2023 analysis from the journal Frontiers in Psychology showed that people who regularly volunteered in their communities had greater self-esteem, more self-reported happiness, and a greater sense of personal fulfillment. (Um, yes, please.) If that sounds like something you want to experience as well, then you're in luck: There's no better time to lend a helping hand than during the holiday season. You could shovel a neighbor's driveway, buy presents for kids in need, or—who knows? You might want to be super ambitious, like setting up a food pantry or volunteering as an "interim parent" like this woman, who cares for babies and young children while their adoptions are being finalized. The sky is the limit.
Watch this feel-good, family flick
Get the tissues ready: This is maybe the most uplifting documentary you’re ever going to see. The film, “Blink,” follows a family with four children, three of whom have a rare genetic disease called retinitis pigmentosa (RP). With RP, the cells of the retina slowly die off, leaving a person with tunnel vision that shrinks until they are nearly—or totally—blind.
The parents, Edith Lemay and Sébastien Pelletier, decide to gift their children with incredible sights and experiences so that they can treasure them forever, even after their sight is gone. The film follows the Pelletier family as they make a bucket list and set out on a year-long journey across 24 countries to make some incredible memories.
For some seriously wholesome holiday goodness, stream "Blink," now on Disney+ and Hulu.
To fulfill their dreams, the Pelletier family in the National Geographic documentary "Blink" created a bucket list with every kind of memory they wanted to fulfill, from seeing a sunrise on a mountain to "drink[ing] juice on a camel." (Because, sure. Why not?) Spend some time thinking of your own dreams you'd like to fufill. This is the perfect activity if you're looking for something creative and family-friendly—just gather the kids around for a brainstorming sesh and let the ideas fly. You might not actually complete all of these items (or any of them), but dreaming them up and spending time together is half the fun.
Spread some holiday cheer
Whatever your family’s ages and interests, there are a thousand different ways to spread holiday cheer this season, whether you’re singing Christmas carols door-to-door or just exchanging a warm holiday greeting. If you need inspiration, look no further than John Reichart, 74, who (just like the Pelletier kids) wants to create new memories for his family while he's still able to. Following his wife Joan’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis, Reichart set out to decorate every house in their neighborhood with lights and decorations purchased out of his own pocket. Simply inspirational.
The holiday season is all about giving and togetherness, but let’s be real, it’s no easy feat. Sometimes we can get stressed, overwhelmed, and exhausted. One surefire way to make this world a better place is to think of ways to make someone’s life just a little easier, like this mom who picks up her teenager’s bedroom every morning after he goes to school. You could even send a note of encouragement to someone who needs it, or bake some treats and leave them out for a hangry delivery driver.
It’s probably easier than you think to spread the love and leave the world a little happier than you found it.
All illustrations are provided by Soosh and used with permission.
I have plenty of space.
It's hard to truly describe the amazing bond between dads and their daughters.
Being a dad is an amazing job no matter the gender of the tiny humans we're raising. But there's something unique about the bond between fathers and daughters. Most dads know what it's like to struggle with braiding hair, but we also know that bonding time provides immense value to our daughters. In fact, studies have shown that women with actively involved fathers are more confident and more successful in school and business.
You know how a picture is worth a thousand words? I'll just let these images sum up the daddy-daughter bond.
A 37-year-old Ukrainian artist affectionately known as Soosh, recently created some ridiculously heartwarming illustrations of the bond between a dad and his daughter, and put them on her Instagram feed. Sadly, her father wasn't involved in her life when she was a kid. But she wants to be sure her 9-year-old son doesn't follow in those footsteps.
"Part of the education for my kiddo who I want to grow up to be a good man is to understand what it's like to be one," Soosh told Upworthy.
There are so many different ways that fathers demonstrate their love for their little girls, and Soosh pretty much nails all of them.
Get ready to run the full gamut of the feels.
1. Dads can do it all. Including hair.
I’ve got this.
All illustrations are provided by Soosh and used with permission.
2. They also make pretty great game opponents.
Sharing life strategy.
All illustrations are provided by Soosh and used with permission.
3. And the Hula-Hoop skills? Legendary.
Tight fitting hula-hoop.
All illustrations are provided by Soosh and used with permission.
4. Dads know there's always time for a tea party regardless of the mountain of work in front of them.
Dad makes time.
All illustrations are provided by Soosh and used with permission.
5. And their puppeteer skills totally belong on Broadway.
Let’s play.
All illustrations are provided by Soosh and used with permission.
6. Dads help us see the world from different views.
Good shoulders.
All illustrations are provided by Soosh and used with permission.
7. So much so that we never want them to leave.
More dad time please.
All illustrations are provided by Soosh and used with permission.
8. They can make us feel protected, valued, and loved.
Always the protector.
All illustrations are provided by Soosh and used with permission.
9. Especially when there are monsters hiding in places they shouldn't.
Dad is superman.
All illustrations are provided by Soosh and used with permission.
Never a big enough bed.
All illustrations are provided by Soosh and used with permission.
Seeing the daddy-daughter bond as art perfectly shows how beautiful fatherhood can be.
So, we haven't ruled out that they're NOT signaling down the aliens.
Cat parents, we’ve all been there. It’s a quiet morning. We see our beloved feline sunbathing near the window. Then, a bird appears, and the peaceful silence is no longer. Suddenly kitty’s teeth are all a chatter and it sounds as though they might be trying to signal down the aliens with a series of bizarre chirps and ekekekeks.
This chattering is certainly one of the more unusual quirks possessed by our feline friends (second only to alugalugging, of course). But certainly it’s not there merely to befuddle and entertain us. As if…any cat owner can tell you that these critters aim to entertain themselves and themselves alone.
This aural phenomenon by and large remains a mystery; however, science does have a few possible explanations for it. And while a lot of theories posit that it mostly has to do with being ancient predators thrust into a modern domestic world, there’s also an underlying theme arguing that cats are a lot more emotional than we give them credit for.
You’ve more than likely witnessed chattering when a cat spots a potential prey animal, such as a bird or even a fly on the wall. In this instance, the chattering may be a manifestation of conflicting emotions—both excitement at the opportunity to make a kill, and frustration at not being able to do so.
You can find this kind of displacement behavior in humans too, such as with nail biting and playing with hair, veterinary behaviorist Dr. Lisa Radosta notes.
Your cat is making bird calls
Chattering and chirping may also be a form of mimicry, imitating the sound of birds and rodents, enabling cats to get closer and eventually pounce. This is a strategy still used by cats in the wild, such as the ocelot who was observed mimicking the cries of a baby monkey. Jaguars and pumas have also been known to use this tactic.
Chattering helps cats smell
We know that dogs usually get the credit for having powerful noses, but a cat’s sense of smell is incredibly strong as well. After all, both have a vomeronasal organ, which is essentially a second nose that specializes in detecting pheromones. And according to Parade Pets, chattering could be a complex way of using the vomeronasal organ to analyze smells. Chattering may enhance their ability to differentiate aromas through this organ, which sits right behind their top incisor teeth, there is a little duct that transfers smells directly to this organ.
They are just excited to see you
If you walk in the room and your cat starts chattering at you, don’t fret. It doesn’t think you’re dinner. It’s simply trying to say “Hello!” This is the funny thing about cats. They have a wide array of sounds that can be interchanged for different contexts. And that’s sort of the fun of being a cat owner, getting to decipher their own personal language.
Lastly, an important note…
When chattering should warrant a vet visit
Yes, chirping is totally normal. However, you wouldn’t want to confuse it with teeth grinding, which can point to serious issues with kitty’s dental health. Typically you can pinpoint teeth grinding when it seems out of context and when there’s salvation involved. A good rule of thumb is that if anything seems too odd (even for you oddball cat) play it safe and consult a vet.
All this goes to show that, yes, cats are weird. But they are also complex, fascinating, and definitely not aloof beings. They actually feel a plethora of emotions, and can even feel things so strongly that they have a visceral reaction. Basically, they are just like many, many of us humans.
Playing with the contrasts between generations has become a modern pastime, as baby boomers, Gen X, millennials and Gen Z see and experience the world quite differently. Generation gaps have always existed, of course, but the tech age has widened those gaps in big ways, sometimes creating challenges, but often resulting in hilarity.
For instance, watching a Gen Zer try to figure out how to use a rotary phone is pure entertainment. The way emojis are used and interpreted varies vastly by age, making for some chuckle-worthy communication mishaps. Slang terms can be hard to keep up with the older you get, but they can also be manipulated by savvy elders to great comedic effect.
And now, comedian Jake Lambert has compared how the different generations arrive at someone's house in a viral video that's been viewed more than 12 million times.
"You've basically got boomers who will turn up completely unannounced any time from about 7:00 in the morning and they will knock on your door just slightly louder than the police using a battering ram carrying out a house raid," Lambert begins.
"And then you've got Gen X. They would have made the plans well in advance, and they would've also checked in a couple of days before just to make sure the plans are definitely still happening," he went on. "You see, Gen X is the forgotten generation and they're so scarred by this title they would've assumed that you'd forgotten not only about the plans but about their very existence."
"Millennials will have hoped that the plans would've been canceled. There's no reason that a millennial will ever actually want to come to your house," he continued. "They will arrive late, but they will text you to let you know they're on their way, just as they're about to get into the shower. And a millennial will never knock on your door. You'll just get a text either saying 'here' or 'outside,' and that's your cue to go and let them in."
"Similarly, Gen Z will never actually knock," he concluded. "But the chances are they won't have to, as they would have been documenting the entire journey from their house to yours, maybe even on Facetime using this angle [camera facing directly up at the chin] as they go along for some reason. Either that or they'll just send a picture of your front door or a selfie of them outside it. And again, just like the millennial, that's your cue to go and rescue them from the outside world."
People felt alternately seen, attacked and validated by Lambert's assessments, with the most common response being "accurate."
"I‘m a millennial, my husband GenX. Scarily accurate! 😂"
"Described this millennial to a T."
"This is surprisingly accurate 😂 I laughed slightly louder than the police using a battering ram…"
"Sooo accurate…guilty of the lateness and ‘here’ text 🙃"
"I must admit I'm a millennial. But knocking on the door feels so aggressive, uknow? 😅😇"
"Millennial texting to say almost there but just started getting dressed to go out. Why do we do this? It's not intentional, at least not for me."
"Honestly your observations are just brilliant! GenX-er here!"
"The Gen Z angle omg 😂😂"
Some people didn't resonate with their generation's description, but there are exceptions to every rule and some people will never fit a stereotype. However, judging by the wave of affirmative responses, Lambert nailed the generational generalities across the board—and did so in a way that allows us all to laugh at ourselves.
Big Bird is homeless as HBO cancels beloved 'Sesame Street'
Everybody's favorite bird is about to be without a home, along with all of his friends. The characters of "Sesame Street" have been a part of people's childhoods for multiple generations now, with it's first episode airing in 1969. It was a way that "television could help prepare disadvantaged children for school," according to Sesame Workshop.
"Sesame Street" teaches everything from letter and number recognition, counting, emotional regulation and what it means to be in a community. The show tackles difficult topics on a level that young children can understand. There have been episodes about autism, homelessness, even breast feeding. "Sesame Street" has been a massive family classic for more than 50 years, with all the educational goodness available for free on local PBS channels.
But with the rise of streaming, it became difficult for the preschool staple to maintain being on PBS due to licensing fees once DVD and video sales tapered off. "Sesame Street" simply couldn't maintain staying on PBS without the revenue needed to produce the show, which is when HBO stepped in. But after completing their five-year deal, HBO, now known as Max, is shifting its focus to content for adults and families according to Variety.
The 55th season of the children's classic will be the last new season premiered on the streaming service, which is set to air in 2025, though Max will host episodes from the "Sesame Street" episodes library until 2027.
“It has been a wonderful, creative experience working with everyone at ‘Sesame Street’ on the iconic children’s series, and we are thrilled to be able to keep some of the library series on Max in the U.S,” said a spokesperson for Max in a statement. “As we’ve launched Max though and based on consumer usage and feedback, we’ve had to prioritize our focus on stories for adults and families, and so new episodes from ‘Sesame Street,’ at this time, are not as core to our strategy.”
And just like that, the beloved characters of "Sesame Street" are homeless, looking for a new place to rest their feet. Being aware of the change in children's viewing habits, the legendary preschool staple is hoping to give the show a little update in the 56th season. The organization is hopeful it will get picked up by a streaming giant or be able to make its way back to PBS somehow so generations of kids can continue to benefit from the programming.
The news of the show's cancellation even got the attention of former secretary of state and former first lady Hilary Clinton, who shared it with her audience. People are struggling with the idea of such a beneficial show like "Sesame Street" getting cancelled.
"Sesame Street was such a big part of my childhood, along with the other PBS shows like Mr. Rogers Neighborhood and Reading Rainbow. My kids are teens so I haven't actively watched in a long time, and had no idea that HBO bought it! I am in the field of early childhood education though, and I know how important equal access to high quality programs is for children. I just donated, and I hope Sesame Street and Big Bird find a deserving home and continue to spread love, kindness, and education for generations to come," one person shares.
"This is so sad and wrong. Sesame Street has been the source of learning for millions of children. That show taught letters, numbers, character traits like kindness, compassion, and it made learning fun. Bring it back to PBS, find a way to make it happen. The money is there, corporations just don't want to invest in children," another commenter adds.
To be clear, Max does not own "Sesame Street," they were licensed to produce new episodes of the beloved show, which still air on PBS several months after they air on Max. It allowed for the show to make new shows behind a paywall while still being able to provide free episodes to underserved youth. PBS is funded by donations from private foundations and citizens, as well as membership dues and Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) in order to keep shows on the air. Mr. Rogers once famously spoke in front of Congress to advocate for funding for children's programming on public broadcasting.
While "Sesame Street" is currently without a permanent home, there seems to be something that can be done that is within the power of regular citizens—contact members of Congress to ensure they fight to keep funding the CPB and increase the funding provided and donate to PBS and Sesame Workshop, which is the nonprofit that funds "Sesame Street."
Who's a good dog? That's a question dog owners ask often just because their dogs exist. Of course, the answer will always and forever be, "You are!" Of course, some dogs take their status of good girl or boy to a whole new dimension, elevating them from just a good dog to the goodest dog.
Yes, I know "goodest" isn't a word, but it's certainly an established part of today's zeitgeist. Besides, even though dogs don't speak our language or understand grammar rules, they know to gain the "goodest" title is to be adored.
Today, that title goes to Caipirinha, the rescue dog who saved her blind sister, Luna, after she fell into the pool.
Luna is 14-years-old and recently began showing signs of disorientation according to her owner, Dustin. While the family was inside the house, Luna lost her bearings and fell into the pool. If you've never had a blind dog, it may be surprising to know that they can get around pretty well so long as you don't change the layout of your home or backyard set up often.
When my senior dog went blind, I was shocked to see him still able to get around just fine without bumping into things, but, just like Luna, as he got older he started to become disoriented and often needed to be led around by my other dog (sort of a seeing-eye dog for a dog situation.) Thankfully, Luna also had a four-legged sister looking out for her when she got turned around and took an unexpected swim.
Caipirinha immediately knew her big sister was in trouble and worked tirelessly to get her to the steps of the pool so she could get out.
"And then when Luna gets close to the edge, Caipirinha nudges her towards the stairs, knowing that that's going to be the only way she could get out," Dustin is heard saying in the video shared by Sassy Paws on Facebook. Caipirinha goes as far as to pull on Luna's collar once she's on the steps to help her the rest of the way out of the water.
It should be officially stated that Caipirinha wins the goodest dog award for her efforts. Where would Luna be without her? I don't even want to think about it.
After the terrifying incident, Luna and Caipirinha's dad installed a barrier to prevent the elderly dog from falling into the pool again. The entire rescue was caught on surveillance. Watch it below:
person writing bucket list on bookPhoto by 
Sesame Street Fainting GIF by MOODMAN
Happy Its Friday GIF by Sesame Street
Sesame Street Oscar GIF
Sesame Street Reaction GIF by Muppet Wiki