Sometimes all it takes is a change in mindset — no matter how small — to turn a crappy day into a good one. To help you shift into a happier gear, we’ve rounded up five things from around the web that inspire and delight us, and we hope they’ll do the same for you. We share our favorite happiness-boosters each week, so be sure to check back — and share your own in the comments below!
1. This video of a man who is ah-mazing at hackysacking
2. This story of a cat who raised $1,000 for charity
The first moral of this story: People are good, and most of the time they’re willing to pitch in as soon as they’re asked. The second moral of this story: Anything can happen on Reddit.
3. This ten-year-old girl who destroys it on the drums
If you watch nothing else, check out the video from 2:55 onward.
4. This video with an unexpected twist and a whole lot of warm-and-fuzzies at the end
5. This program that sends up to 200 low-income students to college — for free
The Rutgers University Future Scholars program is a five-year college prep course targeted to kids from families living at or near the poverty line. In 2007, 200 seventh-grade students were accepted into the inaugural program. Those students who stick with the program and are admitted to Rutgers receive a scholarship (funded by donations) that allows them to obtain an advanced degree for free. Of the 183 students who participated in the inaugural class, 163 of them will attend college, and 98 of them will go to Rutgers on full scholarships. In the face of skyrocketing college tuition rates, this is happy-making news indeed! Let’s hope more colleges adopt a similar model.
What’s making you happy this week? Share in the comments below!
