Your Monday Draft Pick: Cute or Cool

For today’s treat, two videos for you, one adorably cute, the other incredibly cool. Pick whichever suits your mood or go for both. Whatever you decide, enjoy and get your week off to the right start!

THE CUTE: Bear cubs cuddling stuffed teddy bears, puppies in onesies, a teeny baby hippo. You get the idea. Crack for those who love cuteness beyond measure.

THE COOL: OMG. Regardless of your religious views, a church more than a century in the making and destined to be the world’s tallest basilica is an architectural feat to behold. Check out this visualization of what Barcelona’s famed Sagrada Familia will look like when it’s finally completed in 2026.

Why Daughters Make a Difference

It doesn’t take much to make me cry a bout of good, soul-cleansing tears and thanks to stories like this, today is no different. These young fathers made mistakes that landed them behind bars, but their little girls are helping them get back on track. Grab the tissues and get your post-Labor Day week off to an inspirational start.

How to Love Your Baby, Panda Edition

Although I didn’t set out to make “Adorable Baby Animals Being Mothered” this week’s blog theme, Monday’s sleepy tiny elephant has led me down the rabbit’s hole to yet another heartwarming itty-bitty creature moment. Here’s a lovely nugget from the Taipei Zoo featuring one-month old not-so-giant-yet giant panda Yuan Zai hanging with her mom. She’s super small, quacks a bit like a duckling, and early on you may fear she’s in danger of being eaten by her mother. (She’s not.) May this dollop of sweetness get your weekend off to a gentle start.

Fall in Love on World Elephant Day

“If elephants didn’t exist, you couldn’t invent one. They belong to a small group of living things so unlikely they challenge credulity and common sense.” – South African botanist and anthropologist Lyall Watson

So, it’s Monday, which always threatens to be a bit of a drag after a nice weekend, but luckily today it’s also the second annual World Elephant Day, a celebration to honor those amazing, gigantic creatures revered by countless cultures throughout history.

In 2004, I visited the world’s first elephant hospital in Thailand’s Lampang Province, which treats sick and injured animals, some hurt by stepping on land mines. Needless to say, I fell in love with these gentle beings and have been swooning ever since. Watch this video of a mother trying to cajole her baby elephant into taking her first nap and you’re bound to fall in love too. 

How to Make Art Against the Odds

If you’ve been reading this blog for any amount of time, you know that one thing I love is an inspiring old person. Today’s dude of the hour is Hal Lasko, 97. Even though his eyesight has long been failing him, this former typographer uses Microsoft Paint, a computer program many of us probably forgot existed, to create beautiful artworks. Take eight minutes to peer inside his magical world.

p.s. If you don’t get choked up around minute seven, go get your soul examined ASAP, cause it has turned cold, my friend.