Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Republicans cannot even be trusted with their own money.

Text STOP to opt out of updates on war plans.

Jesus watching the most hateful people claiming to be his followers

It’s always darkest before the other shoe drops.

This year has been the longest three days of putin’s life.

The current Supreme Court is a dangerous, rogue court.

They want us to be overwhelmed and exhausted. Focus. Resist. Oppose.

If you can’t control your emotions, someone else will.

After dobbs, women are no longer free.

I would try pessimism, but it probably wouldn’t work.

Every reporter and pundit should have to declare if they ever vacationed with a billionaire.

When we show up, we win.

Mediocre white men think RFK Jr’s pathetic midlife crisis is inspirational. The bar is set so low for them, it’s subterranean.

The willow is too close to the house.

Jesus, Mary, & Joseph how is that election even close?

The republican caucus is covering themselves with something, and it is not glory.

Imperialist aggressors must be defeated, or the whole world loses.

“When somebody takes the time to draw up a playbook, they’re gonna use it.”

The lights are all blinking red.

Perhaps you mistook them for somebody who gives a damn.

Let there be snark.

Giving in to doom is how we fail to fight for ourselves & one another.

Disagreements are healthy; personal attacks are not.

Let me eat cake. The rest of you could stand to lose some weight, frankly.

You are here: Home / Balloon Juice / Make The World A Better Place / Acts of Kindness: Giving Can Make You Smile

Acts of Kindness: Giving Can Make You Smile

by | 57 Comments

This post is in: ,

Speaking of giving: Time to buy your Pets of Balloon-Juice Calendar all proceeds go to Athens Pets

I have a bunch of kindness set aside, time constraints are really limiting my ability to post much these days. But I thought we could all use a lift as we head into this crazy week.

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Acts of Kindness: Giving Can Make You Smile

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You’ve probably seen this around, but I’m a stickler for trying to search out the original poster. I believe this is it:

Acts of Kindness: Giving Can Make You Smile 1

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Acts of Kindness: Giving Can Make You Smile 4

Acts of Kindness: Giving Can Make You Smile 2 Acts of Kindness: Giving Can Make You Smile 3

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A couple of cute animals:

 

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Life goals:

And here is Dennisaurus Rex’s story here – video doesn’t embed.

I’m off to walk the dogs and then run some errands. Lasagnas are all in the freezer, bread is ready to go into the oven when I get back, then I can deliver them tomorrow, along with the toffee. I think then the week should go pretty smoothly, hopefully, work will be quiet.

Share any kindness, good news or fun stories…

Reader Interactions

57Comments

  1. 1.

    Alison Rose

    I shared this in the previous thread, but it definitely belongs here! This video is titled “Building verbal communication with my blind cow” and yes it is just as sweet and tear-inducing as you think.

    Also, from my own world: My friend Gina has been suffering through a pretty awful medical situation — a few weeks ago she started experiencing severe head pain and other symptoms, and turned out she had multiple blood clots in her brain. She’s been in and out of different hospitals and is now home, but still in a lot of pain most days and unable to do much. She’s a very active go-getter type, has three kids (a young teen girl and two between-toddler-and-tween boys), is a stand-up comic, does tons of other stuff, so barely being able to do anything has been crushing for her, and Christmas is usually a favorite time of year. Plus her husband got laid off a couple of months ago. But so many people have stepped up to donate, to organize a meal train, to take the kids to their things, even went to their house to help put up the holiday decorations while Gina was still in the neurological unit. It’s just been wonderful to see so many people pitch in to help out. Nice reminder that good people exist.

  2. 2.

    MagdaInBlack

    My experience in kindness is all of you here who supported me when I had my public meltdown 1 week ago. Watergirl has been fantastic, all of you amazed me, and a favor from a work friend came out of nowhere and allowed me solve a major issue.

    So kindness, something lacking in my life of late, has reappeared and I want to thank you all for it.

    🎀❤️🎀

  3. 3.

    Miss Bianca

    OMG, Pilot Ben loves Patrick O’Brian and that’s part of why he’s returning the sparkly princess book to the library. We love you, pilot Ben!

  7. 7.

    persistentillusion

    Golly, I’ve lived in Colorado Springs for 30 years and this is the first I’ve heard about Dennis.  We do have our fair share of colorful people here.

    Kind wishes to all.

  13. 13.

    Fake Irishman

    Oddly enough, my aunty lived on Thunderbird drive for about 20 years in the 1980s and 1990s.
    I met several of her neighbors, but don’t recall Gene.
    In any case, I’m glad he got his light display.

  14. 14.

    Alison Rose

    @raven: Yay! The Dodo often has videos of people helping animals that are stuck in something, and it always breaks my heart a bit, knowing the animal doesn’t understand what’s happening and is probably so scared. But then seeing them get freed is always lovely.

  17. 17.

    raven

    And then there is the story of Tommy De Vito and his agent Sean Stellato. Tommy played quarterback at Illinois for a year and was undrafted. There are a ton of free-agent qb’s in the league this year and the Giants picked Tommy up. They have won four games with him at the helm and Sean was on the sidelines and in the stands with Tommy’s dad when they beat the Packers. Sean played it to the hilt wearing a fedora and looking the part! Fun story as they have taken the football world by storm!

     

    ps it’s the NY post and I don’t really care what you think about football.

  18. 18.

    NutmegAgain

    Love Paul Bronks (Slender Sherbet). But I would not let my kids anywhere near an emu. And that little budding asshole in the orange trunks is really asking for it, kicking at the bird (with or without water).

  19. 19.

    Alison Rose

    SO CUTE

    President Obama made a surprise visit to a group of students at Parkside Community Academy, a future neighbor of the Obama Presidential Center being built on Chicago’s South Side to spread some holiday cheer.

    The teacher was showing them a little book about Obama and asking them who he was when he comes walking in with a Santa hat and bag of gifts. One girl asked him “Are you really Barack Obama” in a very doubtful voice, then tells the camera “I’m not convinced that’s him.” LOLOL.

    You know…I could easily picture him doing things like this, I can picture Biden doing it, Clinton, Carter, even Dubya…maybe Poppy Bush although it would’ve been super awkward…etc etc…not TIFG, not in a million years.

  20. 20.

    MagdaInBlack

    @Alison Rose: Thank you.❤️ I’d love to be able to tell that to my No Emotions Allowed mother (the voice in my head) god rest her repressed soul 😉

  22. 22.

    Miss Bianca

    Good news – well, TaMara, you should be pleased to know that I (more or less) successfully spatchcocked my first chicken! It was certainly easier than the turkey!

    I am winging it a bit on preparation (get it? or, d’ye smoke it? as Patrick O’Brian’s “Lucky Jack Aubrey” would say) – sort of following a recipe I found online, but having no lemon zest to hand will have to make do with lemon pepper, which I am going to combine with butter, garlic, salt, and thyme (and possibly some rosemary as well). Think I am going to borrow the cheesecloth technique from the maple-bourbon turkey recipe you shared, and mix it all up into a paste to put under the skin, and then melt the rest and soak the cheesecloth in it to lay on top while it’s roasting

    On a bed of root veg underneath, and some white wine to go with when it’s all done.

    Can you tell I decided to stay in today…

  26. 26.

    Miss Bianca

    @NutmegAgain: Yeah, I was thinking that that emu did not look particularly happy, in that fountain vid…I mean, wet hens certainly are notedly grumpy-looking beasts, and that emu looked like a larger, more murderbot-y version of a wet hen, to me…

    @raven: Now I’m feeling kind of bad about seeing a calf on one side of a fence and the cow on the other, yesterday…I did think about stopping to help, but I was driving a strange vehicle on a slick/snowy road and I was afraid I was going to get stuck…with a potentially alarmed/pissed off 1000+ lb semi-feral momma cow on my side of the fence.

    Safety first! :/

  27. 27.

    Miss Bianca

    @Alison Rose: In fairness to Dubya (can’t believe I’m saying this) I could totally see him doing Santa.

    But definitely *not* TFG, who more strongly resembles an even-more-evil Krampus.

    @NotMax: “You just keep spatchcocking that chicken, man…” 

  29. 29.

    Alison Rose

    @Miss Bianca: I mean, GWB at least had a personality. It wasn’t a great one, but he had one, and he seemed like someone who could actually enjoy things. TIFG seems like he is literally lacking the genes required to enjoy anything except making money and being mean.

  33. 33.

    NotMax

    @Miss Bianca

    To belatedly answer the question you posed to me the other day, retirement provides loads of time, curiosity provides the impetus along with an inclination to gravitate to the unexpected or the unusual.

  35. 35.

    Miss Bianca

    @NotMax: I had to stop and think about what you meant, and then I remembered – it was Bennett Cerf and the lady rancher, am I right?

  42. 42.

    HinTN

    @Miss Bianca:

    the cheesecloth technique from the maple-bourbon turkey recipe

    I planned to spatchcock the Thanksgiving turkey and use this recipe but then discovered I didn’t have a wide enough pan. Used the recipe in standard roasted turkey and it was FABULOUS. Thanks, again, TaMara.

  43. 43.

    TaMara

    Loving your good news stories!

    And Emus are NOT ostriches and are generally (Karen the Emu being the exception) big, fluffy babies.  Their kick is dangerous, but so is a Great Dane’s errant gift of a front paw when you aren’t expecting it.

  48. 48.

    eclare

    @MagdaInBlack:

    I don’t know what happened last week, but I had a “no emotions allowed” mom too.  It’s tough, and I’m glad you’re breaking the chain.

    I have had people tell me that they have no idea what I feel.  That is not a good thing.

  52. 52.

    NutmegAgain

    @TaMara: Thank you! More information is always better.

    To make up for being a cranky bitch on your happiness post, this is a wonderful article in the Washington Post about a guy who adopts old and sick dogs … lots of them. The video of him carrying the little puppers down the stairs for breakfast is fantastic. (gift link).

  53. 53.

    narya

    @HumboldtBlue: @Almost Retired: @Miss Bianca: I have instead done a splayed turkey, which worked just fine. (The FYNYT has a pretty good recipe with details.) Essentially, you pop the legs out of their joints.  Part of my challenge is the lack of a big-enough pan–I can barely splay in the pan I have, so spatchcocking would require an even bigger one, I think.

  54. 54.

    Miss Bianca

    @AM in NC:

    Ha! I just read that letter to my husband and said, “See! I’m not alone in my Aubrey/Maturin love!”

    Never in life, for all love! :)

  55. 55.

    Ruckus

    @Alison Rose:

    BO in a Santa hat walks into a room with a stuffed bag and expects to walk out with it empty. SFB in a Santa hat would walk in with an empty bag and expect to walk out with it full.

  56. 56.

    Ruckus

    @Alison Rose:

    TIFG seems like he is literally lacking the genes required to enjoy anything except making money and being mean.

    As he’s never making enough money to suit him, he’s always being a mean shit.

  57. 57.

    Paul in Jacksonville

    I read a recipe for an “evil” M&M casserole. You follow the directions, per above, and the evil part comes from also adding a bag of Skittles.

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