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  • Eric Church’s guitar-as-life metaphor UNC commencement speech strikes a universal chord
    Photo credit: Townsquare Media/Wikimedia Commons – Eric Church playing guitar on stage.
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    Eric Church’s guitar-as-life metaphor UNC commencement speech strikes a universal chord

    “The right partner is the string that makes the whole chord ring fuller, and warmer, and truer than anything you could ever play alone.”

    Annie Reneau

    Writing a commencement speech in 2026 must be tough. Thousands of graduation speakers have come and gone, offering pithy bits of wisdom and advice, much of which feels recycled and overused by this point. How do you come up with a message that feels new and fresh?

    If you’re Eric Church, you pull out your guitar and offer a metaphor for life that hits all the right notes. The country music superstar spoke to the 2026 graduates of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, but most of his speech felt universal. Some are calling it the best commencement speech they’ve ever heard.

    Church said he struggled to write his speech and tore up many drafts before picking up his guitar and realizing what he wanted to say. He started by describing and demonstrating an out-of-tune chord.

    “Some ancient, honest part of your brain knows it immediately,” he said. “You don’t need training to hear it. You just know. That sound is the sound of something beautiful that has not been tended to.”

    He talked about the power of a six-string chord that’s in tune and how just one string being off causes the whole chord to unravel.

    “Not gradually, not politely,” he said. “The moment you strike it, you know. I believe your life runs on this principle, and I’m going to break it down for you right now and tell you about your strings.”

    String #1 = Faith

    Church said the lowest, thickest, and heaviest string on the guitar—the low E—is the foundation: “Every chord a guitar can make rests on this string being in tune.”

    guitar, guitar strings, faith
    Faith is the foundation string. Photo credit: Canva

    “Your faith is the low E of your life,” he said. “The thing that sits at the very bottom of you. Your belief about what this life is for, what you owe, what holds the universe together when science reaches the edge of its own explanation and shrugs.”

    He explained that faith gives people a foundation to return to throughout life’s difficulties.

    “The world will try to untune this string,” he said, “through busyness, through slow accumulation of a full schedule, a full inbox, a full life. Listen to me. Tend to your faith, not just when you’re broken, but when you’re whole.”

    String #2 = Family

    Church said the A string is your family, “who has loved you longer than you’ve been easy to love” and “who saw you at your actual worst, not your public-facing worst, and didn’t leave you.”

    Your family has made sacrifices and cried over you, wondering whether they’d done enough.

    “The A string is where the music starts to get warm,” he said. “It gives a chord its body, its richness. It’s the string that makes you feel like you’re not alone in a room.”

    family, graduate, graduation
    Family adds richness to life. Photo credit: Canva

    Church warned the students that they were about to become very busy in their post-graduation lives.

    “And family, because they will love you with a grace you will spend most of your life trying to deserve, will rarely demand your time,” he said. “They’ll tell you they understand, and they’ll mean it. Do not take them up on it. Call your people. Not when there’s news, not when there’s nothing. Show up when it costs you something. Let them see you when things are hard. The A string is not a holiday string. It’s an everyday string. Protect it.”

    String #3 = Your spouse/partner

    The D string, Church said, is the heart of a chord—the string that gives a chord its body and soul.

    marriage, partner, spouse
    Choose your life partner wisely. Photo credit: Canva

    “Strike a full chord and the D string is what you feel in the center of your chest,” he said. “That is not an accident. That is exactly what the right spouse and partner will do for your life.”

    Outside of your faith, choosing a life partner is the most important decision you’ll ever make, Church said. “They will either amplify every other string you’re playing, or slowly pull the whole instrument into an out-of-tune mess,” he added. “The right partner is the string that makes the whole chord ring fuller, and warmer, and truer than anything you could ever play alone. Choose them wisely, and then love them fiercely.”

    String #4 = Ambition and resilience

    Church pointed out that the G string drifts faster than the other strings on a guitar and frequently needs to be retuned.

    “Both ambition and resilience live on this string, and they pull in opposite directions,” he said. “I want you to want things. You should want things. The world has more than enough people standing at the edge of their own potential, waiting for a permission slip that was never gonna arrive. Want the thing. Say it out loud. Build toward it with everything you have. And when you fail, and you will fail…get back up, tune the string, and keep playing.”

    String #5 = Community

    “Your generation faces a temptation no generation before has ever faced,” Church said. “The temptation to perform for everyone and belong to no one. To be globally visible and locally invisible. To have thousands of followers, and no one knows actually where you live.”

    “Resist this,” he advised. “Plant yourself somewhere. Put down roots with the full intention of growing there. Learn the actual names, not usernames, of the people around you. Volunteer. Coach the team. Build the thing your community needs, even if the Internet will never see it. Generosity is not something you do after you make it; it’s how you make it.”

    String #6 = Your uniqueness

    The high E string is the one that carries the melody—the single line above the chord that people recognize.

    “It’s also the one bent most easily by outside pressure,” Church said. “Social media is going to show you a thousand versions of a life that looks better than yours. The comparison will be relentless, curated, and a lie dressed up in really good lighting. Someone’s comments, someone’s criticism, someone’s cold opinion is going to try to convince you to retune yourself to match what they think you should sound like. Do not let them touch your string.”

    “You were made uniquely, wonderfully, distinctly,” he continued. “There’s a sound only you can make, a voice that has never existed before you and will never exist again. A contribution only you can bring. A way of seeing that belongs only to you. The world does not need another cover song. It needs an original.”

    Life is about retuning when any of these strings drift

    Church ended his speech by explaining that when these six strings—the principles and pillars of your life—are in tune, then “the chord your life makes is full and resonant and true.”

    “All six will drift,” he warned. “Not one or two. All six, in their own time, in their own season. Your faith will go quiet when you need it loud. Your family will get complicated in a way only the people who love you most can complicate things. You will go through hard seasons with your spouse. Your ambition will hollow out, and your resilience will wear thin. Your community will start to feel like an obligation. And your world will try to sand down the edges of exactly who you are.”

    “This is not failure,” he continued. “This is not weakness. It’s the inevitable, universal experience of living in an imperfect world that doesn’t stop to let us tune up. And the difference between a life that sounds like music and a life that sounds like noise is whether you stop and listen, whether you’re honest enough to hear which string has drifted out of tune and humble enough to make the adjustment, instead of just turning up the volume and hoping nobody notices. Because you will notice. The part of you that knows what the chord should sound like will always notice. It will not let you go. Life won’t be right until it is tuned. Trust what your heart hears and is telling you about your song.”

    What a beautiful way to send these graduates out into the world. And what a great reminder for the rest of us to stop and adjust our own strings when we hear our chord falling out of tune.

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  • Scientists tested 3 popular bottled water brands for nanoplastics. The results are alarming.
    Photo credit: Suzy Hazelwood/Canva – Columbia University researchers tested bottled water for nanoplastics and found hundreds of thousands of them.
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    Scientists tested 3 popular bottled water brands for nanoplastics. The results are alarming.

    What does it mean for our health?

    Annie Reneau

    Upworthy Staff

    Evian, Fiji, Voss, SmartWater, Aquafina, Dasani… it’s impressive how many brands there are for something humans have been consuming for millennia. Despite years of studies showing that bottled water is no safer to drink than tap water, Americans are consuming more bottled water than ever, to the tune of billions of dollars in bottled water sales.

    People cite convenience and taste in addition to perceived safety for reasons they prefer bottle to tap, but the fear factor surrounding tap water is still a driving force. It doesn’t help when emergencies like floods cause tap water contamination or when investigations reveal issues with lead pipes in some communities, but municipal water supplies are tested regularly, and in the vast majority of the U.S., you can safely grab a glass of water from a tap.

    Now, a new study on nanoplastics found in three popular bottled water brands is throwing more data into the bottled vs. tap water choice.

    What researchers actually found in those bottles

    Researchers from Columbia University used new laser-guided technology to detect nanoplastics that had previously evaded detection due to their miniscule size.

    The new technology can detect, count and analyze the chemical structure of nanoparticles, and they found seven different major types of plastic: polyamide, polypropylene, polyethylene, polymethyl methacrylate, polyvinyl chloride, polystyrene, and polyethylene terephthalate.

    In contrast to a 2018 study that found around 300 plastic particles in an average liter of bottled water, the study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in January of 2024 found 240,000 nanoplastic particles per liter bottle on average between the three brands studied (the name of the brands were not indicated in the study).

    As opposed to microplastics, nanoplastics are too small to be seen by microscope. Their size is exactly why experts are concerned about them, as they are small enough to invade human cells and potentially disrupt cellular processes.

    “Micro and nanoplastics have been found in the human placenta at this point. They’ve been found in human lung tissues. They’ve been found in human feces; they’ve been found in human blood,” study co-author Phoebe Stapleton, associate professor of pharmacology and toxicology at Rutgers University’s Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy, told CNN Health.

    What this means for your health

    We know that nanoplastics are making their way into our bodies. According to UCLA Health, there is some evidence that they may be negatively affecting our health.

    “Studies conducted on animals and on cells in a lab suggest nanoplastics can impact a variety of organs and systems throughout the body,” a report by UCLA Health states. “Exposure to high quantities of nanoplastics may affect cell’s immune function and cause inflammation…There is even some evidence that by altering cell function, nanoplastics may increase the risk of some types of cancer.”

    The UCLA Health report notes, however, that “very little research to date has looked specifically at humans.”

    According to Dr. Sara Benedé of the Spanish National Research Council’s Institute of Food Science Research, it’s not just the plastics themselves that might cause damage, but what they may bring along with them.

    “[Microparticles and nanoparticles] have the ability to bind all kinds of compounds when they come into contact with fluids, thus acting as carriers of all kinds of substances including environmental pollutants, toxins, antibiotics, or microorganisms,” Benedé told Medical News Today.

    Where is this plastic in water coming from?

    This study focused on bottled water, which is almost always packaged in plastic. The filters used to filter the water before bottling are also frequently made from plastic.

    Is it possible that some of these nanoplastics were already present in the water from their original sources? Again, research is always evolving on this front, but microplastics have been detected in lakes, streams and other freshwater sources, so it’s not a big stretch to imagine that nanoplastics may be making their way into freshwater ecosystems as well.

    However, microplastics are found at much higher levels in bottled water than tap water, so it’s also not a stretch to assume that most of the nanoplastics are likely coming from the bottling process and packaging rather than from freshwater sources.

    A subsequent study from The Ohio State University also found that bottled water contains three times as many microplastics as tap water. Researchers there recommended drinking filtered tap water from a reusable metal bottle as the best way to reduce daily exposure.

    As for exactly where all those nanoplastics are coming from, the research is still evolving.

    “Based on other studies we expected most of the microplastics in bottled water would come from leakage of the plastic bottle itself, which is typically made of PET (polyethylene terephthalate) plastic,” lead author Naixin Qian, a doctoral student in chemistry at Columbia University, told CNN Health. “However, we found there’s actually many diverse types of plastics in a bottle of water, and that different plastic types have different size distributions. The PET particles were larger, while others were down to 200 nanometers, which is much, much smaller.”

    At this point, we have plenty of environmental reasons for avoiding bottled water unless absolutely necessary and opting for tap water instead. Even if there’s still more research to be done, the presence of hundreds of thousands of nanoplastics in bottled water might just be another reason to make the switch.

    This article originally appeared two years ago. It has been updated.

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  • His daughter crashed on a skate ramp, and his response was a masterclass in awesome parenting
    As a parent, it's not always easy to know how to react in the moment.
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    His daughter crashed on a skate ramp, and his response was a masterclass in awesome parenting

    He perfectly balanced empathy, encouragement, and empowerment.

    Annie Reneau

    Upworthy Staff

    As a parent, it’s not always easy to know how to help your kids learn from life experiences. Some lessons they learn naturally and others they learn through parental guidance, but discerning which is which and how those things overlap can be challenging.

    Kids don’t come with instruction manuals, of course, but sometimes we see examples of great parenting we can point to and say, “AHA! That’s how it’s done.”

    One such example comes from a dad named Robert. Back in 2022, he was teaching his then-5-year-old daughter Aubrin to skateboard and set up a mini half pipe for her to learn on. In a video on Instagram, Robert shared an exchange he had with Aubrin after she crashed hard on the ramp during a lesson.

    Watch:

    What happened after she fell is the real story

    It’s a sweet video that doubles as a masterclass in effective parenting. Robert communicates with a perfect blend of empathy, encouragement, and empowerment, which gives his daughter exactly what she needs to tackle her fears and persevere in what she wants to do.

    Even his initial question after she fell, “Did it scare you or did it hurt you?” is helpful for making her more aware of what she’s actually feeling as well as knowing how best to help her.

    Seeing this gentle parenting scenario play out is just so heartwarming. (And if Aubrin’s voice sounds familiar, you may have seen the viral “stuck-asaurus” video in which she offered delightfully colorful commentary while snowboarding in a dinosaur suit.)

    Here is what was going through his mind

    Robert explained his thinking behind the way he responded to Aubrin’s fall:

    “Trying something new can be scary but re-trying something after slamming can be terrifying.

    I had to re-gain her trust and she needed to re-establish her confidence after this slam and it was a tough but beautiful rollercoaster experience.

    This is one of the biggest psychological battles we face as humans, because once that negative experience has made its home in our brain it’s very hard to get it out.

    I know from intense personal experience that a bad fall can have long lasting [psychological] effects and truly believe, that when possible, it’s best to get back up and try it again with the goal being to end the session with a positive experience; to not have that negative memory ruminating in your head until the next time you return to try.

    I’ve been asked a lot ‘How do you know what to say in these moments?’ and the truth is I absolutely don’t know what to say.

    Seeing her slam sucks the air out of my lungs and my heart drops but I just try to stay calm and redirect with some questions or comments while surveying the situation. A parent’s emotions (depending on how you instinctively react) will oftentimes influence the child’s emotional response and it’s my goal to remove my influence and allow her to just be, to feel, to hurt at her pace and it allows me to get a better reading of how she’s truly feeling in these pivotal moments.

    Ultimately I just respond from the heart. If you calmly lead with empathy and support without applying pressure you’ll do just fine.”

    Beautiful insight and advice. Unfortunately, many parents are raising kids while working through wounds from their own childhoods, and when you’re battling parental instincts that aren’t particularly healthy or helpful, having it all laid out like this is really valuable.

    The comments showed just how much this resonated

    Commenters on Instagram and Reddit have expressed how much they appreciate seeing supportive parenting in action.

    “I actually got emotional watching this…” wrote one person. “I am learning so much from your posts!!! As someone whose parents led from a place of fear a lot of the time, this is showing me so much possibility of what the opposite can look like. Thank you for being so open, we are all made the better from it.”

    dad on skateboard, kids skating, parenting
    Parents often set the tone for how kids react. Photo credit: Canva

    “I wish I had a dad like you growing up. She’s so lucky,” wrote another.

    “Made me smile and also as a grown ass man, gave me watery eyes – as someone that never had this kind of treatment growing up and kind of needed it – this is the kind of dad I will be if I ever meet someone and have kids,” shared another.

    Whether we were raised by gentle, supportive parents or the opposite, we can all recognize effective parenting when we see it. Thank you, Robert, for sharing such a stellar example we can all watch and learn from.

    You can follow Robert and Aubrin’s ongoing family adventures on Instagram (@chasing.sage).

    This article originally appeared four years ago. It has been updated.

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  • She bought the perfect wedding dress that went viral on TikTok, for $3.75
    Photo credit: TikTok – Making a priceless memory.
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    She bought the perfect wedding dress that went viral on TikTok, for $3.75

    Lynch is part of a growing crowd of newlyweds going against the regular wedding tradition of spending loads of money.

    Heather Wake

    Upworthy Staff

    At first glance, one might think that Jillian Lynch wore a traditional (read: expensive) dress to her wedding. After all, it did look glamorous on her. But this bride has a secret superpower: thrifting.

    Lynch posted her bargain hunt on TikTok, sharing that she had been perusing thrift shops in Ohio for four days in a row, with the actual ceremony being only a month away. Lynch then displays an elegant ivory-colored Camila Coelho dress that fits her perfectly and still brand new with the tags on it, no less.

    She found it at a thrift shop

    You can find that exact same dress on Revolve for $220. Lynch bought it for only $3.75. The bride-to-be’s video quickly went viral, racking up 2.6 million views. People were floored that Lynch was able to find such a huge deal on a dress that seemed to be made just for her.

    @jillianfarhadi

    so happy with all these finds ?

    ♬ original sound – Jillian Farhadi

    “Honestly, brides pay 1000s of dollars to look that good in a white slip dress like that, I think you’re rocking it & it’s perfect,” complimented one person.

    OK, maybe it did cost her a little more than $3.75. In an interview with Business Insider, Lynch disclosed that she did make some customizations based on suggestions from the comments including ”elevating” the gown with non-adjustable shoulder straps, taking in the waist and adding a “demure” bit of lace to the front slit.

    Altogether, those alterations totaled out to $110. Add to that some $8 shoes (also thrifted, of course) and Lynch still created an entire wedding look for only $113.75. That, ladies and gentlemen, is a steal.

    Turns out, spending less might be the smarter move

    Lynch is part of a growing line of newlyweds going against the regular wedding tradition of spending loads of money and she might be better off for it. Research has shown that when it comes to creating happy long-lasting marriages, frugality often beats extravagance.

    According to a recent article in Brides, popular wedding planning site Zola predicts the average wedding cost is $36,000 for 2025. The numbers have been rising steadily over the last five years. Brides cites Brooke Ashivay, owner of Orange Blossom Special Events, who said that “comparing a 2019 wedding budget with one from 2024 at a similar venue and guest count, [we] observed an approximately 30 percent increase in costs,” likely due to increased demand after the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Not only that, but the average wedding dress now costs $2,000 according to The Knot. Weddings are supposed to be fun, celebratory and joyous, but it can be hard to feel any of those things when financial stress is involved. Who would want to start off a (hopefully) lifelong partnership that way? Save that money for the honeymoon, I say! Or the gas station!

    She did keep one tradition, though

    Still, Lynch didn’t say no to every wedding tradition. As she walked down the aisle in her gorgeous discounted gown, looking like a Grecian goddess, her father walked right alongside her. “I could see how much it meant to him, and it actually ended up meaning a lot to me,” she told Business Insider.

    And perhaps most important of all, Lynch felt good in her own skin on her big day. “I don’t think I’ve ever felt that great in something. That’s what brides should feel on their wedding day, like they’re at their peak beautiful self. That’s exactly how I felt when I put it on.”

    It doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg to make lasting memories. And when you are able to show up for life’s big moments authentically, that feeling is priceless.

    This article originally appeared four years ago. It has been updated.

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  • Upworthy exclusive: Neil deGrasse Tyson on the best way to make first contact with aliens
    Photo credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center/Flickr & Danie Franco/Unsplash – Neil deGrasse Tyson, left, and an illustration of a flying saucer.
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    Upworthy exclusive: Neil deGrasse Tyson on the best way to make first contact with aliens

    Tyson shares why he finally wrote a book about aliens and how we should greet them if—or when!—they land on Earth.

    Tod Perry

    Neil deGrasse Tyson—astrophysicist, director of the Hayden Planetarium, and host of the StarTalk podcast—is one of America’s most popular science communicators. He has worked tirelessly for more than four decades to improve scientific literacy and instill a greater sense of awe about the cosmos.

    In his new book, Take Me to Your Leader, Tyson loosens his space tie a bit and has fun examining the possibility of aliens visiting Earth from scientific, historical, and pop-culture perspectives.

    Upworthy spoke with Tyson about why he chose this moment to discuss aliens, how we should greet them if—or when!—they land, and how he hopes to broaden people’s perspectives through the alien narrative.

    Take Me to Your Leader cover. Photo credit: Simon & Schuster

    Why now is the perfect time to talk about aliens

    The September 9, 2025, congressional hearing, “Restoring Public Trust Through UAP Transparency and Whistleblower Protection,” was a watershed moment for UFO/UAP disclosure, shifting the conversation from science fiction and conspiracy theories to a national security issue. 

    “The real transition for me was the high-ranking officials who came forth in Congress,” Tyson said. “Much of which landed in that two-hour, hour-and-fifty-minute documentary, Day of Disclosure. So it elevated once it hit that level. It was no longer the sleepy farmer in the back 40 reporting on a glowing object over his farm. It was no longer the drunken revelers coming out of the bar at 2 a.m. reporting on the glowing thing in the sky. Upon reaching that, I said, ‘All right, I can’t sit back any further. I have to write this book.’”

    flying saucer, aliens, UFOs, abduction, alien abduction
    An illustration of a flying saucer. Photo credit: Danie Franco/Unsplash

    The turning point in the public discussion about aliens inspired Tyson to examine extraterrestrials from a practical, science-based perspective.

    “It’s an attempt to anchor the conversation, to celebrate the imaginations that have created aliens in our pop culture, and to pose a set of questions for those who may have had a one-on-one encounter with aliens,” he said.

    Who should represent humanity if aliens arrived on Earth?

    What if aliens were to visit Earth, as his book’s title suggests, and demand, “Take me to your leader”? The Earth doesn’t have a singular leader to turn to, so who would Tyson anoint to make first contact with the alien delegation? His choice: former president Barack Obama.

    Bill Nye, then-President Barack Obama, and Neil deGrasse Tyson. Photo credit: WhiteHouse/Wikimedia Commons

    Tyson says that Obama would be a great representative of Earth after a recent conversation the 44th president had with Stephen Colbert, in which he said he “would be a good emissary for the planet. I feel I have a diverse background, some experience in statecraft and diplomacy. I’m friendly. I actually think I can do a pretty good job.”

    “He thinks he would be a good emissary for Earth, and that would be true,” Tyson shared. “First, he’s a nice guy, plus he’s smart, and he’s also scientifically literate. I think he sees his value there because a politician who’s also a diplomat would value that role if you’re meeting someone from another land, another place, another time.”

    However, Tyson wouldn’t send Obama alone to greet the aliens. He said Obama would need a team of experts to greet the delegation, including a cryptographer, an astrophysicist, an engineer, and a mathematician, “because math is the language of the universe.”

    Who would be the astrophysicist? Tyson, of course. “I’d be the astrophysicist just for good measure,” he joked. That’s no surprise, considering one of the first lines in his book is: “Ever since childhood I’ve wanted to be abducted by aliens.”

    Tyson adds that it would be dangerous for humanity if we sent conspiracy theorists to meet our new friends.

    “There are people who don’t think we went to the moon, people who think Earth is flat. And I say without hesitation to leave them behind on your first encounter with the alien,” he warned. “You’ve got to leave the best impression on them as you possibly can. So, you want humans to have a fighting chance to be respected by our new friends.”

    Tyson challenges Hollywood’s conceptions of alien life

    In Take Me to Your Leader, Tyson deconstructs the notion that if aliens were to visit Earth, they would be humanoid creatures, such as the bar patrons on Mos Eisley in Star Wars or the big-eyed “gray” aliens popularized by Whitley Strieber’s Communion series.

    “I’d like to think of it as a force for Hollywood to up its game. That’s what [author] Andy Weir did with Project Hail Mary. His alien was crab-oid, not humanoid, and it was made of a material that resembled rocks, and they were really good engineers,” Tyson said. “So, Andy Weir tried to break that mold. And I would be happier if I saw more of that.”

    The alien question holds up a mirror to humanity

    Ultimately, Take Me to Your Leader is a lighthearted look at how aliens appear in American culture through movies and TV, conspiracy theories, sci-fi speculation, quasi-encounters, and our collective imaginations. Some may be disappointed that it doesn’t provide hard evidence of alien existence. But its real accomplishment is helping humans better understand themselves through imagining otherworldly beings.

    “It is the summation of my life’s thinking and observing. Humans, what we believe, what we count as evidence, what convinces us. The universe is quite susceptible to people’s personal theories about things,” Tyson said. “A lot of the cultural references, it’s not because I am some deep anthropologist, although in a small way, we all are. My father was a sociologist, so I have some baptism in thinking about people and what makes us tick. So the referencing to aliens and our relationship with them and their relationship with us was pumped by these very factors.” 

    This interview was edited for clarity and time.

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  • How to avoid sounding long-winded in conversations with this 60-second trick
    Photo credit: Canva – A woman speaks during an online meeting.
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    How to avoid sounding long-winded in conversations with this 60-second trick

    Chris Fenning explains the TIP conversation technique.

    Emily Shiffer

    Speaking clearly and concisely is a communication skill greatly appreciated in both personal and professional conversations. And getting a conversation started with someone who rambles is usually a small-talk nightmare.

    As communication expert Chris Fenning explained, “We can tell pretty quickly if someone’s going to get to the point or if we are in for a long and painful conversation.”

    Fenning, a former self-professed rambler, shared exactly how you can avoid being long-winded and unclear during conversations. He offered up his simple three-step conversation technique during a 2025 TEDx Talk.

    The 60-second clear communication trick

    The start of any conversation sets the tone for a productive interaction. As Fenning explained, “Every time we communicate, we have an opportunity to create clarity or confusion. And clarity begins from the very first minute.”

    If the first minute of a conversation goes wrong, they can become “longer, less effective, and more frustrating,” added Fenning.

    To avoid that, he created a three-letter acronym called TIP that outlines an easy framework for productive conversations:

    T: Topic
    I: Intent
    P: Point

    TIP conversation framework

    According to Fenning, the TIP method works as follows:

    T: Topic

    Every conversation needs a clear topic. Fenning says that with a clear topic, everyone can stay in sync and understand what will be discussed.

    “Start your message with one sentence that names the topic you want to talk about. And the more specific, the better,” said Fenning. “One message, one sentence that lets your audience know what the topic is.”

    Examples include:

    • “I want to talk about July sales figures.”
    • “I want to talk about Project Everest’s timeline.”
    • “I want to talk about our 1-on-1 this week.”

    I: Intent

    Intent should explain what you want the other person to do with your message. If you’ve ever asked yourself, “Why are you telling me this?” while talking with someone, it’s because their intent was unclear, explains Fenning.

    He adds that our brains go through a process called selective attention that determines what information is important and what is not. If your brain doesn’t know what to do with a message, it reads it as “not important, and we stop listening,” Fenning said.

    By making your intent clear, you are telling your audience what to do with the information you’re giving them.

    Examples include:

    • If you have a question, say, “Can I ask you a question?”
    • If you want someone to make a decision, say, “I’d like your help with this decision.”
    • If you want to get something off your chest, say, “Is it okay if I vent for a minute?”

    P: Point

    Fenning says this is the most important piece of advice, and if you only had five seconds to speak, this is what you would lead with.

    “We need a point. We need a headline,” he explained. “Something that tells us where this conversation is going. In one sentence, deliver the most important piece of information.”

    Examples include:

    • “I want to give a refund for a late delivery.”
    • “Our project launch is going to be delayed for a month.”

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  • A homeless man returns a pet dog’s stolen ashes to their owner. It’s changing his life.
    Photo credit: Kathryn Michie via GoFundMe – Kathryn Michie and Chris Engdahl, left, and a flyer.
    ,

    A homeless man returns a pet dog’s stolen ashes to their owner. It’s changing his life.

    The dog’s remains were returned home as a man found his own.

    Erik Barnes

    When Holly and Brandon Dunn’s car was broken into, the stolen items were ones they thought they’d never get back. The thief took a bag containing the ashes of their late chihuahua named Tia. The thief also took Tia’s ceramic paw prints and a memorial stuffed-animal replica of the beloved pup. Two weeks later, the items were found and returned. Now the Seattle community is chipping in to reward the hero with a fresh start.

    Brandon explained to KING-TV that the couple was unable to have children, so Tia had been their furry kid throughout their 20-year relationship.

    “It’s a bit cliche, I guess, comparing a dog to a child. But, you know, for us that was my child,” he said.

    The search was on

    The Dunns put up flyers offering a reward for the return of the ashes and memorial items. Folks on social media and Reddit offered to help search and put up additional flyers in the Seattle area. There were even people willing to 3D-print a replica of Tia’s paw prints to replace the original ones.

    A hero reaches out

    Two weeks later, the unlikely happened. The items were found and returned by a homeless man named Chris Engdahl.

    For the past seven years, Engdahl had been living unhoused in the Seattle area. He made a living off what he could find and sell from dumpsters. It was in a random dumpster that Engdahl found Tia’s ashes, paw prints, and stuffed replica. Engdahl knew the items had sentimental value and held onto them in hopes of finding their owner. After seeing one of the flyers, Engdahl texted Brandon’s phone number and made sure the Dunns got Tia’s remains back.

    The Seattle community chips in

    Engdahl didn’t want a reward from the couple and was just happy that a fellow dog lover got their precious memorial items back. The Dunns had already moved out of the state. However, they and the Seattle community still wanted to do something to help Engdahl.

    Kathryn Michie, a person who helped post flyers for the Dunns, started a GoFundMe for Engdahl to help restart his life. As of this writing, Engdahl has recently moved into his first apartment, and the GoFundMe has raised more than $6,700. The money will be used to help Engdahl get furniture and other supplies. Some of the money will also go toward food for his new dog, Reo, whom he recently rescued from the street. Altogether, it will help Engdahl’s new place feel more like home.

    “I just got off the phone with Chris and he’s absolutely floored with the support from this community!” Michie wrote in a May 6 update on the GoFundMe page. “Thank you to everyone who is changing his life for the better. He is such an angel and deserves all the help!”

    Kindness and support from an entire community helped recover lost items, house someone in need, and create a new life for a dog, too.

    Keep Reading →
  • Woman tests drive-thru barista by tipping him $1 for every second he listens to daughter’s story
    Photo credit: Martina and Alexa/Instagram – A mother-daughter duo shares a nice tip with a Starbucks barista.
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    Woman tests drive-thru barista by tipping him $1 for every second he listens to daughter’s story

    “Every second they listen, the tip goes up $1. They don’t know that.”

    Cecily Knobler

    Imagine passing a test with flying colors when you didn’t even know you were taking one. A mother-daughter duo, known as Martina and Alexa, visits fast-food and coffeehouse drive-thrus. The person serving them is then, in a sense, given a test of their kindness, often revealing the most wholesome side of humanity.

    The way it works is this: The mother-daughter duo purchases food and drinks at drive-thrus such as Starbucks, Carl’s Jr., and Wendy’s. When they’re given their items, the daughter begins telling a story. As explained in the videos, “Every second they listen, the tip goes up $1. They don’t know that.”

    One video stands out

    They have many fun examples on TikTok and Instagram. But one recently truly stood out.

    A blond man appears in the Starbucks drive-thru window, cheerfully greeting the pair. “Hi! Here we are!” While the mother counts out one-dollar bills on her lap, her daughter, sporting bright red long hair, begins telling a story with the most adorable uptick: “One time at school? We had a science project about health? And I went up there? And like I talked for five minutes about how sugar was bad for you?”

    While the story goes on, the barista smiles warmly and occasionally says, “Right, uh huh,” to keep her at ease. She continues: “But on the actual day? After school, I went and I bought a donut? To test if sugar is bad for you. So yeah. Because I can’t present information without data and all of that, so yeah. Also, I have a snake at home? She’s a ball python? And she’s so cute. Her name is Frosty!”

    The barista enthusiastically asks, “Really?” She continues, “Yeah, and sometimes she likes her tank.” At this point, Mom cuts her off, and the barista hands over a drink. “Can I give you a tip?” she asks while handing him $30. “Oh my gosh! Thank you. Are you sure?”

    The whole exchange exemplifies pure kindness. But it gets even better. Turns out the barista is Dale B. Pirofsky. And there was something about him they just couldn’t forget, nor could the viewers who saw the video.

    The duo behind the videos thought they’d pay his kindness forward not just with a big tip, but with the hope of helping him raise money for a car. They started a GoFundMe, where they shared:

    “When we met Dale, there was something about him that immediately stood out – his kindness, his warmth, his humor, and the kind of positive energy that you can feel right away. He truly has one of those bright souls that makes people smile without even trying.

    After we shared the video, Dale became a favorite across social media in just a few days. It has been so special to see how many people connected with him through the screen. So many of you saw exactly what we saw in person – his genuine heart, his sweet personality, and the joy he brings into a simple moment.

    Many people reached out asking how they could support him financially, so we contacted Dale directly. After speaking with him and getting his permission, we decided to create this GoFundMe in his name. Dale shared with us that he has been working two jobs to save up for his very first car. This fundraiser is not an emergency request – it is simply a way for anyone who feels moved by Dale’s story to support a goal he has already been working so hard toward.”

    “Everyone deserves to be heard”

    Upworthy had the chance to chat with Dale, who shared how grateful he was for the whole encounter.

    When asked what he thought when she started telling the story, he said he was happy to listen. “Whenever someone wants to talk to me, especially children, I always try to listen,” he said. “I grew up—and honestly still struggle—with feeling unheard or unacknowledged, so I always try to make someone who needs to chat feel heard.”

    He didn’t suspect it was a test or a prank. “Honestly? I probably would have should the context of the story been something less engaging!” he said. “But considering she was talking about her school project, I figured it was something she was super proud of! Everyone deserves to be heard about what they are enthusiastic about.”

    This has been his biggest tip so far. “As a barista, the thirty-dollar tip definitely takes the cake!” he said. “Although, I did have to share it with my fellow baristas, and I’m in no way, shape, or form unhappy about that. My coworkers have been nothing but supportive of me, and they totally deserved a little something!”

    As for the duo, they remain rather mysterious. But what he does know is how good they made him feel. “They are a family of sweet-hearted people,” he said. “This family has absolutely turned my life upside down over the last week, and I am so grateful for all the support I’ve been given! It’s nice to see my enthusiasm and smile have made so many people so happy. It’s a dream of mine I can finally say I’ve achieved.”

    Keep Reading →
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