<p><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">This article is part of </span></i><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/introducing-upstream-a-lifestyle-and-culture-section-of-the-daily-wire"><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Upstream,</span></i></a><i><span style="font-weight: 400;"> The Daily Wire’s new home for culture and lifestyle. Real human insight and human stories — from our featured writers to you.</span></i></p>
<p><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">***</span></i></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Welcome to the Bright Side, a weekly roundup of all the good news and ideas you might have missed from the past week.</span></p>
<p><b>Piano-playing mini horses are everything we need right now</b></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">You guys. I’m not even joking, I nearly fell out of my chair listening to these miniature horses “play piano.” If you’re wondering how an animal with hooves plays an instrument with little keys, please go </span><a href="https://www.instagram.com/reels/DMT20lBvbD5/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">here</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> to be awesomely amused.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Growing up, my grandma played Vince Guaraldi-style jazz piano and my mom composed choir anthems and musicals on the ivories. But lil </span><a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DWZLwQnCg2Y/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Liberty Belle</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">’s lippy glissando instantly struck my funny bone. Maybe it’s also the freeflow mane adding to the magic, along with the fact that it’s all for a good cause. </span></p>
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<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The California-based </span><a href="https://www.minitherapyhorses.com/?gad_source=1&amp;gad_campaignid=20787295107&amp;gbraid=0AAAAAqhcVgDeniGJ40WP-0aaFhrmOfPSk&amp;gclid=CjwKCAjwwpDQBhAuEiwAa-4Woydpe4_xjbJM3HHx5oxvmlObg3Q070uXupH63W-850rfm7sdcEYLCxoCZMcQAvD_BwE"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Mini Therapy Horses</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> outreach serves children in hospitals and court systems. An animal’s calming presence can </span><a href="https://phoenixchildrensfoundation.org/moments/changing-futures/how-paws-can-heal/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">decrease stress</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, and they’ve helped motivate a child to take their first steps after surgery or even wake from a coma. But when that animal is a musical mini horse, each patient gets the added benefit of a warm forehead to nuzzle, a four-legged trot alongside a ride in a wheelchair, and a perfectly timed musical interlude to lighten the mood. (Imagine waking up from anesthesia to “Panasonic Panic” by Mister Snickerdoodles.) No matter who you are, if you’re suffering from seriousness, the best remedy is horse piano.</span></p>
<p><b>The &#8217;90s fitness sensation TikTok just brought back</b></p>
<p><iframe loading="lazy" title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/dwKQCNnIcQ0?si=aqESgLFOq_k8l-1q" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Does anyone remember Tae Bo? Even if you didn’t throw punches and kicks with martial arts icon Billy Blanks back in the day (to what sounded like a manic club version of “</span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEXWRTEbj1I&amp;list=RDHEXWRTEbj1I&amp;start_radio=1"><span style="font-weight: 400;">What Is Love</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">”), </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">TikTok is bringing Tae Bo back.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Just like Pilates, SoulCycle, and the Jane Fonda Workout wormed their ways into the hearts of generations of cardio queens, Tae Bo served the ultimate fitness mashup of taekwondo-ish karate-boxing-dance-erobics. It was a cultural phenomenon. Beyond that, it was </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">hard. </span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;">(I’m sorry, but only a 1990s fitness guru could repeatedly </span><a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@bigherbj/video/7474376496887483679?is_from_webapp=1&amp;sender_device=pc&amp;web_id=7612721609313699341"><span style="font-weight: 400;">kick at 11 o’clock in the air</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> for a whole minute.)</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">I’m guilty of moving coffee tables, rugs, and lamps to the corners of the living room so my roommate and I could try not to knock each other out while following Billy’s moves on VHS. </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Tae Bo’s biggest draw may be </span><a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@victoria.marano/video/7630544377068244238?q=tae%20bo&amp;t=1778701087276"><span style="font-weight: 400;">nostalgia</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, moving for </span><a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@dri.ster7/video/7629972038580440333?is_from_webapp=1&amp;sender_device=pc&amp;web_id=7612721609313699341"><span style="font-weight: 400;">mental health</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, and (of course) </span><a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@kare_les/video/7519896336506883359?is_from_webapp=1&amp;sender_device=pc&amp;web_id=7612721609313699341"><span style="font-weight: 400;">comedy</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, but it warms my heart to see that Billy returned to the spotlight at 70 years old for a new generation of fans. After launching </span><a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@billyblanksofficial/video/7566689895834488078?is_from_webapp=1&amp;sender_device=pc&amp;web_id=7612721609313699341"><span style="font-weight: 400;">his own Tae Bo TikTok</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> once the craze returned, </span><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/06/well/move/tae-bo-workout-tiktok.html"><span style="font-weight: 400;">he said</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, “Now I’m getting a second chance.” </span></p>
<p><b>Celebrating the tell-tale signs of a happy life</b></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">With the constant buzz about the latest </span><a href="https://www.thezoereport.com/wellness/kathy-hilton-self-care-ritual"><span style="font-weight: 400;">banana peel</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://metroderm.org/salmon-sperm-facial-what-it-is-how-it-works-and-why-its-the-next-big-thing-in-anti-aging-skin-care/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">salmon sperm</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, and </span><a href="https://pagesix.com/2026/04/28/style/i-tried-the-sculpting-facial-anne-hathaway-swears-by-for-an-instant-facelift/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">sculpting</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> facial every celebrity esthetician is selling, it’s easy to feel a little frowny-face about our laugh lines. But what if, instead of desperately trying to erase our history of smiling, we </span><a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@drewbarrymore/video/7637204784142929183"><span style="font-weight: 400;">appreciated those lines</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> a little more?</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A new therapy for depression, called </span><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2026/05/06/positive-affect-therapy-depression/?utm_source=email&amp;utm_medium=acq&amp;utm_campaign=RH-ACQ&amp;utm_content=dtpmonthly_20260506_RH&amp;campaign_id=18006021"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Positive Affect Treatment</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, prioritizes joy. Basically, instead of just minimizing negative feelings like traditional therapy, it amplifies positive emotions by training the brain to look for the good stuff. Be kind, see the glass half full, have something to look forward to, and notice the little things. Having dinner with a friend? Think about how comforting the conversation might be, how good the food tastes, or what the cool breeze feels like. Those little details aren’t for nothing. Life is tough. Our smiles are extraordinarily hard-earned. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">As writer </span><a href="https://www.strikemagazines.com/blog-2-1/laugh-lines"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Sarah Bourloukas</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> suggests, “I hope you remember what a privilege it is to have a body that carries the burden of your happiness; what a privilege it is to have lines that show your laughter.” </span></p>
<p><b>Get into strawberry season with summer’s most iconic dessert</b></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">I just discovered an ancient Greek word that summarizes my thoughts when the “feels like” temperature hits triple digits: </span><a href="https://x.com/TomKindlon/status/1803518995330638051"><span style="font-weight: 400;">κακοθερής (kakotherēs)</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, which means “unfit to endure summer heat.” But blast me with A/C because nothing’s stopping me from living my best life during strawberry season. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">They’re only ripe for about three weeks sometime between </span><a href="https://www.southernliving.com/food/fruits/berries/strawberry/when-are-strawberries-in-season"><span style="font-weight: 400;">February and June</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> depending where you live, so if you spot those bright red berries at the farmer&#8217;s market (they are lighting up Nashville right now), snatch them up immediately. Eat them straight off the truck or whip up this nostalgic </span><a href="https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/11823-strawberry-shortcake?campaign_id=58&amp;emc=edit_ck_20260513&amp;instance_id=175521&amp;nl=cooking&amp;regi_id=306409521&amp;segment_id=219781&amp;user_id=efebae5de6ef428e0fa81be9c8f05168"><span style="font-weight: 400;">five-star strawberry shortcake</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> in 45 minutes. </span></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><iframe loading="lazy" style="border: none; overflow: hidden;" src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fnytcooking%2Fposts%2Fpfbid0bMDLTUTE6uKcMCYCGbYMkExAsyGsMtVHxoaEwQRYd1Dx927cycsG3cquLJAAsGCpl&amp;show_text=false&amp;width=500" width="500" height="498" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Gather two pints of hulled strawberries, 1/2 cup sugar (plus three tablespoons), four cups flour, 1/4 teaspoon salt, five teaspoons baking powder, 1 1/4 cups butter, three cups whipping cream, and 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Gently crush 1/4 of the berries, then mix with the rest of the berries and ½ cup sugar. In a separate bowl, mix together three tablespoons sugar, salt, and baking powder. Add ⅓ cup softened butter and rub into the mixture. Add 1 1/4 cups cream to form a soft dough. Roll out to a half-inch thick, then cut into four rounds with a three-inch biscuit cutter. Brush with melted butter and bake for 15 minutes until golden brown. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Beat the cream with vanilla. Layer one half of a shortcake round with whipped cream and strawberries. Top with the remaining shortcake, and bedazzle with whipped cream and berries as you please. If you’re my dad, you have to pour milk on it. And if you’re from Pennsylvania (like me), this dessert is your dinner because strawberry season only comes around once a year.</span></p>
<p><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">I love hearing about what you’ve loved this week, too! (I can confirm the breakfast cookie recipe from <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-bright-side-wild-flamingos-return-gen-z-discovers-beethoven-and-fomo-finally-dies">last week</a> is a total crowd-pleaser.) Dish all the delightful details in the comments (you can </span></i><a href="mailto:lbair@dailywire.com"><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">email</span></i></a><i><span style="font-weight: 400;"> me too) to amplify the joy. Thanks for stopping by! — Lauren </span></i></p>

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The Bright Side Goes Full 1999

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Upstream

'90s fitness

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happiness

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Piano

recipe

smile lines

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strawberry shortcake

tae bo

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Ep. 2738

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Ep. 2737
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Evening Wire: Lebanon Ceasefire Begins & Murder-Suicide Rocks VA | 4.16.26

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