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White People Say The Darndest Things To Latinos. Here's How It Sounds When Latinos Do It To Them.
The moment the Latino tells the white guy to speak Spanish, I was sold.
07.29.14
More of this, please.
One of the hardest parts of being a parent is never being sure whether you're doing a good job or totally bombing it. If you're conscientious enough to even wonder if you're a good parent, you probably are, but parenting entails a million little choices and interactions, and there's always a lingering voice in your head saying, "What if you're really screwing this whole thing up?"
Reassurance and encouragement are always appreciated by parents, but not always received, which is why a note from one camping dad to another has people celebrating the kindness of anonymous strangers.
Someone on Yosemite Reddit thread shared a photo of a handwritten note with the caption, "To the man who left this thoughtful note on my windshield at Lower Pines Campground this weekend, I extend my heartfelt gratitude; your acknowledgment of my efforts to be a good father means a great deal to me."
The note reads:
"Bro,
I camped in the spot behind you last night. Let me just say, you are killing it as a dad. First off, I watched your wife guide you in as you backed up your trailer and nailed it on the first try without any yelling. Then your kids unloaded from the truck and were mild-mannered and well behaved. You told stories around the campfire and I had the pleasure of listening to the sounds of giggles and laughter.
From one dad to another, you are killing it. Keep it up.
P.S. Whatever you cooked for dinner smelled delicious!"
How often do we share these thoughts with strangers, even if we have them? And who wouldn't love to get a surprise bit of praise with specific examples of things we did right?
So many people found the note to be a breath of fresh air and a good reminder to compliment people when we feel the urge:
"That would make any daddy's eyes water."
"It’s always nice, as a guy, to get a compliment."
"I complimented a guy's glasses at work (I'm also a guy, and btw they were really cool glasses, I wasn't just being nice) and now he keeps trying to tell me where he got his glasses and how I should get some. But I'm just having to be polite because I already have glasses and I'm not in the market. I finally had to tell him I'm not going to buy them lmao I just like them on him.
Made me feel like that's the first compliment he's had in years because he can't stop talking about it. Also I mainly liked the glasses because I think he's cute but he really thinks it's just the glasses haha jokes on him that cute bastard."
"I was in the store with my wife and one of our 'adopted nephews' yesterday (we’re close friends with his parents and we’ve known him and his brother since they were newborns and 2yo, respectively). A woman came up to me at checkout while my wife was running out to the car and said 'I’m not sure what your family relationship is here, but I just have to tell you how nice and refreshing it is to hear all the laughter and joy from the 3 of you. You both seem like such a good influence on him and it warms my heart.' It’s such a small thing but as a dude, I can’t remember the last time someone gave me a compliment in public and it made my freaking day."
"10/10 letter. The and not yelling part gave me a good chuckle lol."
"We need so much more of men getting such heartfelt and sincere compliments. Thanks for sharing. ❤️"
"I’ve never considered leaving a note, but when I see a harmonious family with good parenting, it’s healing for me. My childhood was awful."
"Such an awesome compliment! Even though I don't have children myself, I like to remind my friends too that they're doing great & it brings them happy tears."
"This made me cry. I love that you are getting your 'flowers.' My dad sucked, I’m so glad you are one of the good ones."
"This made me cry too. It’s so hard to be a human. Let alone a parent. Getting a good job sticker every now and then really means a lot these days."
"I'm a big bearded guy and I would cry if I got this note. More people like this, please."
The best part of this story is that no one knows who the dad who wrote the note is, not even the dad who shared it. It wasn't written for clout or notoriety, it wasn't to get attention or make himself look good. No name or signature, just an anonymous act of kindness to uplift a stranger whether he needed it or not.
We all need to hear or read kind things said about us, and sometimes it means even more coming from an anonymous stranger who has nothing to gain by sharing. A good reminder to share it when you feel it—you never know how many people you may move and inspire.
This article originally appeared last year.
"My flabbers have been gasted."
If you ever cook with fresh garlic, you know what a challenge it can be to remove the cloves from the skin cleanly, especially if you're starting with a full head. There are various methods people use to peel garlic, with varying levels of success. Doing it by hand works, but will leave you with garlic-smelling fingertips for the better part of a day. Whacking the head on the counter helps separate the cloves from each other, but doesn't help much with removing the skin.
Some people swear by vigorously shaking the skinned cloves around in a covered bowl or jarred lid, which can be surprisingly effective. Some smash the clove with the flat side of a knife to loosen it and then pull it off. Others utilize a rubber roller to de-skin the cloves. But none of these methods come close to the satisfaction of watching someone perfectly peeling an entire head of garlic with a pair of tongs.
A video shared by the TikTok channel Learn Green shows what appears to be a woman's hands holding a large head of garlic in one hand and small metal tongs in the other, and within 30 seconds, the skin is separated from the cloves without any damage to the garlic, and it's a thing of beauty.
Just when you think there couldn't possibly be anything new social media can offer humanity, a video comes along that blows your mind and changes your life for the better. Watch:
@learngreen Garlic Master 💚 #good #garlic
Garlic master, indeed. People in the comments clarified that the tongs appear to be fish bone tweezers, which are a bit like ice tongs, but sturdier. And the reactions to the video were pure internet gold:
"The way I want to go on the ultimate garlic peeling spree now, for absolutely no reason."
"It takes me 2-3 business days to peel fresh garlic."
"My flabbers have been gasted."
"I am telling you I haven't done a damn thing right in my entire life."
"No thx, I'd rather cut each one individually, struggle, throwing half of it away away in the process and getting angry at myself by the end of it."
Several people lamented that they've never known they had this wonder tool at their disposal.
"Are you telling me that I've had a garlic peeler in my drawer all these years and didn't even know what to do with it until just now?"
"I have that set of tong things. I didn't know it was for garlic."
"You finally throw away that 'useless' thing in the kitchen drawer you had for years the day before you find out what it was for."
Others sung the praises of "TikTok University."
"I believe after so many of hours of TikTok we get college credits."
"At the very least a masters degree in life skills."
"I have learned more on TikTok than school."
"I don't know what other people's feeds are like but I'm learning something every 6 minutes."
And in case you're wondering, this person is not the only garlic master with the tongs. There are other videos showing the same thing, and they are all just as mesmerizing.
@c_wondersoffarming Garlic peeling! #satisfying #decompression #garlic #peeling #lifehack #tool
Seriously, this is what social media should be used for—succinctly sharing useful, helpful skills that actually add to our quality of life.
(Helpful tip for getting the most out of TikTok: Don't scroll past garlic peeling videos if you want your feed to teach you valuable hacks like this. Game that algorithm in your favor.)
This article originally appeared last year.
It's like a real life rom-com!
We don’t often meet the love of our life in fifth grade. But for Simon Jenkins and Peyton Wynn, romantic destiny struck early.
At the ripe old age of 11 years old, Simon and Peyton met at Johnson Elementary School in Pinson, Alabama, where they sat together in Patti Hathorn’s class. Their relationship continued to grow with each passing year, lasting even after graduation. Ten years later Simon and Peyton both turned 21, and they're still each other’s special someone.
A photo of Peyton and Simon, already in love.scontent-lax3-2.xx.fbcdn.net
Fitting, then, that 10 years later, Simon and Peyton would celebrate their enduring love by getting engaged where it all began.
WVTM 13 anchor Rick Karle shared that Simon's mother Traci, “an event planner with a flair for the artistic,” suggested the nostalgic setting for his 2022 proposal. Getting Simon’s approval, she quickly laid out handcrafted signs, flowers and candles, making everything look extra special for the sweet moment.
Who knew a classroom could be so romantic?
The next part of the surprise would be entirely up to Simon. He told WVTM that the ruse had been getting a call from Traci as the couple made their way to a dinner date in celebration of their 10-year anniversary. She had “forgotten something at her PTA meeting at Johnson Elementary School,” and pleaded for them to go retrieve it. Nice one, mom.
Simon and Peyton made their way to the elementary school and found themselves in the lavish display. “You should have seen Peyton’s face when she walked into that classroom,” Simon told WVTM.
Judging by the photos alone, the proposal seemed to be something out of a Hallmark movie.
Spoiler alert: She said yes
For Peyton, it was the surprise of a lifetime. “I finally got to say yes to the love of my life. It was like something out of a dream,” the bride-to-be told People.
To make the moment that much sweeter, their fifth grade teacher was also there. How’s that for a satisfying full circle moment?
Patti Hathorn (now Patti Armstrong Hagwood) made her own endearing Facebook post, which read:
“For any teacher that is asked or wonders ‘Why we do what we do’. My response is this: We get to watch more than just academic growth in our classrooms. We watch laughter. We watch friendships blossom and grow. We watch as these relationships continue to develop, and often we get to witness them last a lifetime. And, in some instances, we are privileged to be a part of this continuance…It was such an honor to be asked to be present as Simon Jenkins proposed to his 5th grade love. It is another moment that reminds me of my ‘why’ as I continue to love ‘my’ children each year.”
I'm not crying, you're crying!
Hagwood continues to teach and welcomed another class that Fall. Coincidentally, that’s when Peyton and Simon will officially tied the knot, according to People.
Congratulations to the happy couple who gave us all a wholesome love story to smile about today. I guess the adage is true: when you know, you know.
This article originally appeared three years ago.
The man who took the photo is hoping to find the couple.
When Abdullah Ghazanfar snapped a picture of Mt. Fuji through the window of a Japanese bullet train, he had no idea his photo would bring joy to millions of people. Considering the fact that it's one of the most photographed mountains in the world, a snapshot of Mt. Fuji taken quickly through the tiny window of a moving train doesn’t seem particularly noteworthy, but it’s not the famous peak that makes the photo so special. It’s the adorable couple ducking down below the window so Ghazanfar could take it in the first place.
“I was on the shinkansen coming back to Awaji island, where I live, after spending New Years in Tokyo,” Ghazanfar tells Upworthy. “[The couple] saw me taking a picture and then ducked down so I could get a better shot. I would've properly come forward and zoomed in, but didn't want them to be down there for too long, so just quickly snapped the picture and said thank you. Showed it to them and they had a laugh and really liked it too.”
Ghazanfar sent the photo to his best friend, who shared a screenshot of his text on X with the caption, “I think this is one of the best things I have ever seen.”
Clearly she wasn’t the only one to think that. The screenshot went viral on X and has since gone viral on multiple social media platforms, with people raving over the wholesome moment.
"This is the sweetest thing I've seen this week!!!"
"It’s their smiles for me. They were so happy to do it."
"I like them more than Mt Fuji."
"Their wholesomeness is more beautiful than the mountain."
"They are the view."
""Seriously even I want to thank these guys. 😍🙌"
People also shared how they'd experienced similar kindnesses when traveling in Japan.
"After 2+ years in Japan, I can say that pretty much sums up my experience. ❤️"
"Just came back from Japan. Japanese are the kindest people I have ever met. 🥺"
"As someone who visited Japan, I can vouch for how darling the people were. 😍"
"Your experience reflects so many interactions we had with the Japanese when we visited their beautiful country. Strangers always so helpful, generous and kind!"
"This is why I love Japan so much 😍"
Going viral on social media wasn’t Ghazanfar’s nor his friend’s intent. They were just sharing a lovely moment of genuine human kindness, but that authenticity is part of what makes it so wholesome. Anyone can make a manufactured image for clicks, but this was a spontaneously captured act of kindness and then shared just for the joy of it. Things like this happen every day all over the world, so on the one hand it isn’t something extraordinary. But these kinds of simple interactions are powerful reminders of humanity’s positive side—reminders we all need, especially on social media.
Here's the pictures prequel to see how we got here 😶 pic.twitter.com/lCGwkzZDqG
— Hjönk (@gnawsguz) January 4, 2024
Ghazanfar says he’s still looking for the couple and that he puts out a call on every share that tags him, in the hopes that he can check in with them about the photo going viral. (If you recognize this couple, let us know!)
“I’m glad the picture is out there making [people] smile,” says Ghazanfar. “And I just really hope I can get some real confirmation from the old couple involved that they're happy with it, since I really didn't think the picture would get this out of hand. But I guess it belongs to the internet now.”
Just imaging this sweet couple in Japan who either have no idea of the delight they’ve brought the world or who have chosen to remain anonymously kind strangers is enough to make you smile, isn’t it?
Imagine how freeing it'd be to stop caring what other people think.
Everyone cares what others think about them because it’s part of our nature. We want to be loved and accepted by our social pack or tribe because it’s essential to survival. Historically, those excluded from their tribes have faced having to live on their own and lost access to valuable resources. In some ways, as humans, social excursion is tantamount to death.
However, caring too much about other people's thoughts can also become a huge problem. Obsession with other people’s opinions can lead to actions that contradict our core beliefs. It can also lead to low self-esteem and prevent people from doing what they like because they fear being judged.
This can be incredibly challenging in today’s world when we have to deal with other people’s opinions online. Whether it’s a comment on an Instagram post or scrolling through Facebook and reading someone's views on politics or pop culture, we are constantly faced with other people’s opinions.
How do we step back and develop a healthier relationship with other people’s opinions? Daniel Glaser, a renowned neuroscientist, says we can start by changing the stories we tell ourselves. “I have this person in my head called the ‘critic’ or the ‘editor,’ and at my worst, I’m incredibly good at conjuring up the person who would be most critical of my performance,” he told Vogue. “As a species, we’ve evolved to tell stories about ourselves, to create narratives. We make things real, and then those things change how we act.”
A young woman looking in the mirror.via Canva/Photos
Glaser says that to stop worrying about other people’s opinions, we need to imagine someone being very pleased and positive with ourselves. “The trick isn’t to not care what others think, but to care about the right people,” he says. It’s like when you tell yourself not to think of an elephant; that’s all you can think of. Instead, think about someone being pleased with your Instagram post before you put it up or think about someone loving your art before you show it to people.
“If you’re trying to plan projects, imagine a specific person saying a really cool thing…so the trick isn’t to stop yourself thinking of other people but to vividly conjure up someone who’s delighted with what you’ve done,” Glaser continues.
The trick: Think about someone thinking of you positively.
Mark Manson, the author of “The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F**k” is a bit of an expert on not caring what other people think, and he has a different way of seeing things than Glaser. He believes that if we care too much about what other people think, we need to start elevating our game and doing things that are so important that other people’s opinions don’t matter.
A young woman doesn't care about a man's opinion.via Canva/Photos
“When you have something truly important in your life, something you’re willing to be ridiculed for, that’s when you’ll stop caring about others’ opinions. Ironically, that’s also when people start respecting you,” Manson wrote on his blog. “Imagine a burning building with a baby trapped inside. If you were the only one who could save the baby, you wouldn’t care what others thought. You’d run into the fire without hesitation. That’s an extreme example, but the principle applies to everyday life.”
Manson suggests asking yourself: What’s so important in your life that you’re willing to be ridiculed for it?
If you’ve been wondering how to stop caring what other people think, you’ve already taken an important first step in confronting the issue. But understand that there is a reason why you care what others think; the key is to find a balance where those opinions won’t stop you from being yourself and doing what you love.