If you're reading this, I want to start off by congratulating you for making it through August! You have survived (and hopefully thrived) through yet another month of existence, and hoo boy, it gets rough out there. So, before reading any further, go ahead and pour yourself a glass of water and take a deep breath, you're doing a good job.

You don't have to look far to find news stories that make your soul want to crumple up into a tiny charcoal ash, soon to disintegrate into a flame of despair. There are a lot of cruel people in power, and global issues like climate change and the growing wealth gap can easily foster a feeling of helplessness about the state of the world. Given the nature of the 24/7 news cycle, it's super easy to get buried in terrifying stories you don't have the capacity to fully emotionally process.

However, for every seemingly dire problem, there is a group of people working hard to find solutions. Positive news stories rarely get as much play as negative headlines, partially because building is more incremental than destroying, but also, one of the purposes of the news is to warn people of danger.

Because of the widespread accumulation of doom and gloom, I think it's crucial to signal boost all the ways people are resisting complacency and imagining a future where we adapt and survive. So, here are a few good news stories that happened in August alone.

1. Ethiopia broke a world record by planting 350 million trees in 12 hours.

At the beginning of 2019 the Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed launched the "Green Legacy" reforestation campaign to tackle climate change. As part of this campaign, Ahmed invited millions of people to join forces to plant 200 million trees in a single day.

At the end of the 12 hour challenge, Ahmed shared that the goal was not only met, but far exceeded - with a total of 353,633,660 tree seedlings planted. Back in 2017, India set the previous record when volunteers planted 66 trees million in 12 hours.

This record breaking challenge is just the beginning, the "Green Legacy" campaign has goals set in place to plant 4.7 billion trees by October 2019.

While this news story technically happened at the end of July, it's far too wonderful to not include. If you want to find out more about how to get involved in tree planting or reforestation in your community, The Nature Conservancy is a great resource.

2. A teen registered people to vote while they waited in line at Popeyes.

In case you've missed the food boat, there is a new fried chicken sandwich at Popeyes and it has created such a buzz people have formed lines in order to get a taste of the prized goodness. In the ultimate multi-tasking move, 17-year-old David Ledbetter decided to hand out sample ballots and voter registration forms to people waiting in line at Popeyes.

The North Carolina teen registered 16 people on Saturday August 24th alone, and his desire to get more young people involved politically is only growing.

"I believe that it is our duty to vote as American citizens and it would be wrong not to exercise our political voice. I like engaging with the community and I have aspirations with helping people and making society a better as a whole," Ledbetter told CNN.

If you want to check your voter status or learn more about registering other voters, you can check out Rock the Vote or USAGov.

3. Costa Rica doubled its forest coverage in 30 years.

Back in 1983, Costa Rica's previously lush rainforest and indigenous woodland coverage was down to 26 percent, a dramatic drop from the 75 percent coverage in the 1940s. When the rapid and unchecked presence of loggers desecrated the land in a few decades, the government intervened with a new set of sustainable policies.

After placing restrictions on logging permits, paying landowners to conserve their own lots, and garnering international investment in the eco-system, Costa Rica has doubled its forest coverage since the 1980s - with the current forest coverage at 52 percent. Hopefully, this will set a huge example globally.

4. The eco-friendly search browser Ecosia increased downloads by over 1,000%.

Launched in 2009 after the climate talks in Copenhagen, Ecosia is a tree-planting search engine that donates 80% of its ad revenue to reforestation projects across the world.

When you download the search engine (for your mobile or as a browser extension) you can watch the number of trees tick up as searches across the world rack up reforestation funds. For the sake of transparency, Ecosia publishes their financial reports on their website (if you want to cross-reference and do the math for yourself), and all searches are encrypted. While the reforestation projects themselves are financed through ad revenue, none of the user searches are sold to third-party advertisers.

Ecosia's user base massively multiplied this month in the wake of the Amazon forest fires.

5. Paris announced the opening of the world's largest rooftop urban farm.

Back in 2015, the French government passed a law requiring all new commercial roofs to be covered with either solar panels or vegetation. One of the most ambitious results of this legislation was just announced this month - the world's largest rooftop urban garden.

The garden is set to officially open in early 2020, will span 150,700 square feet (multiple football fields), and is already projected to produce enough food to feed thousands of people. Agripolis, the urban farming company behind the ambitious endeavor, predicts to produce around 2,200 pounds of fresh fruits and veggies during the seasonal peak.

The farm will use an aeroponic vertical farming technique to cut out pesticides and minimize water usage, the team of 20 farm employees will host farming classes, create subscription boxes for locals, provide food for local shelters, and give restaurants local options.

6. Stacey Abrams launched a voter protection initiative.

This month Stacey Abrams officially launched the Fair Fight initiative to fight voter suppression in the 2020 elections. When the Georgia Democrat lost the 2018 Governor's race to Brian Kemp by an avoidably slim margin, she pledged to make the political process more accessible for voters everywhere.

While voter suppression is a huge issue across the united states, Abrams and her supporters were quick to point out the deeply insidious nature of voter suppression in Georgia. The "exact match" policy immediately freezes voter registrations that don't perfectly match the state’s Department of Driver Services database or Social Security Administration. Due to clerical errors, this means a lot of people are blocked from voting.

In October 2018, The Associated Press post reported 53,000 voter registries placed on hold by Kemp's office, 70 percent of which were African American voters.

Now, in order to prevent more unfair elections, Abrams' Fair Fight campaign is educating voters on their rights, registering people (and double checking their registration status), and meeting with party leaders to directly address voter suppression.

"The goal is to ensure there is infrastructure in every single one of those states. Where voter protection processes aren’t something that wait until September of 2020 but they stay in place for the duration of 2020. The goal is going to be for us to have meaningful effects on ensuring that voters know their rights, they have access to ballots, that they will be able to effectively counter what Republicans will be doing," Abrams told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

7. Gavin Grimm won the transgender discrimination case against the Gloucester County school board.

After years of fighting, 20-year-old Gavin Grimm won his discrimination case against the Gloucester County school board, at least, for now.

Back in 2014, a national conversation started when the Gloucester County school board declared that Grimm and other trans students could only use a unisex bathroom. In order to fight for the rights of himself and other trans students, Grimm filed a court case against the school in 2015.

The case was slated to reach to the U.S. Supreme Court in March 2017, but was sent back to the district court after Trump reversed Obama's Title IX guidance allowing trans students to use the bathroom matching their gender.

This past month, the court ruled that the school board’s policies violated the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution which guarantees equal protection and due process under the law.

However, it was just announced that the school board is appealing the case despite the loss, so Grimm may have a hearing in front of the Supreme Court after all.

Given this hugely historic win for the visibility of trans rights, Grimm and his supporters feel confident about the next step, even if he's forced to take the case up once again.

8. Teen activist Greta Thunberg arrived in New York for the UN Climate Summit.

The 16-year-old climate activist Greta Thunberg and her crew arrived safely in New York two weeks after setting sail from England on an emissions free yacht. Thunberg will stay in the U.S. until the United Nations global warming conference next month.

In the meantime, she's already inspired hundreds of young people to sit outside the UN headquarters in New York to demand widespread policy change during a #FridaysForFuture gathering.

Thunberg has helped organize a global climate strike for September 20th, at which point thousands, hopefully millions will take to the streets to demand accountability from our leadership. Days later, the teen activist will give a speech at the UN Climate Action Summit on September 23rd.

If you've read this far, I hope you feel a bit more hopeful about the state of the world and your ability to contribute to it. If not, at least it's Friday?!

"The art of living is more like wrestling than dancing."

-Marcus Aurelius

Life is hard. Laughing at memes is easy. Enough said, let's get to the comedy.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

14.

15.

16.

17.

18.

19.

20.

21.

Thank goodness it's Sunday because these memes really aren't all that safe for work. We won't judge you for laughing. This is a safe space.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

14.

15.

16.

17.

Yes, you read that headline correctly - this post is about sports. Someecards is not typically home to #athletics content, but hear me out.

Naomi Osaka beat competitor Coco Gauff at the US Open and once the match concluded, they shared a beautiful moment that exemplified sportsmanship and unity among women. Clips of their post-match exchange and respective interviews with ESPN are spreading like wildfire online. As an avowed sports non-fan, I read 'US Open' and my eyes glazed over - but Twitter's effusive commentary got me to click. I'm so glad I did.

Some context: Naomi Osaka represents Japan as a professional tennis player, but she has lived in the United States since she was three years old. Her mother is Japanese and her father is Haitian. At just twenty-one, she is currently ranked No. 1 by the Women's Tennis Association and is the reigning champion in women's singles at the US Open and the Australian open. Her competitor, Coco Gauff, is a mere fifteen years old. She represents the United States and is a former world No. 1 junior. You might remember when she defeated Venus Williams at Wimbledon earlier this year.

Naomi beat Coco in the third round of the US Open, then flipped the script tennis fans expect when she invited Coco to join her in the customary post-match interview. The opponents only expressed respect and adoration for each other, making for a genuinely touching moment.

Tennis legend and Battle of the Sexes victor Billie Jean King weighed in.

AOC - yes, THE AOC - commended the competitors.

The footage has people ~~in their feelings~~ for real.

The entire exchange is viewable c/o ESPN via YouTube:

What better way to celebrate #SundayFunday than a soon-to-be-classic'AITA' post? This anecdote belongs to my favorite genre of 'AITA' content: it's basically a r/relationships post, but with a twist of Girlfriend Guilt™ thrown in! I hope this woman isn't genuinely worried that she's damaged the self-esteem of a guy who's clearly unhinged, but I can't be sure. She's twenty-three years old and dates men, and speaking from experience that can be a real mind f*ck. Given her update, I think she's doing more than fine. Let's dive in!

I'm 23F and he's 24M. Me met through common friends at a house party and instantly hit it off. We haven't yet put any labels on it but we've been dating for three months as the title says.

CRUCIAL to note: they hadn't labeled their relationship yet. So they weren't officially bf/gf. Let that sink in.

Yesterday (which happened to be our "three month anniversary" apparently, I hadn't kept track of it as were not boyfriend/girlfriend quite yet). He texted me saying he had something to show me and asked if he could come over and I was like "yeah, sure" he sounded really excited so I was curious what he had planned, I thought maybe he had been accepted to the course he's applied for. But you all know that wasn't it.

He shows up at my place and I instantly spot the plastic on his arm so obviously I ask what that is. He says he's gotten a tattoo to celebrate our thee month anniversary and I already felt uncomfortable there but once he unwrapped it and showed me it got way way waaaay worse. In big bold letters he's had my name (including my two middle names) tattooed with some red and pink roses around. It's maybe 20x7 centimeters large.

OMG.

I got so shocked that the first thing coming out of my mouth was "you f*cking idiot" which I know was kinda rough, I just couldn't believe how he'd think that was a good idea. We could have been married for ten years and I would have thought it was stupid but after three (!!) months?? That's just crazy.

He got really angry at me, calling me ungrateful, that he'd spent so much money on it to make me happy and show me how special I am to him. I told him that tattoo is just making him look like an obsessed weirdo (once again, harsh I know). Then he called me a "stupid whore" (he's never used that sort of language with me before) and stormed out the door.

Would you believe that he wasn't receptive of her (understandable) reaction? He seems real chill. Balanced.

He hasn't called or texted me once since yesterday and neither have I

---> Uppdate : he texted me like half an hour ago saying he's given me exactly 24 hours to say I'm sorry and that he's disappointed in me for not doing so, that he "expected more" from me and that he really didn't think I was "just another hoe".

Guess she's 'just another hoe' then, 'cause she won't be apologizing anytime soon.

With his behaviour lately and all you guys warning me I'm honestly a bit scared. My mom just picked me up and she's taking me back to her place right now, I'm typing this from the backseat.

I've told him over text that we're done and that I don't want him to contact me anymore but he just keeps texting me calling me all sorts of names. I kinda wanna block him but I also kinda wanna know what he's up to and be prepared you know?

Needless to say, Reddit was on her side. She's definitely NTA here.

NTA run as fast as you can

-RaspberryPie7

NTA

This is a horror movie, except instead of descending into the haunted basement with the suddenly bleeding walls you said "this is fucking dumb, I'm not going down there". Then the basement called you a whore.

-blizzardswirl

NTA- and some mad red flags, 3 months sounds about enough time for the crazy to start coming out. Damn.

-AdamantiumLung

YTA, you didn't even give him a chance to show you the life-size replica he made out of your stray hairs and used tissues.

-NewMateTHC

NTA this is a huge red flag. Not only does this show an unhealthy level of attachment after such a short time, he then gaslit you (by telling you how you should feel), and then proceeded to verbally abuse you.

-blobfish_brotha

I'm not certain about a lot of things in life, but I am sure that Ariana Grande can sing. Whether you're a fan of her music or not, you must admit she has the range. Proof exists in the form of five studio albums, countless live performances, and a Broadway stint in the musical 13. Personally, it was her excellent cover of Mariah Carey's 'Emotions' that made me a believer. This 'Dangerous Woman' has pipes!

But given the prevalence of Autotune and pop vocalists lip syncing in concert, some skepticism is understandable. One fan dared to question Ms. Grande's live vocals on Instagram and she clapped back.

'It sounds like autotune and probably not live. I mean you are a great singer and I love your voice and songs but this doesn't sound live,' he wrote on a clip from Ariana's current Sweetener World Tour.

The 'Thank U, Next' singer set the record straight, saying, 'naw with all due respect, i could do this in your living room for you, fam. with no sound mixing or help at all. i could do it on broadway (and did). i can do it in the shower. in the car. it's my gift / it's why i'm here. i sing 30+ songs a night. every word. it's my thing. let me shine like damn.' So. That's that!

Just from reading the headline, I assume the theme song's stuck in your head, right?

The classic theme to a classic animated show that's spawned an endless amount of online content. Most recently, a SpongeBob image has been used by Internet denizens to illustrate situations where you immediately have to bounce. Dip. Peace out. Basically: you've gotta get out of there ASAP.

Enjoy perusing some highlights of the 'Ight Imma Head Out' meme and if inspiration strikes, don't hesitate to make your own contribution to the genre. Now if you'll excuse me, I just drank some coffee.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

14.

15.

16.

Finally, my personal favorite:

Grab some tissues, 'cause this one's a real tearjerker.

Earlier this week, Laura Hart Faganello posted to Facebook the incredible story of falling back in love with her husband Brayden. The culprit wasn't distance, time, or changed feelings - it was a brain injury that erased most of her memories. She couldn't remember the timeline of their relationship at all. He was her husband, but he was also a total stranger to her.

Laura and Brayden had been married for nine months when the accident happened. A large pole fell on her head, which had serious neurological consequences.

9 months after I married Brayden I sustained a brain injury that completely changed our lives. While setting up for an event, a large pole dislodged and fell on my head. My next clear memory is of waking up thinking I was 17 years old, and not knowing who Brayden was. My memory of meeting, falling in love with, and marrying Brayden was gone.

In the accident's wake, Laura experienced a range of emotions.

Over the course of the past two years since the accident I’ve had to relearn how to read, write, and speak coherently, learn to live with the short and long term memory loss, cope with constant pain, and come to terms with the fact that I’m married to someone I don’t truly know. I went through a period of anger and depression; I felt like so much had been ripped away from me. I desperately hoped my memory would come back, that some day I would look at Brayden and remember everything. Unfortunately that has yet to happen.

Instead of panicking or pushing her partner away, she decided to embrace the situation and began 'dating' Brayden again. He was game.

I eventually realized I had to make a choice. I couldn’t stay in a marriage that I didn’t remember choosing. It’s really hard to feel completely devoted to a marriage when you feel like you just woke up to it one day. Even though I didn’t really know who Brayden was, I saw how kind and patient he was with me. He was sweet and silly and quirky, and I wanted to try to make it work. I took off my rings, and I told him I wanted to date him. So, we started dating again.

Their relationship evolved from friendly to infatuated to fully romantic, at least on her end. Brayden exhibited loyalty to and patience with his legal wife, who'd since become his girlfriend.

Brayden became my best friend, and then my crush, and then my love. I haven’t miraculously gotten my memory and all my old feelings for him back, but I have new feelings and new memories. I’ve learned that love is a choice, and I am choosing to love Brayden. Today he proposed to me (again), and I said yes (again)! I’m so grateful for our new beginning and for the happy future we have ahead of us.

He re-proposed and she said, 'Yes!' Congratulations to Laura and Brayden, who clearly understand the sanctity of marriage vows. I have the feeling these two kids are gonna make it.

You never know what might be the next thing to get #canceled...

While cancel culture is definitely fun for consumers and fans, the fear of having your work scrubbed from the record overnight because of one tweet can cause artists, companies, politicians and anyone in the spotlight to be extra careful these days. Of course, many people are able to comeback after they've been "canceled" and human beings aren't a Netflix subscription that can be turned off with one click. Although, I'm sure we can all think of a few people that would be nice to one-click cancel...

Some people think we've gone too far with canceling as it challenges free speech, but others ague that if you're not a disrespectful ass then you'll be fine. Be nice and think before you speak or post and you won't be canceled. Easy enough! Every generation has things they'll eventually look back on with regret and shock, at least we're getting ahead of it with hard cancels? Maybe? So, when #ThingsWeShouldCancel started trending on Twitter, many people were inspired to share what should be locked up and buried forever in Britney Spears' "Crossroads" time capsule.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

14.

15.

16.

17.

17.

18.

19.

20.

21.

22.

23.

24.

25.

26.

27.

5. Tiffany Trump, because she got presidentially fat-shamed.

Tiffany Trump has accomplished something remarkable: she manages to be a Trump who who endorses and benefits from her father's destructive presidency, while also managing to be a sympathetic figure.

Donald Trump has made it impossible not to feel at least a little bit bad for Tiffany. The non-Ivanka daughter has been maligned by her father ever since she was in utero, when the now-anti-choice crusader president jokes about how he wanted to have her aborted.

The failed pop star is shafted to this day, and now we know why: her dad thinks she's fat.

Trump's White House personal assistant Madeleine Westerhout was fired last week for comments she made about The Family.

PerPolitico:

Madeleine Westerhout, who left her White House job suddenly on Thursday as President Trump’s personal assistant, was fired after bragging to reporters that she had a better relationship with Trump than his own daughters, Ivanka and Tiffany Trump, and that the president did not like being in pictures with Tiffany because he perceived her as overweight.

Westerhout also allegedly joked that Trump "couldn't pick Tiffany out of a crowd."

Trump confirmed the reports by tweeting "I love Tiffany, doing great!", a personal touch that only a father could provide.

Absolutely devastating.

4. Ariana Grande, because she's suing Forever 21 for using her doppleganger to sell makeup.

Last week it was reported that, like all of its clothes, Forever 21 is falling apart and preparing to file for bankruptcy.

To add insult to injury, Ariana Grande is suing the teeny bopper retailer for a whopping $10 million in damages for using a lookalike in an ad. TMZ reports that Grande and her team were in negotiations for an endorsement deal in December 2018, but when it didn't pan out, Forever 21 just went ahead with their Arianator-themed campaign featuring a knockoff version.

"The resemblance is uncanny and Forever 21's intent was clear: to suggest to the viewing public that Ms. Grande endorsed Forever 21, its products, and was affiliated with Forever 21," her lawyers wrote in the complaint.

Forever 21 posted at least 30 unauthorized appropriating Grande's likeness and brand, including screenshots from her music videos.

Sucks when people misappropriate, doesn't it?

3. The 38-year-old woman who allegedly tried to avoid drug charges by pretending to be her own daughter.

A traffic stop escalated into a tale of fraud and drug possession in Farmington, Utah.

Heather Garcia was pulled over by the police when they noticed that her BMW didn't have a license plate, KUTV reports. The cop then noticed drug paraphernalia and a "white powdery substance" in her car, and when asked for her name, Garcia allegedly said that her name was Mercedes and she was born in 1998.

Mercedes Garcia is indeed a real person: Heather's 21-year-old daughter.

The cops eventually identified Heather as Heather and discovered that she had outstanding warrants. She was booked into Davis County Jail on both old and new charges.

2. UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, because he humiliatingly lost his governing majority on live TV.

You don't need to know the ins-and-outs of parliamentary procedure to recognize the humiliating trainwreck.

In the middle of his speech to the House of Commons, the unelected and ungroomed prime minister lost his governing majority when a Conservative Member of Parliament literally reached across the aisle and switched parties.

MP Philip Lee defected to the Liberal Democrats, and in a letter to the PM, said he is abandoning the party because of their ruthless pursuit of Brexit.

"This Conservative government is aggressively pursuing a damaging Brexit in unprincipled ways. It is putting lives and livelihoods at risk unnecessarily and it is wantonly endangering the integrity of the United Kingdom," he wrote.

Watching lawmakers yell at crackpot world leader as is power begins to wither is absolutely delightful. Like The Office, it should get an American reboot.

1. All the kids going back to school.

The party's over, kiddos. It's back to work, and school is work for kids, as Lucie found out within a day.

To scam a scammer or to block their number immediately, that is the question. There are few feelings more satisfying than blindsiding someone shady with a taste of their own medicine.

The accessibility of social media is a two pronged monster in that sense. On one hand, it makes it far easier for scammer types to steal people's photos and assume fake identities in order to score cash and personal information. At the same time, the internet also makes it easier to spot the red flags of a scammer and troll them in return.

Pretending to be a cartoonishly hot person looking for love is one of the go-to angles for online scammers hoping for quick gifts, but the few exceptions get even more ambitious, one man's scammer pretended to be his grandma on Facebook.

The Reddit user barelyonhere recently shared an exchange with an attempted scammer who unsuccessfully pretend to be his grandma.

He presumably mined her photos and basic information from Facebook.

OP wasted no time laying it on thick by using the nickname "grannie" in every message.

For the duration of their first few messages, the scammer didn't even have to initiate anything because OP was taking the lead by checking on his grandma.

OP naturally sent the scammer all caps messages of concern, as any loving grandson would.

When OP offered to come over to tend to his sick grandma, the scammer quickly pivoted and asked for a $200 steam wallet gift card.

While grandmas can certainly be into Steam, it's pretty off-brand for a sick grandma to prioritize a video game gift card.

The scammer was also very specific about OP going to Walmart to get the gift card, and consistently ignored OP's offers to bring the gift over to her house.

When the scammer requested OP send a picture of the gift card before sending it digitally, he called out the bluff by sending a picture with his actual grandma.

In the photo, OP held up a sticky note that said: "You're an idiot, this was obviously fake."

To be fair, the scammer at least knows how to admit defeat in this situation. If you're going to spend your time trying to rip people off, the least you can do is recognize when the game is over.

A woman who gave up a child for adoption 18 years ago excitedly shared the text conversation she had with her teenaged daughter a week before they are meeting for the first time.

"I’m so excited and I just can’t hide it so I’m sharing it with the world..." wrote the woman on Imgur. "The wait is finally over. In just a little over a week I will hold my daughter in my arms for the first time in 18 years and my little family will finally be complete."

The texts convey the woman's overwhelming excitement after her daughter invites her, and her other daughter (the teen's sister), to visit her at college.

They make plans to get dinner and visit the girl's sorority house.

Then the mom explains that she wants to leave her other daughter at home for their first visit so she can give the girl her "undivided attention."

The daughter says she "totally understands" and reveals that she will be spending "a lot of time" with her sister now that she's rekindled a relationship with her biological mom.

An "open adoption" is a form of adoption that allows the birth parents to remain in contact with the adoptive family and eventually with the child. The woman explains that having an open adoption was the "hardest" decision she ever made but also "one of the best and most selfless" decisions.

She says that she chose "two trustworthy" people to raise her daughter and that being able to "watch her grow up" and eventually meet her biological child made all the pain she went through "worth" it.

She writes:

Having an open adoption was the hardest decision I’ve ever made. However, at the same time it was also one of the best and the most selfless decision I’ve ever made. At that point in my life it was the right thing to do. Just because I could have given her all the love in the world doesn’t mean I could have given her the life she deserved and the life I wanted her to have. So instead, I chose two trustworthy people that could and would give her an amazing life. In return they made sure I was still able to watch her grow up and she would know who I am. I wish every soul on this planet could experience this kind of high. It’s beautiful. This is worth every single tear I’ve cried and the pain that caused those tears to fall.

The woman's post went viral on Imgur, where lots of people whose lives were impacted by adoption are sharing their own experience and support:

MostlyPets writes:

As someone adopted: beautiful story and I wish all your family well! Congratulations

HerbertTehPervert writes:

I'm adopted, and this makes my heart full

Several people are sharing about their own positive experiences with open adoptions:

jackieisfly writes:

My older sister is adopted, we've been close with her biological mom and half siblings for years. I'm named after her mom too. Good on you

And M3lanoma writes:

My daughter turned 12 this year, and it's been so amazing to see her live a stable life that I never would have been able to provide at 17.

This story is a refreshing reminder that sometimes what might seem like a painful or difficult option can ultimately work out best for everyone involved.

If you think kids these days are out of control, think again.

Every generation thinks things were pure and simple when they were growing up and now everything is a scandalous free-for-all. While it's natural for morals to shift with the times, teenagers across the board tend to be the same in their desire to feel accepted and independent.

In fact, young people are having less sex than ever before, and teens tend to be more informed about staying safe. Sure, they do enjoy vaping every now and then but overall, the kids are alright. Millennials get a bad reputation for being entitled, but were the younger generations before us hard-working angels who respected their elders? When a woman on Twitter shared her research transcribing disciplinary records from 18th century students, she proved all the haters wrong.

This was the article that sparked her tweet:

Apparently millennials are difficult to teach, but what were students like in 18th century Scotland?

Swords fights!

Theft!

Breaking and entering?

Partying!

Lying to get out of class!

Disrespecting academia!

Physically fighting with professors!

TRAPPING. A. SERVANT. GIRL.

To make matters worse...

In conclusion:

She also included the original texts for any history fans out there!

Take that, baby boomers!

If you haven't joined NextDoor, you're missing out on some hot, hot drama. NextDoor is a website where people can post to seek help or advice from other people who live in their neighborhood. It's a great way to learn things about the people who live close to you, for example they're batsh*t insane. The Twitter account "Best of NextDoor" collects some of the most hilarious posts from neighbors who wildly overshared on the extremely public website. Here are some highlights from the past two weeks alone:

1.) A little pot?

2.) Found: male cat huge balls.

3.) (P)oops!

4.) Bright colors are what's wrong with America.

5.) NO MORE SOUP.

6.) "I'm sorry."

7.) Where is that?

8.) Big Flower is watching.

9.) A batsh*t request.

10.) Headless, also rude!

11.) Found: one goat.

12.) Love thy dumba** neighbor.

13.) It's going to be an awkward Thanksgiving.

14.) I WILL SUE.

15.) Get a hot dog!

16.) A polarizing issue.

17.) The shoe slut-shaming must stop.

18.) No, Kent.

19.) We know the real you, Leonard.

20.) Send thoughts and prayers.

21.) Apology not accepted.

22.) A national emergency.

23.) He is a treat wh*re.

24.) A picture tells a thousand lies.

25.) If Busey something, say something.

26.) Make Linda Great Again.

27.) If only it was drugs.

We all know the rule with siblings: you can tease them from hell to high water, but anyone else who comes for them is toast. You don't even need siblings of your own to understand the rule, it's a simple matter of emotional logic. If you're super close to someone, you have the rights to tease them because they know you love them. But a partner who comes for your sibling's feelings with no punchline or loving understanding is a no-go.

In a recent post on the Am I The *sshole subreddit, a guy asked if he was wrong for kicking his girlfriend out of his apartment after she made his brother cry.

"AITA for kicking out my girlfriend because she said my relationship with my brother was disgusting."

OP kicked off the post by sharing that he's the legal guardian of his 15-year-old brother.

They've always been close, but they recently lost their parents which has made their bond even stronger.

"I’m (22M) a legal guardian of my 15 year old brother. We’re very close and we have always been like that. He lives with me now obviously. He often gets really sad, we recently lost our parents, so I comfort him as best as I can.

OP has been dating his girlfriend for two years, so she has a key to his apartment since she's often over there.

So, about my girlfriend, we have been together for 2 years. She doesn’t live with me, she stays over really often tho, so she has the house keys."

The last time she came over without warning OP and his brother had fallen asleep on the couch watching TV.

It was hot outside, so OP's brother wasn't wearing a shirt, and while sleeping he rolled on top of his brother. Rather than reacting to the scene respectfully, OP's girlfriend immediately woke the brothers up and screamed about how their relationship was "disgusting."

"Two days ago, she came over without warning me. Me and my brother were asleep on couch, he wasn’t wearing a shirt because it was hot, and he was laying on top of me. She woke us up and made a scene in front of him. She said that our relationship was weird and disgusting and it’s extremely concerning that he’s so affectionate towards me. My brother was in tears and he even apologized to her. I brought him to his room and calmed him down."

OP's brother was so embarrassed by the scene he apologized to her and left the room in tears.

When OP returned to the living room to confront his girlfriend, she gaslit him and acted like it was no big deal. Understandably, this frustrated him and he asked her to leave the apartment.

"I went back to living room, she was sitting on couch, watching tv and acting like nothing happened. I told her to get the fuck out. She got defensive again and said that she was just stating her opinion without hurting anyone. I grabbed her wrist and brought her to door. I didn’t hurt her, she was following me, I didn’t use any force. She left, she called me few times but I didn’t answer."

When OP finally got her to leave, she incessantly called him, but he didn't feel ready to talk.

"Update: thanks for all the comments. I talked to her, she still said that she didn’t do anything wrong, she didn’t hurt my brother and it wasn’t her fault that he started crying. I broke up with her.

When they finally chatted, OP's girlfriend claimed she did nothing wrong and it wasn't her fault the brother cried.

This was the last straw that caused OP to dump her.

Also little info: this doesn’t happen often, we were on couch, watching tv and fell asleep. He laid on top of me after he fell asleep, he moves around a lot while sleeping."

However, breakups are never easy or emotionally simple, and now OP is wondering whether he overreacted.

Giantomato pointed out how creepy it was for her to sexualize his relationship with his brother.

"NTA. F*ck. That. S*xualizing your relationship with your brother, especially in your specific circumstances is a huge red flag."

green_velvet_goodies thinks it's nuts that OP's ex turned his care for his brother into something perverted.

"NTA what she said was f*cking disgusting and unwarranted. I used to read a lot of advice columns and was always amazed at the number of insecure girlfriends who were convinced that their guy was being inappropriate with his sister because they were close and hung out a lot. This is so much worse. You have stepped up to create a safe and comfortable home for your (15 year old!) brother in the wake of tragedy and your girlfriend twists that into something dirty?! Nah bro. DTMFA."

"Edit to add: I’m really sorry about your parents. I hope you’re carving out some time to grieve and take care of yourself. It’s incredibly selfless what you’re doing with your brother but I have no doubt that you see it as no big deal. You seem like good people OP. Wishing you peace and happiness with your brother."

MamaLavellan pointed out how important it is for OP to take care of his brother after their loss.

"NTA, also, break up with her.

My husband took in his youngest brother after their family and church ex communicated him, leaving him with nowhere to go. They essentially consider him dead. Husband is very close and protective of his brother, he lives with us, and honestly I just consider him part of the package. He came first, you know?"

"He’s a kid, he was just sleeping on his big brother, and you did nothing wrong. She’s extremely out of pocket to suggest anything sexual is happening with no proof."

YamaChampion agrees that making incest accusations is 100% a deal breaker.

"NTA my god. My family is constantly hugging and cuddling. We're 9 siblings, our mom died years ago (youngest was only 4) and dad is a deadbeat. We just have each other and we show our love often and openly. If anyone I know made even the slightest accusation they would be out of my life forever. If my partner of all people? I can't imagine the anger.

Go date someone who isn't garbage please. You sound like a lovely person."

According to the edits, it appears OP took everyone's advice and full on broke up with her. Hopefully him and his brother remain close and his next partner has a good deal more empathy.

A man took to Reddit's "Am I The A**hole?" forum to ask for help with a marital spat with his wife, because if you can't trust strangers on the internet with your marital problems, who can you trust?

The man explains that his wife wants to quit her job to be a stay-at-home mom so she can spend more time with the couple's 4-year-old daughter. In order for her to do that, he would have to take on more work (about 10 more hours a week plus occasional work on weekends). So he thinks, in return, his wife should have to cover most of the housework, which they currently split.

He writes:

My wife wants to quit her job. She wants to be a SAHM to spend more time on with 4 year old daughter and stop leaving her at daycare centres.

In order for her to do that, I would have to sign for a higher paying job schedule, about 2 hours more per day and occasionally half day on Saturdays. I told her that I if she quits her job then I expect her to cover all the housework. I may not be splitting the chores with her, since having longer working hours is rather tiring. I will will help out on weekends but during weekdays I rather rest.

The man's wife was NOT pleased with his "compromise" and called him "lazy" and sexist.

My wife then told me she that is not a housekeeper and I am being lazy and discriminative against women. I don't really mean that, as I think it is fair that if she stops contributing to our household income she can handle all the housework. I will also become the sole breadwinner and work extra hard to support the family. AITA?

He followed up to explain that he "did not really use a nice tone" while talking through this issue with his wife, and also that their combined household income "isn't that high to begin with" which will make it difficult for him to be the sole provider. He also said that he supports his wife's choice to spend more time at home with their daughter.

Edit: I admit that I did not really used a nice tone while talking to my wife because I was was having conflicted thoughts on either supporting her choice or trying to talk her out of it. Our household income isn't that high to begin with and it will be difficult to be the only provider. Ofcourse, I also think that my wife has every right to want to spend more time with our daughter and it would be good for both of them.

Commenters came to his defense, with most deeming him "not the a**hole" in this situation.

SlayzorHunter writes:

NTA

Being a stay at home parent means taking care of the house while the other parent takes care of the income. It's not discrimination against women, since it would be the same logic if you were a woman working full time and she was a stay at home husband. You would spend like what? 8 hours a day, maybe 10, bringing in money for BOTH of you to survive. It would only be fair for her to do the chores for BOTH of you and put in equal work to maintain your household.

_bubble_butt_ says that he's not the a**hole, but it sounds like maybe her quitting her job isn't the best choice economically for the family:

NTA - but if you have to pick up that many extra hours to support the household it sounds like you can’t afford to lose her income. Being the sole breadwinner is risky too should anything happen to your job. Would wife consider part time hours?

​​​​​​dcdiegobysea thinks SHE is the lazy one:

NTA. She sounds lazy. Does she ever plan on going back to work? Isn't the child about to start school? Wtf does she plan on doing all day?

alpaca-friend says that his proposal is fair and gender has nothing to do with it:

NTA. Me and my boyfriend both work. If we have kids later and one of us stopped working and was home all the time then that person would pick up the chores. There's no fucking way either of us would expect the one who is at work for 50+ hours a week to ALSO do all the cooking and cleaning.

Try asking her if she would do half the house chores if she was working that much and you were the stay at home.

spartanmax2 agrees:

NTA, in general the stay at home does more of the house work.

Obivously, you should still do something to help but the majority should be the stay at home. Specially since you now would have to work longer.

Tell her you want to be the stay at home and see what arrangement she agrees too.

Seems pretty clear that he's not being sexist towards his wife, just reasonable. But we're not getting her side of the story here, so it's possible that there are some details being omitted that would clarify her (seemingly unfair) position. But until we get her side, SORRY lady, you're the a**hole! Reddit said it, so it must be true.

“Before you marry a person you should first make them use a computer with slow Internet to see who they really are.”

― Will Ferrell

Marriage is a sacred vow and according to these memes it's actually pretty hilarious. If you're married, these memes will definitely hit home. Share them with your husband or wife, because, after all, marriage is all about sharing.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

14.

15.

16.

17.

18.

19.

20.

21.

22.

23.

When truth or dare goes well, it goes really well.

Regardless of whether you pick truth or dare, when it goes south, the game can be full of deep embarrassment and mockery. But it can also be full of funny and surprisingly sensual moments when it goes well.

Sometimes the game nudges people to explore their real feelings for a crush, and other times it skips straight to the dirty aftermath. Either way, when everything is consensual and in good fun, the game can provide a lot of positive bonkers memories.

In a recent Reddit thread people shared the best thing that happened to them during truth or dare, and these may inspire you to revisit the game.

1. khang251 was dared to explore Dora.

"I was dared to read dora fan fiction out loud."

2. JeremyJammDDS found out their crush was mutual.

"I found out a girl I had a crush on had a crush on me."

3. nonuniqueusername's wife made a move after Truth or Dare.

"I'm way late but the first day I met my wife we played a game of Truth or Dare. She asked me truth, what kind of clothes on a girl do you like? Then the next day she showed up to my house in those clothes."

4. Skeeterbeater911 got the classic lap sit and kiss.

"The best thing was getting my lap sat on by my crush and a kiss on the cheek from her."

5. broadwayatheart found love in a hopeless place (college).

"Was sitting outside at a college campus and was dared to yell "I love you" to the next person I saw. I did and this dude yells it back and keeps walking. We go back and forth getting louder and louder as he walks off. Best reaction ever."

6. jackspicerii found a friend through a dare.

"I wasn't even playing and someone dared a girl I liked to kiss me. That someone became a very good friend."

7. MuhLaws got a frisbee lodged in their teeth.

"Was dared to catch a frisbee in my teeth from 'across the yard'.

So, walked outside and across the yard. Girl wound up, threw the frisbee, figured 'eh, this ought to be funny when it bounces off my face' ... and as a total f*cking fluke, actually caught it in my teeth."

8. Butterstache got dared to walk home, and ended up watching TV with baby raccoons.

"I was about 12 at a friends sleepover, I was dared to go home (by a kid who didn't like me too much). I walked the 2 miles home and as I came to my driveway my older brother had just pulled in. He had 3 baby raccoons with him because he had hit their mother while delivering pizza. I got to spend the rest of the night with him, 3 raccoons and a cheese and pepperoni pizza watching nightmare on elmstreet."

9. Senpaihentai_'s hair got used for cleaning purposes.

"So my hair is pretty long. My friends used me as a mop to clean the wet floor. It was a fun idea - it wasn't fun, but remembering it is ahaha."

10. HeThrowHawaii enjoyed the game thoroughly.

"A girl (I didn't have a crush on her, but she was nice) flashed me, she also let me fondle her boobies. I know it's lame considering some of the responses here, but that's what I got."

11. Laserdollarz turned a truth into a dare.

"Truth"

"What's the most interesting place you've had s*x?"

"I've never had s*x not in a bed"

"Oh do I have a 2001 Grand Am backseat for you!"

I had a 2001 Grand Am backseat for her."

12. ReshiWaystone watched a man and a nutcracker go at it.

"I made my friend's boyfriend make out with a 4 foot tall nutcracker. That's the best I got."

13. ruby-dragon facilitated a crush hug.

"Wasn’t me but a girl was dared to mirror what I do, so I made her hug a guy I knew liked her.

Edit: For all the people saying I should have blown him she only mirrored what I did so I would have had to have given the air one top tier blow job"

14. Dark_Clark's friend honored Spongebob in a NSFW way.

"My two straight, male friends got in their underwear and scissored each other while singing “fancy living, here we come!” from Spongebob."

15. CanisMajor89 has one game they remember well.

"I got a blow job from a girl up the street once. All the other times ended up with me jumping off a hotel into the pool or some stupid like that."

16. Dolphinwalking did a sober body shot off their girlfriend.

"Did a belly shot of Powerade (was designated driver) off my girlfriend."

17. eatsleeprepeat101_ got a sweet compliment.

"A guy told me I was beautiful and that he was too shy to always tell me that cuz he thought I was wayy out of his league."

18. thudly watched it all go down.

"Girl got dared to spin the bottle and give a blow job to whoever it lands on right in front of everybody. The bottle didn't point at me, but I had a nice view right next to the girl it did land on. Apparently, she had experience dining at the Y."

19. FHRITP-69 saw a different kind of snow angel.

"Got to see a hot girls tit imprints in the snow...not too impressive I know, but teenage me had that picture engraved in my head for awhile lol."

20. Jolysh's friend got the weirdest lap dance.

"We dared this girl to give a friend of mine a lap dance using the first song that came up when he shuffled his entire song library. Seems pretty normal until she had to give a 3-minute lap dance to "Cats in the cradle"

21. Scuzzlebutt97 felt a lot of feelings in one night.

"I got to see my friends sisters boobs and watch him lick an electric fence all in the same day."

22. inventas got a huge confidence boost.

"I was a “late bloomer” in hs. By the time I realized I may be attractive to anyone it was over. Our senior year party for an art magnet school, we played this. A girl I had a fairly solid crush on (popular, cheerleader, a good friend) was asked who she had fantasized about - and I was the answer."

1. Blew my mind

2. Gave me the guts to ask her out

3. It was a horribly awkward silly lunch date

4. Built my confidence a lot heading into college

A silly story, but it was a good one."

23. BeeVeryAfraid is glad they kept it vanilla.

"I chose truth every time because I was super boring and had nothing to hide. I got made fun of that weekend, but Monday morning the nasty wannabe popular bitch went around spreading everyone’s secrets, and the ridiculous dares they did."

Everyone except me.

Boring for the win."

24. cameronward's game of Truth or Dare escalated quickly.

"My friend had a game called Cosmopolitan Truth or Dare. It was a card game that had a truth or a dare question on it. We played with a set of twins once who pulled a dare that read "cover your chests in whipped cream and rub them together" and they actually did it."

25. BigDaddyWigums ate out during the game.

"Cute girl pulled her pants down and full on sat on my face for a solid minute."

Congratulations to every parent who sent their kids back to school this year. It can be very painful to say good-bye to your little sweethearts (especially if that good-bye includes a celebratory backflip.) Your children may be facing the harsh reality of another long school year ahead, but you're far too busy experiencing that sweet taste of freedom to care. Treat yourself to these hilarious memes, the ability to liberally drop f-bombs without looking over your shoulder, and some alcohol-filled quiet time. What a blessing.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

14.

15.

16.

17.

18.

19.

20.

21.

22.

23.