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The Pick Me Up
From a happy dance to a whip-cracking pitch to the Boston Pops, here are 3 stories bringing us joy this week
Editor's Note: This is a roundup of this week's moments of joy from WBUR's seasonal newsletter, The Pick Me Up. If you want a little bit of good news to help you get through the week and spread cheer this holiday season, sign up here.
Two out of three of this week's moments of joy are from Massachusetts — including one from within our very own station.
Here's what is making us smile:
1. A win for Brockton's animal control.
The city department recently found forever homes for all of the rescue dogs in their care, and one officer took to TikTok to celebrate. Fans commented on the "sweet dad moves" that, I have to admit, are pretty eye-catching — with bonus points for earnestness.
Even though we probably won't be seeing this officer on "Dancing with the Stars" anytime soon, I'm crossing my fingers it becomes real-life source material for Joel McHale's upcoming workplace comedy. This heartfelt expression of canine love is made for TV.
2. "Grandpa George" receiving thousands of Christmas cards.
George Dowling, of Pawtucket, Rhode Island, had just about given up on the Christmas after his wife died in December 2013. Everything about the holiday reminded him of her, and it was painful.
But the following year, his daughter came up with an idea. She solicited Christmas cards for him from family and friends on Facebook.
“That first year, he got about 30,” she told the Washington Post. “It carried him through the whole month of December.”
Now, strangers write to him. Some write because they understand what it's like to lose someone. Others just love him. This year, he got 12,000 cards.
If one kind word goes a long way, what about 12,000 cards' worth of them?
3. A whip-cracking pitch to the Boston Pops.
In case you hadn't heard, WBUR's very own Jack Lepiarz, AKA Jacques Ze Whipper, has got talent. When he's not hosting on air, Jack is honing his skills — and setting world records — as a circus performer. And as one of his 2.2 million followers on TikTok, it was hard not to smile as he did his best impression of a Christmas curmudgeon while whipping to the tune of "Sleigh Ride" in the snow.
After one fan threw out the idea of a joint performance with the Pops, Lepiarz replied with a playful call out to Keith Lockhart, the longtime conductor at the symphony.
In the case that Lockhart is not up for a whippy "Sleigh Ride" collab, let's hope for everyone's sake that he doesn't share the same fate as Simon Cowell. (For what it's worth, I think a rendition of The Nutcracker Suite would work just as well.)
