It’s easy to think that there’s no good left in this world. Maybe you’ve had a rough week at work, a serious argument with your partner, or just had enough of the rudeness and cruelty of others. Whatever the reason, we all need a little pick-me-up now and then to remind ourselves that it’s not all bad.

That’s why we at Bored Panda have combed the internet and put together a new list of good news-only posts that soothed our hearts. No matter how it may seem, there will always be wonderful people ready to lend a helping hand and show that a simple gesture can truly make a difference.

So get ready to witness how showing kindness and supporting someone going through misfortune builds strong bonds within families, communities, and beyond. Continue scrolling and make sure to upvote the ones you enjoyed most! And when you’re done with this list, check out our previous posts full of wholesome pics right here, here, and here.

#1 Buffalo Man Adopts 5 Siblings So They Won't Be Split Up In The System

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#2 This Wholesome Coworker

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#3 Remember The Old Turkish Man Who Lost Everything In Fire But Saved His Kitten? People Bought A New House For Him And His Three Cats. They Are So Happy Now

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We reached out to Stephen G. Post, Ph.D., a medical school professor, opinion leader, and author of Why Good Things Happen to Good People: How to Live a Longer, Healthier, Happier Life by the Simple Act of Giving, to learn more about the relationship between showing kindness to others and our happiness. Post is a leader in research on the benefits of giving and has promoted the idea of "give and live better" across the world. He was kind enough to have a little chat with us and explain how helping others can fill our lives with joy.

According to the professor, we humans have "a well-known psychological tendency for actions to affect emotion." For example, when we smile (even if we are not especially happy), the action itself will elevate our mood. "There is an emotional 'shift effect' that does not take long, really about one hour in adolescents, perhaps 2 hours in adults," Post said. 

He also explained that helping "certainly diverts attention from the self and its problems, and engages the mesolimbic pathway, which releases one of the happiness chemicals dopamine. When engaged, this tends to shut down pathways associated with destructive emotions like rumination, hostility, and anxiety."

#4 After 10 Years Of Addiction, Prisons, And Rehabs, I Finally Have A Career I'm Proud Of, A Credit Score, Bought My First Car At 30 Years Old, And Have A Place To Live

It is possible to climb out of the hole.

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#5 7-Year-Old Does Not Let Alopecia Stop Her From Celebrating Her School's "Crazy Hair Day'

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#6 Wholesome Nurse

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So when we help others, we help ourselves. The professor provided an example of how volunteering improves our well-being. "Survey of 5000 adult Americans indicated 41 percent volunteering about 100 hours per year or estimated couple of hours a week." The vast majority of the participants (70 to 90 percent) said they felt happier, more resilient, and physically healthier. Moreover, they were able to form better friendships and find more meaning in their everyday lives. 

"Studies indicate it is good to get together with fellow helpers to debrief and process the experience," he added. It appears that when we have fulfilling and enduring relationships with other people, we create small circles of trust that are good for reflection and can add a lot of value to our lives.

"Our friends are no longer just the folks we hang out with or part with. Helpers report deeper relationships formed in the community of fellow helpers," Post noted, saying that it’s always beneficial to celebrate giving with others.  

#7 Wholesome Vets Post

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#8 Pro Wrestler Kisses His Boyfriend In Front Of Homophobic Protestors To “Stand Up Against Hate”

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#9 Well Done Professor

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He continued: "As one who has managed several large volunteer programs, it is best to let helpers self-select the activity or venue they prefer." Sometimes people only want to do the things they are good at, and other times they want to do something entirely new. "Some report a flow state of deep immersion and satisfaction, even a loss of a sense of time," Post said.  

If you want to make your days a little brighter, there are a few small steps you can take. Dr. Stephen Post would like to remind you that it’s "not the amount of helping others that matters, but helping from the heart." He advises starting with small things done with kindness. "I like to Stop, Look and Listen mindfully to people around me so I can notice their needs better," he explained, adding that chronological rush can keep us from observing or hearing others’ needs. 

#10 Me Dying Of Cancer Over The Spring vs. Me Happy And Healthy Spending Christmas With My Beautiful Family

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#11 This Is Jax, 13 Years Old And Can’t Walk Very Far, Se We Got Him A Sled For Our Winter Walks

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#12 Opened The Door To This Stray. It’s The Middle Of Winter. I Now Own A Cat

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#13 Safe

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More often than not, however, life can be difficult. Unexpected situations, adversities in our personal lives, and small bumps on the road can significantly affect us and make it harder to support others. Post mentioned that there is a side of "human nature that humiliates and de-dignifies others. It is widely expressed."

Fortunately, the professor also had some great news—we are all wired for altruism and kindness. Even if it may seem that there are many unpleasant and insensitive people out there, "we must always remember that everyone has that wonderful generous kindly flip side of the coin. The negative is just a part of the story." 

#14 I’m On Call This Christmas, But My Dad Registered As A “Student Shadower” So That He Could Spend Part Of The Holiday With Me

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#15 Oriini Kaipara Creates History As The First Journalist With Māori Face Tattoo To Present Primetime News

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#16 Wife Is Keeping The House After The Divorce. I've Moved Out. This Is What I'm Keeping. Cheers

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"Never let anyone tell you that altruism and kindness are not real, that they just disguise selfishness. There is a saying that is wrong: 'Scratch an altruist and watch an egoist bleed.' Actually, we are better than that," Post told Bored Panda. 

He suggested that a crucial part of increasing the helping mentality in our society is to raise kind children. "There are good ways to do that, including volunteering as a family." That way, people can form stronger and more resilient family bonds.

"Sometimes we learn so much from helping," Post said. "The vast majority of medical students helped a loved one will illness and found it meaningful. Grades go up when students feel that their studying will benefit others. People with altruistic purpose are more eager to learn." So supporting others, even when we face problems, can boost our mood and help us gain perspective.

#17 It May Not Look Like Much, But I Haven’t Been Able To Lift Properly In Years. This Is The Start Of Something Big

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#18 Love When Grandparents Try New Technology And Like It. It Is So Wholesome Every Time

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#19 This Restaurant Offers Food For Free If You Can’t Afford It

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Dr. Stephen Post is a prominent voice in positive psychology, a field that focuses on how to help humans lead healthy, happy lives on both individual and societal levels. "Positive psychology is not about denying difficult emotions. It’s about opening to what is happening here and now, and cultivating and savoring the good in your life," Ron Siegel, PsyD, assistant professor of psychology at Harvard Medical School, said.

Many want to start sharing kindness with others and reach a whole other level of happiness but are not sure where to start. If that's the case, there is a small exercise to try. The only thing you need to do is flip a coin and check which side is showing when it lands. Heads, do some pleasure-seeking activity like watching a movie, giving yourself a manicure, or dining out. 

Tails, do something to help out your community or the people around you. You could give a charitable donation, have a chat with an elderly person, or begin volunteering. Try to notice how it makes you feel at the exact moment and in the days that follow. 

#20 Due To The Extreme Colds Outside, Kütahya Air Force Training Brigade Of Turkish Armed Forces Built This Barracks-Room For Street Cats To Stay In

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#21 I Struggle With Schizoaffective Disorder. I Make Artwork To Cope. This Is My Latest Piece

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#22 It Was Meant To Be

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Another technique that Harvard Heart Letter suggested would be to practice mindfulness. "Learning to live more in the present is especially helpful when the future is uncertain. Formal mindfulness-based stress reduction programs have been shown to help reduce physical and psychological symptoms in people facing a variety of challenges, including cancer and chronic pain."

#23 My 3-Year-Old Son Just Beat Cancer (And I'm So Happy)

This summer my 3-year-old son was diagnosed with stage 4 abdominal cancer. After several chemo cures and final surgery, the treatment is officially over since yesterday: no more cancerous cells in his body. As a father, I'm so happy and proud of my little hero.

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#24 After 16 Years Of Homelessness I Finally Have My Own Place

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#25 Teacher Posted This To Parents- So Thoughtful

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Lastly, one of the ways to stay positive during difficult times is sitting down and appreciating the things you’re grateful for. It allows us to acknowledge the goodness in our lives and detach from the things that go wrong. Thinking about your past, present and future will help you to not take things for granted and remain hopeful for what’s to come. Even if it may sound a bit cheesy, keeping a gratitude journal can help you become more aware of the things you’re thankful for. 

#26 Today, I Am 6 Months Fully Anorexia And Bulimia Free. Recovery Is Possible

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#27 Had An "Adoption Reveal" Photo Shoot For Our Newly Adopted Teen, Complete With Teenage Eye Rolls

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#28 After A Lifetime Of Having Bad Teeth, I Decided To Do Something About It 2 Years Ago. Here's The Finished Product - I'm Finally All Done

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When the stress from our everyday life starts to seem a bit much, try to practice these techniques. And if you’re looking for a quick ray of hope for the future or just want to lift your spirits, just keep scrolling. With posts like these, we want to remind you that the world is full of people who are always ready to go the extra mile to make others’ days a little brighter.

#29 Might Not Seem Like Much, But… I Am Doing It

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#30 This Guy Holding An Umbrella Over A Soldier Standing By The Seat And Plaque Dedicated To The 92,000+ Unaccounted For American Soldiers Since WWI

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#31 The Amazon Driver Who Delivered My Package At 6PM On Christmas Eve

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#32 Statue In My Home Town Made Of 100,000 Knives Removed From UK Streets

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#33 This Little Baby (Cider) Was Finally Adopted From The Humane Society Of Marshall County

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#34 My First Art Exhibition

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#35 Taking One For The Team

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#36 Went Back To College Last Week. Been 13 Years And I Am Starting From Square One

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#37 Just Adopted A 13-Year-Old Cat. Who Gets Rid Of An Old Cat? She’s Great At Purring

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#38 14 Years Of Substance Abuse, 6 Years On The Street/In Shelter, At 32 Have My 1st Place

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#39 Found This Guy Under A Dumpster At Work. He Is Now Living His Best Life

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#40 Lost My Mom In April, Got A Tattoo Of One Of Her Drawings And Her Handwritten Note She Wrote Me

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#41 My Fiancé And Her Amazing Art. Here Is Her Latest Piece

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#42 Adopted My Daughter Today. The Judge Even Let Her Bang The Gavel To Commemorate It

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#43 You're Adopted

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#44 My Brother, With Down Syndrome, Holding His Newborn Great Niece On Christmas

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#45 Minecraft Quilt. Best Ever. It's One Of A Kind, And Absolutely Amazing

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#46 Me The Night I Got Arrested Strung Out On Drugs vs. Me 6 Years Clean

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#47 A Resident At The Nursing Home My Husband Works At Drew Him From Memory

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#48 My Boyfriend Proposed To Me In The Cutest Way Ever

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#49 Was Just Able To Stand Up And Eat For The First Time After Brain Surgery Yesterday

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#50 After Being A Stay-At-Home Dad For 6 Years I, 35M, Started College Alongside My Son Who Just Started Kindergarten. We Got This

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#51 A School In My Town Has A Share Bin. Students Who Buy Lunches May Place Unwanted And Unopened Food On This Ice Tray

If other students are still hungry after they finish their lunches, they may choose one item from the share bin. This simple process reduces waste and makes tummies full

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#52 We Made A Heated Winter Cabin For Lynk, The Neighbour's Cat Who Spends All Of His Time In Our Backyard Playing With Our Dog

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#53 My Best Friend 3D Printed The Figures, Painted Them And Created This Case All By Himself For My Birthday! I Thought It Was Official Merchandise

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#54 My Second-Graders Did A Wonderful Decorating The Dress I Wore For Class Pictures And On The Last Day Of School

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#55 I Made This Shelter In The Woods Just For Fun And I Come Back And Find This Hung On A Tree For Me. I Think Someone Thought I Was Homeless

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#56 This Is My Wife's Skyrim Inspired Painting She Just Finished "Natures Rest"

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#57 Saw This While Walking Around With My Daughters. It's About Time

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#58 I Cleaned Up A Bunch Of Litter Today

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#59 My Mum Has Been Crocheting Freddy Mercury Dolls And Auctioning Them Off For Cancer Research

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#60 Remember When Tom Holland Promised Bridger He Could Come To The Filming Of Spider-Man? He Delivered

First, a huge thank you to Tom, @harryholland64, @zendaya, and the entire Marvel/Sony cast and crew for this dream-come-true adventure. When we first arrived on set, I was a little apprehensive that once the “curtain was pulled back” that the magic of the movies would be lost for the kids. The opposite was true! Tom, Zendaya, Harry, @lifeisaloha, @tonyrevolori, and the entire cast/crew made our kids feel like stars. They don’t just act the part of friendly neighborhood heroes - that’s what they truly are. The look on the kids’ faces was priceless when we rounded the blue-screen to see Tom, in full costume, high above the set on a light post. It was emotional to see him waive at the kids like he was the one that was supposed to be excited - not the other way around.

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#61 Not The Biggest Deal, But I Just Finished A Semester Of College After Taking 9 Years Off. I Was 10-13 Years Older Than All Of My Classmates, But I Did It

Just one more semester to go.

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#62 Wholesome Teacher

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#63 My Mom Crochets And Donated 42 Blankets To Sick Children This Year

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#64 I Won My First Chess Tournament! USCF U1450 With 4.5/5 And $800 Prize

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#65 My Son Finished His LEGO Titanic Tonight. It’s Almost As Long As He Is. He Was So Proud

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#66 These Band-Aids Designed To Match Different Skin Colors

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#67 Someone In My Neighborhood Knitted Up Some Hats And Scarves And Left Them Out For Free. It’s Getting Cold In Minnesota

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#68 My 6-Year-Old Step Son Wanted Nail Varnish For X-Mas So We Got Him It And Did His Nails X-Mas Day. His Nan Is Old Fashioned And Didn't Approve So He Scratched It Off

He told me he liked having painted nails so today we sat and did each other's nails ready to show his nan when she picks him up tomorrow.

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#69 Every Year My Parents Recreate The Christmas Card Our Friends Send Them Of Their Kids, Here’s This Years

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#70 Today I’m One Year Cancer Free

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#71 This UPS Driver Remains An Absolute King

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#72 Both My Parents Passed Before My Daughter Was Born. My Wife Gave Me This Painting For Christmas

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#73 My 79-Year-Old Aunt Got Married Today

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#74 My Doorbell Rang Tonight And A Bunch Of Teenagers Handed Me This Award

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#75 "The Optimist": My 91-Year-Old Grandfather's Lockdown Creation

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#76 My Sociohorticulture Professor Gives Every Student A Plant Almost Every Week

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#77 After One Month In The NICU, I Finally Got To Hold Both Of My Girls At The Same Time

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#78 My Husband, Who “Isn’t A Cat Person” And “Doesn’t Want Pets”

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#79 Every Year With My Brother, We Buy A Surprise Gift To Each Other. This Year Was Awesome. Laughed For 10 Minutes Straight

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#80 My Wife Of 14 Years Worked So Hard To Get To The Same Size She Was When We Married. I'm Going To Surprise Her With A Wardrobe That I've Been Putting Together For Months

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#81 My Wife Commissioned A Portrait Of Myself, My Daughter, And My Dog. My Heart Is Melted

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#82 After 30 Years Of Mortgage Payments. I Paid It Off Today. It’s All Ours

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#83 Went To Visit A Friend Today Who Knows I’ve Been Feeling Down. He Surprised Me With A Classy Festive Tea Party! Made My Day, Made Me Smile

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#84 I Took My Cat To All My Errands Today And I Think That’s Just How I’m Going To Live My Life From Now On. Crazy Cat Lady Final Form

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#85 My GF Got Toby For $5 At A Rescue. Best $5 Ever Spent

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#86 I Can’t Tell Family Yet Because I Just Got This Result Today. But I Needed To Tell Someone. So, Why Not A Bunch Of Strangers? I’m Pregnant

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#87 Surprise Bracelet From Two Of The Elementary School Girls I Drove For Every Day

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#88 It’s Been A Hell Of A Ride. Twice Cancer Survivor

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#89 Getting Fist Bumps From The Scuba Diver Cleaning The Tank

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#90 So... I Did A Thing! I've Never Been So Proud Of Myself

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#91 I Made A Cello Inspired By Dune

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#92 After 6 Years, 1 Month, And 21 Days, I Became A U.S. Citizen. I’m So Excited, I Don’t Know What To Do Next. Any Suggestions?

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#93 I Work Construction In The Midwest And My Boss Just Delivered All Of These Food Goodies To Our Home In Time For The Holidays

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#94 As It Gets Close To Winter The Local Grocery Store Put This Out

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#95 Bought My GF's 85-Year-Old Father An Oculus, He Loves It

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#96 Bruh My Sister Met Snoop At A Canes In Arkansas Of All Places

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#97 I Took These Photos Of This Curious Hummingbird On Oct 12. I Thought You Would Enjoy Seeing Them

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#98 I Have Covid, Can't Go Anywhere And Managed To Burn My Only Pizza. Neighbor Dropped A Bag Of Tinfoil Containers Outside My Door And Now I Have A Full Hot Sunday Dinner

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#99 We Bought Our First House

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#100 Peak Viewing Time

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#101 My Wife Made This Blanket For Me Out Of Old Sheets I Had When I Was A Kid

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#102 Scotland’s Baby Box. Free Essentials For Every Newborn To Give Them The Best Start

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#103 Running My First Art Stall Today In Liverpool, The Snow And Icy Temperatures Can't Stop Me

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#104 My Grandpa Made This Table All By Himself, From Scratch. He Cut Down The Trees, Made His Own Plank Saw, Cut The Planks And Blocks, Assembled And Decorated The Table

From tree to table, all by his hand.

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#105 After Almost A Year Of Seperation Due To Border Restrictions We Surprised Their Great Grandparents

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#106 This Barber Gives Free Haircut To Whoever Can't Afford It

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#107 My Mom Does This Every Year, For The Trash Men

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#108 Homeless And Broke But I Managed To Get Some Turkey. Very Thankful. Happy Thanksgiving

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#109 I Turned 35 Today. My Wife Made Me This Amazing Cake And The World Needs To See It

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#110 The Koala That Lives In My Backyard And The New Sign The Council Just Installed So It Can Cross The Road Safely. Normal Residential Street In Australia

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#111 12 5k Races Completed In 2021

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#112 This Is Dr. Peach. He Delivered Me (In 1989) And Both Of My Children (2016 & 2020). He's Retiring

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#113 People Cleaning The Ocean. Team Seas

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#114 9 January 2022 Marks The Happiest Day Of My Life. I'm Finally A Father

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#115 This Sign I Found Has A Translation For Dogs

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#116 This Car Was In Our Shop For The First Time. Showed This To The Customer, Confirmed That It's The True Story

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#117 With The Extreme Cold Hitting Us This Week, Neighbor Is Extremely Thoughtful

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#118 My First Comic Book Signing. Frogs Are Dope

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#119 The NICU At The Hospital Had Masks With Mouth Windows So The Baby Can See Your Expressions

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#120 My Son Is Learning English At School. Apparently, Proverbs Aren’t His Forte, But I Love His Guesses (Remember, Children Should Be Seen)

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#121 Our Ice Cream Had No Expiration Date Because They Congratulated A Long Tenured Employee

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#122 3 Years Ago Today I Stopped Drinking Alcohol

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#123 Made My First Fairy Door

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#124 I Made My 5-Year-Old Daughter A Giant Totoro For Xmas From A Free 8" Pattern I Printed At 380%. He Took 10h

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#125 There Is A Sharing Point For Walking Sticks At The Beginning Of My Favourite Hiking Path

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#126 Somebody Let Everyone Know How To Mute The Loud Ads At The Gas Pump

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#127 The Son Of Kimi's Engineer (Julien Simon) Gave This Note To Max Before The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

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#128 Friend Sent Me This On Her Date. I've Never Seen Someone As Happy

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#129 At Walmart I Turned Around To Make Sure My Son Was Next To Me. Instead Of Finding Him By My Side I Found Him Kneeling In Front Of The Missing Children Board Praying

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