It’s arguably (although I don’t know who would argue it) the most hated month of the year. Let’s call a spade a spade, January just flamin’ sucks. We’re broke, the weather is dreary at best and we are battling cravings galore from attempting to stick to those New Year’s Resolutions.
I could write an entire post dedicated to just how crap January is, but rather than spend my time ranting and moaning, I thought I would put my efforts into writing something to combat the blues and cheer us all up a bit. Browsing through tweets and updates can leave you feeling deflated with all the bad news and negativity floating around, but look hard enough and you can find some amazing feel-good stories; here are some of my recent favourites.
Found on Twitter: Buster the Dog Returns Home After Disappearing in Hurricane Sandy
There are a few lovely stories that have come out of the horror of Hurricane Sandy, but one of my favourites has to be the story of Buster. After Hurricane Sandy ripped through Christine O’Donavon’s home, assessors came to the house and in the midst of all the disruption, Buster fled. Christine and her family had lost their home as they knew it and their family pet, but weeks after his disappearance Buster was discovered in a shelter; he was hours away from being put to sleep. The family rushed to the shelter and managed to save him just in the nick of time.
Found on Facebook: The Man Who Hitch-hiked across Canada in his Pants for Charity
Mark McIntyre is a testicular cancer survivor, but rather than celebrate by doing something for himself, he took the decision to do the most unusual fundraising activity. McIntyre completed his journey across Canada successfully with the aid of social media. As word spread, the online community helped to arrange some of the lifts, although for much of it McIntyre simply stood at the side of a road in pants with a sign saying “I am doing this for charity”. McIntyre raised $32k and helped to raise awareness in the importance of educating men on how to check themselves.
Found on Youtube: The Dad who Gets “Born This Way” Tattoo for his Bisexual Son
Described as an “old school” Italian father, the star of this YouTube video shocked his son who had come out as Bisexual the year before by getting a tattoo matching his sons. The tattoo reads “Born This Way”. The video shows the dad revealing his new ink for the first time and his son’s heartfelt reaction.
Found on Pinterest: Baby Isaac Makes an Amazing Recovery from a Paediatric Stroke
At just 4 days old, Isaac was rushed to hospital after having a series of seizures. After an MRI scan, the doctors told his parents that Isaac would most likely be blind, most certainly have learning difficulties and at the very least would have his left hand permanently in a fist. Despite this bleak prognosis, Isaac is now a young boy who is excelling in school with a passion for music. An amazing story from such a horrific start to life.
There are plenty of feel-good stories to be found via social media platforms so cheer yourself up this January by finding a story with a happy ending!
