Culture

A classroom full of stuffed animals is making the internet cry for all the right reasons

These third graders left their stuffed animals at their desks, and adults are not handling it well.

OK, this video doesn’t tug at the heartstrings. It rips at them with weapons-grade whimsical innocence that can bring grown men to tears. Or this grown man, at least. Setting the whole thing to the piano theme from Inside Out was, frankly, chef’s kiss.

In this story by Mark Wales, a third-grade teacher posts a simple video from recess and accidentally detonates a nostalgia bomb across the internet. The premise is almost painfully sweet: after getting to choose a class reward, the kids voted to bring their stuffed animals to school. Then, before heading out to recess, they tucked the stuffies into their seats at their desks like tiny plush students waiting for class to resume.

Viewers flooded the comments with stories about their own childhood comfort objects, their kids’ beloved plushies, and the emotional whiplash of realizing just how little little kids still are. The science backs it up, too: nostalgia has a funny way of making us feel more connected, more hopeful, and more human.

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Previous Results

Yesterday, we shared the 5-4-3-2-1 packing tip, and, unlike a plane that you didn’t arrive on time for, you can still catch the story. 

What is the biggest packing crime GOOD readers are guilty of? It wasn’t even close! Almost 60% of you are fans of the “just in case” outfit.

• Too many “just in case” outfits. The forecast could be lying. (57.5%)

• Too many shoes. What if the vibe changes? (6.9%)

• Forgetting essentials. Toothbrush, where are you? (12.6%)

• Bringing things I never touch. I thought I'd need that frying pan! (10.3%)

• Something else (share your answer) (12.6%)

And that 12.6% write-in vote? Most of it was for forgetting charging cables. Ouch!

Culture

No side hustle, no ramen diet: 10 states where Social Security is enough

One map, ten states, and a surprising dose of optimism for your golden years.

I read the headline to this story and almost laughed from my office in sunny Southern California.* Where can people live entirely on their Social Security? Not here!

In this data dive by Erik Barnes, Realtor.com crunched the numbers to reveal the 10 states where retirees can live fully on Social Security, no side hustle, no ramen diet. There’s a catch, of course: this only works if your house is paid off. But still, a glimmer of hope.

Delaware tops the list, with an annual surplus of $1,764. Indiana, Arizona, Utah, and South Carolina also make the cut, though the margins get thinner fast.

Barnes breaks down what makes these states workable, how local ZIP codes skew the math, and what “retirement” really looks like in 2025 (spoiler: sometimes it’s a boat).

* - California is like a fine Scotch. It’s strong, it’s not for everyone, and it is expensive… but once you’ve got the taste for it, nothing else will do.

Health

A former monk thinks anxiety has a branding problem

The product you love, in new, exciting packaging?

The world’s greatest mind manipulators are marketers. They seem to know just the right things to do to get our brains to do their bidding. And sometimes, when they can’t change the product, they just change the box. As Erik Barnes reports, former monk Cory Muscara thinks anxiety might just be excitement in the wrong packaging. 

In his post-monk era, Muscara is a mindfulness expert, author, and holder of a master’s degree in positive psychology. He says shifting your framing from one of anxiousness to one of excitement can help you perform better and feel better.

The trick sounds simple. The part most people miss is when and how to try it.

On March 12, 1912, Juliette Gordon Low founded Girl Scouts to give girls something rare for the era: adventure, practical skills, leadership training, and a place to grow into “courage, confidence, and character.” The movement caught on fast, and one big reason was delicious: Girl Scout Cookies. First sold as early as 1917, they grew into what Girl Scouts calls the world’s largest girl-led entrepreneurial program, helping fund troops while teaching business skills.

 That mix of mission and merch helped make Girl Scouts an American institution. And today, even after the Boy Scouts of America opened Cub Scouts and Scouts BSA to girls and officially renamed the parent organization Scouting America on February 8, 2025, Girl Scouts remains proudly girl-focused. In other words, yes, the former Boy Scouts did go coed in key programs, but Girl Scouts still argues there’s unique value in an all-girl, girl-led space built just for girls.

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