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Her sons started playing her favorite song. Pure, unbridled joy ensued.

Momma busting out her moves when the beat drops is priceless.

@guggin94/TikTok

This mom dropped her cooking and broke into joyful dance when the beat dropped.

We all have that song that gets us every time. No matter our mood, no matter where we are or who we're with, when the rhythm starts popping, we just have to dance. Okay, maybe not all of us. But if you know, you know. And this Punjabi momma knows.

Self-described actor and prankster Gagandeep Anand shared a video on TikTok and Instagram of him and his brother Ishwardeep surprising their mom by playing her favorite song. She was cooking in the kitchen when Gagandeep walked in with a stereo and Ishwardeep with a dhol (a traditional Indian drum) and as soon as they started playing, her face lit up like a firework.

Then the most joyful 30 seconds of dancing took place, right there in the Anand kitchen.

The song, "Dhol Jageero Da" by Master Saleem, is commonly played at weddings in Northern India. It's a song that's hard not to dance to just by its nature, but Momma Anand clearly has her own personal history with it. The sheer joy she exudes as she drops her cooking to break into dance? Infectious. And her disappointment when the music stops? Just precious.

Watch:

@guggin94

Instagram - Guggin94 👀

Her smile and youthful energy, holy moly. And when Gagandeep said he has to dance when he sees his momma dance was adorable. If only they hadn't stopped the music so quickly.

People are loving the video, claiming Momma Anand as their own and delighting in her delight.

"Your momma?" one commenter wrote. "She is now our Momma."

"She literally got younger the moment the music started," wrote another person.

"OMG I've watched this too many times....she was so happy, I couldn't stop smiling," wrote another.

Others scolded the boys for leaving her hanging:

"How y’all gonna tease mom like that… her favorite part was coming up."

"You better go back right now and do it again for her!!!"

"YOU GO BACK IN THERE AND FINISH HER SONG RIGHT NOW!!"

Gagandeep frequently features his mom (and dad) in his videos, which usually feature silly pranks. And Momma Anand has her own Instagram page too, where she shares cooking tips.

For more fun with the Anand family, follow Gagandeep (@guggin94) on TikTok, Instagram or YouTube.


This article originally appeared on 2.9.22

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Race & Ethnicity

Elizabeth Eckford made history at age 15. Here's the full story behind the iconic photo.

She faced the angry white mob—and the Arkansas National Guard—alone on her first day of high school in 1957. But that was only the beginning.

@ayealiah/Twitter

15-year-old Elizabeth Eckford was one of the Little Rock Nine who attended the first integrated high school in Arkansas.

On September 4, 1957, nine students arrived at Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas for their first day of school. They were bright students, chosen for their academic excellence to attend the most prestigious school in the state. They were there to learn—and to make history as the first Black students to attend the previously all-white school.

They wouldn't enter the school that day, nor for weeks after. Their entrance was barred not only by an angry white mob but by the Arkansas National Guard who were called in by the governor to prevent the students from integrating the school.

Eight of the nine arrived together that first day in a carpool arranged by the local NAACP chapter. One student, 15-year-old Elizabeth Eckford, didn't have a telephone at home and was unable to be reached to learn about the carpool plan. She took the city bus, which dropped her off within two blocks of the school. As she approached, she faced the racist crowd alone.

One photo encapsulated much—but not all—of the moment. We see Eckford being followed by a group of angry white segregationists, but we can't see that they were yelling, "Lynch her! Lynch her!" We can see the Arkansas National Guard, but we can't see that President Eisenhower would have to call in federal troops weeks later to finally get the students into the building. We see Elizabeth Eckford walking with her head high, but we can't see the courage and resolve it took her not to walk through a crowd of people threatening to kill her just for wanting to go to school.

We see a snapshot of a horrific moment in American history, but we can't see what happened after.

After being barred entrance to the school, Eckford tried to return home, but she was unable to go back to the bus stop where she'd been dropped off due to the 250 or so angry white people behind her. She decided to try to get to the next bus stop a block ahead of her.

Buddy Lonesome of the St. Louis Argus described what he had witnessed at the scene: "The mob of twisted whites, galvanized into vengeful action by the inaction of the heroic state militia, was not willing that the young school girl should get off so easily. Elizabeth Eckford had walked into the wolf's lair, and now that they felt she was fair game, the drooling wolves took off after their prey. The hate mongers, who look exactly like other, normal white men and women, took off down the street after the girl."

She would get home eventually. At first, she sat on the edge of the bus stop bench as someone yelled "Drag her over to this tree!" A small group of journalists formed a makeshift barrier between her and the crowd. New York Times reporter Benjamin Fine sat down next to her, put his arm around her and said, "Don't let them see you cry." Later, after being asked if he'd overstepped his professional bounds, Fine replied, "A reporter has to be a human being."

A white woman, Grace Lorch, escorted Eckford onto the bus, but not before she told the crowd that they'd all be ashamed of themselves someday. Eckford was relieved when Lorch got off the bus; her help, though undoubtedly well-intentioned, had only inflamed the hatred of the crowd. (Lorch and her husband would eventually move their family to Canada after facing harassment, job losses, and accusations of being communists for their civil rights activism.)

After exiting the bus, Eckford immediately went to find her mother. She fell into her arms and the two cried together, neither saying a word.

What about the student yelling at Eckford in the photo? Her name was Hazel Bryan—later becoming Hazel Massery. She was the daughter of parents who were unabashed about their racism.

Massery would have a change of heart in the years that followed. She became a follower of the civil rights movement and began to understand how wrong she had been. In 1962 or 1963, she called Eckford to apologize. But she didn't stop there. She left her intolerant church, volunteered with projects to serve underprivileged Black students and single Black mothers, read the works of Cornel West and Shelby Steele and argued about racial issues with her mother.

Eventually, Massery and Eckford realized they had a lot in common as individuals and became friends. They even appeared together on The Oprah Winfrey Show and talked about reconciliation. But the friendship did not last. The rest of the Little Rock Nine had never been fans of the friendship, nor of Massery's appearance at public events about their history. Massery seems to have felt frustrated that Eckford wouldn't absolve her completely of her past racist behavior, and she ultimately cut off ties with her.

Ten years ago, David Margolick, who had interviewed both women multiple times over the years, asked Eckford and Massery to pose together for one last photo. Eckford agreed, but Massery refused.

Both Eckford and Massery are still alive. Eckford celebrated her 80th birthday in October with a small celebration in front of Central High School, with student members of the Civil Rights Memory Project and faculty there to honor her. This is not history from some far distant era. People are alive who saw it happen with their own eyes.

And this isn't even the full scope of the story. The Little Rock Nine spent the school year being brutally harassed even after they were finally allowed into the building. And both Eckford and Massery's stories include many more details, which David Margolick has covered in Vanity Fair and Slate. His storytelling illustrates how the story behind the iconic photo is worse (at the time) and more complex (in the long run) than the simplistic narratives we often hear about the civil rights era and are definitely worth a read.

How does Eckford feel about the photo? She told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette that she sometimes feels nothing when she sees it and sometimes it bowls her over. But she's never felt good about the photo, nor does she see herself in it the way others do.

"They talk about it as strength," she said, "But I've never considered myself a strong person."

Fair enough. No one should ever have to be strong like that in the first place, especially at 15. May we all remember and learn from this history, and keep working toward a future where racism is truly and fully overcome.


This article originally appeared on 2.5.22

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Family

Sweet handwritten inscription from a boy to his mom found in a used book from 1948

Aw, Henry was a sweetheart.

Photo credit: Canva, Reddit/ohthesarcasm

Old books hold all kinds of treasures.

Used books contain all kinds of treasures, from timeless tales to old illustrations to personalized elements that tell a story of their own. One of those stories posted to Reddit has people wondering about the details and creating their own backstories for a sweet boy and his mother.

A user posted a photo of a handwritten inscription in a book they found at a Boston thrift store—"an uplifting Christmas message from a son to his mother"—that reads:

"To my own and very dear mother I present this book on Christmas Day December, 1948 as one of my tokens of appreciation for all the love and kindnesses you have rendered unto me. Your son, Henry."

The poster added an additional note about the book that contained the note:

"Found in the book 'Milton Cross's Complete Stories of the Great Operas'—the front of the book actually has the owner's full name and home address in it, but unfortunately it's a very common name and an address in a major city, and I was not able to find out what happened to her or Henry."

People in the comments began creating their own stories about who Henry and his mom were and why he wrote the note the way he did:

"I know we don’t know how old Henry was, but to me this looks like an older child’s handwriting and reads like a tween trying his hardest to impress his mother with his poetic language and now I’m tearing up at work. 🥹"

"Could be, but it was also popular in the era to ironically use overly flowery language to comic effect, since old people of the time often did genuinely speak like that. which, if he's being playful with his wording, i think it's still just as endearing. she was probably one of few people in his life who knew him well enough to tell which one it was, lol."

"It’s reading, mom I’ve been working on my penmanship. Did I do good? Lol"

"Henry obviously broke a vase and doesn’t want to be punished!"

People also found themselves moved by Henry's thoughtfulness and how seeing his note all these decades later connects us all through time.

"Somehow when I started to read this I thought it was fairly recent, like a kid practicing their cursive the way my elementary did, but once I reached the year something in me, idk, sunk? Hit me? Gets weirder realizing it’s almost 80 years ago. Feels bittersweet and weirdly metaphorical that the act of love transcends the span of life."

"So beautiful that Henry’s love from 1948 reached out into the world again and we all felt it in 2024."

"When giving someone a book, it's also a gift to the world to write a fond note in it. Good job Henry and Henry's mom."

"Aww he loves his mama. It's really touching."

"I would cry if my kids gave me such a note attached to a gift, so simple and sweet."

In the digital age, handwritten notes have become rarer and rarer, which makes finding an inscription like this all the more special. Texts and emails are fine, but receiving a heartfelt message in someone's unique handwriting just hits on a whole other level. And when it's left in a book that someone chose especially for you, it's even more moving because it may touch others in the future the way Henry's note is touching people nearly 80 year later.

It's also so heartening to see such a sweet sentiment expressed so eloquently, especially from a boy at an age when a mother's love and kindness might easily go overlooked. Well done, Henry. Perhaps your note will inspire others to share their own gratitude to a loved one. (And as someone in the comments wrote, "Render Kindness" would make an awesome bumper sticker.)

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Health

How often should you shower? Doctors weigh in and rock some people's worlds.

Once a day is not ideal.

Photo by Karolina Grabowska/Pexels

Doctors say a lot of us are showering more than we need to.

A few times in recent years, celebrities and social media influencers alike have made waves by sharing that they don't make their kids bathe every day. For some parents, that was totally par for the course, but for others, letting a child go more than a day without bathing was seen as a travesty.

Doctors have made it clear that kids don't need to bathe daily, with some going so far as to recommend against it when they are young to protect kids' delicate skin.

But what about grownups? Most of us don't take baths regularly as adults, but what's the ideal frequency for showering?

According to a YouGov poll of over 5,700 Americans, just over half of respondents said they shower daily and 11% said they shower twice or more per day. That means two out of three of us are showering at least once a day.

But according to doctors and dermatologists, that's probably overkill for most people. Unless you're doing heavy labor, exercising vigorously, working outdoors or around toxins or otherwise getting excessively dirty or sweaty, a few showers per week is enough for healthy hygiene.

In fact, Robert H. Shmerling, MD of Harvard Health says too frequent showering could actually have some negative effects on your health.

"Normal, healthy skin maintains a layer of oil and a balance of 'good' bacteria and other microorganisms," Dr. Shmerling writes. "Washing and scrubbing removes these, especially if the water is hot." He shares that removing that protective layer can make our skin dry, irritated or itchy, which can lead to damage that allows allergens and bacteria to cross the skin barrier. Additionally, our immune systems require exposure to microorganisms, dirt, and other environmental stimuli in order to create "immune memory," and if we wash them away too frequently, we might be inhibiting the effectiveness of our immune system.

Dermatologists who spoke to Vogue had similar advice about shower frequency. Board-certified dermatologist Deanne Robinson, MD, FAAD told the magazine that you can skip showering for the day if you haven't engaged in rigorous activity. Mamina Turegano, a triple board-certified dermatologist, internist and dermatopathologist. agreed. "I think that showering three to four times a week is plenty for most people,” she said.

Of course, everyone is different and what is good for one person's skin isn't good for another's. Showering frequency and health also depend on what kinds of products you're using, what temperature of water you're using and how long your shower is. There's a big difference between a quick pits-and-privates rinse-off and a long, hot shower.

While scorching yourself and steaming up the bathroom may feel luxurious and relaxing, especially if you've got sore muscles, dermatologists say it's not good for your skin. Hot showers are especially problematic for people with skin issues like eczema.

"Any skin condition characterized by a defective skin barrier can be worsened by a hot shower," board-certified New York City dermatologist Shari Marchbein told Allure. "[It] strips the skin of sebum, the healthy fats and oils necessary for skin health, and dehydrates the skin."

In fact most dermatologists recommend keeping showers lukewarm. That sounds like torture, frankly, but who's going to argue with the experts?

A lot of people, actually. Modern humans are pretty particular about our shower preferences, and judging from the comments on cleanliness discussions, some folks are dead set on the idea that a daily shower is simply not negotiable. Even with the experts weighing in with their knowledge and science, a lot of people will continue to do what they do, advice be damned.

But at least the folks who've been judged harshly by the daily shower police have some official backup. As long as you're showering every couple of days, you're golden. As it turns out, there really is such a thing as being too clean.


This article originally appeared on 3.7.24

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