This article is part of Upstream, The Daily Wire’s new home for culture and lifestyle. Real human insight and human stories — from our featured writers to you.
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Welcome to the Bright Side, a weekly roundup of all the good news and ideas you might have missed from the past week.
It’s “lemonading” season
Summer invites us to take a break from the daily grind to enjoy life’s less structured pleasures, possibly via lake, beach, or hammock. But, like we’ve heard about turning lemons into lemonade, a science-backed “lemonading” mindset offers a mental vacation from negative thoughts. (That cocktail umbrella behind your ear finally makes sense!)
Research shows that a playful outlook actually helps frame challenging situations in a more positive light. More effective than the unrealistic “rose-colored glasses” approach, lemonading allows “creatively imagining and pursuing positive possibilities to cultivate adaptive, enjoyable experiences while maintaining a clear-eyed realism about challenges.” Effectively turning even small difficulties into opportunities, the strategy also develops personal resilience, deepens enjoyment, and allows us to flourish. Bartender at the swim-up pool bar, we’ll take a glass half-full of that!
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Best homemade hummus ever
Other than close friends, there’s not much I miss about Los Angeles since I moved to Nashville a few months ago. But I will forever crave Hummus Bar in Tarzana. It cost $20 a pop (don’t miss that!), but even my discerning Israeli friends praised the restaurant’s ridiculously silky, creamy hummus topped with pine nuts, sautéed mushrooms, or tender beef, and always drizzled with olive oil with hot za’atar laffa bread on the side.
I may be in an awkward long-distance relationship with this restaurant, but what I do have in my possession is a good blender. And I found one hummus recipe that almost perfectly matches whatever magic they’re working at Hummus Bar. (All they’ll tell me is that they blend it forever!). Cookie + Kate’s Best Hummus Recipe incorporates a few different chef techniques for great results, like boiling chickpeas in baking soda until they’re mushy for maximum smoothness, using tahini from Ethiopian sesame seeds for the best flavor, and adding ice water as you blend for fluffier texture.
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I’m no expert, and mine always turns out gorgeously smooth and full of garlicky, lemon flavor. If only it were this easy to bake flatbread on the side of a tandoor oven like a restaurant!
The era of the fashion hoof
Style alert, y’all! Pig feet are so hot right now. Inspired by Hailey Bieber’s $1,000 Valentino stilettos that simulate the look of an animal’s hoof with a peekaboo style cutout over the first and second toes, I discovered the wonderful world of hoof manicures, AKA the relax-maxxing content you need right now.
I’ll be honest, I can’t stomach Dr. Pimple Popper videos, or stand listening to the whispering and clicky fingernails of ASMR. What I can do, however, is watch a professional farrier rejuvenate a horse, donkey, or cow’s hoof to full health. If you need a guy, Nate the Hoof Guy turns muddy, injured hooves into the pristine footwear Bessie needs when she’s hanging out with the gals around the farm. When you’re done with that, you can always switch things up with landscaping and pressure washing transformations that serve the kind of restorative calm that comes from everything being clean and in its right place.
What to bring instead of “nothing”
Is everyone doing backyard barbecues right now? It stresses me out a little when even a casual dinner party invite includes “don’t worry about bringing anything!” My mind immediately goes to the episode of “Seinfeld” where Elaine gets stuck bringing cinnamon babka as a hostess gift, instead of her preferred chocolate. “We’ll be going in with lesser babka!”
This isn’t to say you shouldn’t feel totally comfy just bringing yourself. But if you aren’t sure about showing up empty-handed, you can always add to the festivities. Suggesting you bring “nothing” is often the host’s way of letting guests off the hook and keeping things on theme. But “something” shows you appreciate the gift of a meal that you didn’t have to cook.
A classic bottle of wine works whether it gets opened or not. And a sweet and unfussy dessert says you’re not secretly trying to steal the spotlight. Most people would also gladly accept a scented candle, or flowers pre-arranged in a vase. Personally, I love Ina Garten’s strategy for bringing something the host family can casually enjoy the following morning, like coffee and homemade biscotti. But, as an experienced guest, I can confirm that cinnamon rolls from Whole Foods that come in their own pan (ready to bake and drizzle with icing) satisfy the assignment for a busy family that graciously invited you over for homemade pizza the night before.
Ronaldo the soccer playing dog
Real footballer Cristiano Ronaldo plays forward, but as soccer fans anticipate the start of the FIFA World Cup across North America this June, fútbol’s cutest viral sensation has become Ronaldo The Football Dog. He’s got stocky little legs, but he’s a natural at goal keeping.
A Chihuahua dachshund mix (known as a “Chiweenie”) from Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania, six-year-old Ronaldo is less interested in fancy footwork and more into snatching softly inflated soccer balls midair with his mouth as they sail toward the net. As Ronald’s human relative Sam Katzman explained, “He pretty much just decided that he was a goalkeeper.”
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TBD on whether furry Ronaldo will be appearing at the World Cup, but just like the Super Bowl’s “Puppy Bowl,” the international football competition is set to feature a “World Pup” where rescue puppies will adorably battle it out on the pitch. It’s all part of the fun for a game that can last 90 minutes with zero scoring.
Thank you for spending a little time with us! Feel free to share your own good news and ideas in the comments (or email me). To paraphrase “SNL’s” Stuart Smalley, “You’re good enough, you’re smart enough, and doggone it, people like you!” — Lauren
