By Scottie Andrew

What’s your favorite turn of phrase? I’ve picked up all of mine from the people I love (and, unfortunately, viral videos that stick in my head). I made a new friend recently who punctuates many of her sentences with the word “precisely” — it’s a succinct and witty response to almost anything, and it makes her sound like Spock. I love it! 

The way we speak reflects the people with whom we love to talk, laugh and share. So don’t we then create our own languages, full of oddly specific expressions we’ve adopted along the way? Precisely!

Here are some good things that happened this week.

Aaron Favila/AP

Nice day for a wet wedding

I’ve heard that rain on your wedding day brings good luck, so I can only assume that getting married during a typhoon ensures a lifetime of fortune. We’ll have to check back in years from now with Jade Rick Verdillo and Jamaica Aguilar, newlyweds in the Philippines who tied the knot in a flooded church. 

Typhoon Wipha arrived earlier this month (during monsoon season, no less) and flooded the hallowed halls of the Barasoain Church, one of the most significant places of worship in the Philippines. But the sweethearts, who’ve been together for a decade, just couldn’t wait any longer to get married, so they braved a very wet walk to the altar: Bride Aguilar’s train floated behind her as the water came up to her knees, while Verdillo’s groomsmen rolled up their pant legs. 

“We decided today because it is a sacrifice in itself,” Verdillo said.” But there will (be) more sacrifices if we don’t push through today.”

Cheers to the happy couple, whose love has already overcome extreme weather! I hope their honeymoon is much dryer. 

PAWS Chicago

One Chicago dog, hold the mustard

More than 30 sweet puppers rescued from the Texas floods have arrived in Chicago, ready to nap, play and wreak adorable havoc in their new homes. These sweeties were already living in shelters before the floods arrived. By moving these pups up to the Midwest, the Texas shelters have more room to house displaced animals and reunite them with their families. Lucky Chicagoans now have a chance to adopt some extremely kissable cuties. Many of the dogs that arrived ready for adoption have already been welcomed into new households, and there are plenty of puppies being prepared, vaccinated and examined before they begin their young lives in the big city. As long as the dogs don’t become Cubs fans, I’m thrilled for them.

CNN

Not all heroes wear capes, but he does

Every superhero needs an alter ego. When this hero isn’t in disguise, he’s Yuri Williams, a deputy juvenile corrections officer (and CNN Hero) who spends his off-time visiting superhero fans of all ages in costumes. Williams slides into the spandex suits of Spider-Man and Deadpool and the armor of the Mandalorian on visits to hospitals, senior centers, animal shelters and many more locales that could use a hero (often with toys in tow). Though his nonprofit, Future Superhero & Friends, is based in Southern California, he’s been to all 50 states more than five times each, spreading joy and inspiration everywhere he goes. It’s exciting for movie fans of all ages to meet their favorite characters, but it’s Williams who feels like the real winner when he’s greeted with hugs and happy tears.

“I’m willing to travel anywhere, by plane, boat, whatever I need to do to make an impact on somebody’s life,” Williams told CNN. Spoken like a true superhero!

LeoPatrizi/E+/Getty Images

How to get your joy back

Joy! For such a short little word, it’s an incredibly powerful feeling — but sometimes, joy is fleeting. If you’ve been noticing a joylessness in your life recently, that may be a sign of high-functioning depression, notes Dr. Judith Joseph, a psychiatrist who studies how to rediscover joy. But fear not! Joy is always waiting for you to find it again. Joseph suggests you start your journey back to joy with “the five Vs.” I won’t spoil all five, but here’s a preview of the process Joseph prescribes.

Validation: Acknowledge how you’re feeling and state it plainly. Simply recognizing the problem realistically is the first way to take action!

Venting: Share how you’re feeling with someone you trust, be it a mental health professional or a close friend. (Just be careful not to dump too much negativity on your friends if they’re not expecting it, Joseph advises.)

Values: Identify the parts of your life that give you meaning. Focusing on those elements can help lift you up and out of a dark period. 

Robby Kohley

The buzz about bird-saving mosquitoes

I typically despise mosquitoes. Every time I step outside, I get another 10 to 500 bites; I can only assume they’re crazy for my sweet sugary blood. But I’ll make an exception for a new population of mosquitoes in Hawaii, lab-reared buzzers that don’t bite and might just save beautiful native birds. 

Several species of Hawaiian honeycreepers, small birds in the finch family, are facing extinction due to avian malaria spread by invasive mosquitoes. Unwilling to use pesticides that would harm native insects, conservationists have started to release male mosquitoes that have a strain of naturally occurring bacteria. When they mate with wild female mosquitoes, their eggs don’t hatch due to the bacteria. With time, the wild invasive mosquitoes should decline. Researchers are already releasing 500,000 mosquitoes a week on both Maui and Kauai, which sounds gross but could give these birds a fighting chance. 

This week on CNN’s 5 Good Things podcast, the newest member of the Philadelphia Phillies is training to save a veteran’s life. This centuries-old tradition helps protect one of the world’s most beautiful birds. And documentarian breaks a world record to capture moments of happiness worldwide. Click to listen!

Chimpanzees are our closest relative, and in Nigeria, where the most endangered subspecies of chimps live, conservationists are going to impressive lengths to protect their populations. Click here to watch the majesty of these creatures. 

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