Grab the tissues. Hearing this story makes you love Cody Johnson even more. Before pursuing country music, Cody Johnson and his wife Brandi did not live a lavish lifestyle. Before becoming a three-time CMA Award-winning artist, Cody Johnson worked as a prison guard. The native of Huntsville, Texas, followed in his dad's footsteps by pursuing a career in the correctional field. But, honestly, there's not much else to do career-wise when you live in Huntsville. The city of around 46,000 is home to Sam Houston State University, several prisons, and not much else. The average household income of this career is just over $41,000 (about half the national average). Given how vital correctional officers are and since their jobs can involve dangerous situations, you'd like to think they would have a higher salary. However, there are few other career options in Huntsville, Texas. The prison system is the largest employer in the city, employing three times as many employees as Sam Houston State. “There’s seven prisons in Huntsville’s greater area and in my family you either go to prison or you work for the prison. So I just went to work because that’s what my dad did…" Given this career choice, Johnson and his new bride, Brandi, sometimes lived paycheck to paycheck. Although this time in their marriage was financially strained, they never let it get them down, believing this was temporary. Johnson's financial situation turned around in a true Christmas miracle, and his story of the event always brings me to tears. One December, when he and Brandi were in the first years of marriage, he began pursuing songwriting while still working his job. Of course, with it being the holiday season, they wanted to spread a little cheer to those they loved, but they ended up using their last dollars for the month to give a gift to Johnson's parents. "One year, right after Brandi and I had gotten married, we were very broke. Like broke, broke. Like ramen noodles were a luxury, kind of broke. We went to my mom and dad's house, and I took $20; I didn't know this at the time, but it was our last $20 for the rest of the month. And I put it in a Christmas card." On his way home, Johnson felt like his wife kept looking at him funny, unaware that he had given away the few dollars to their name. Brandi then looked at him and informed him that he had done this and that they would have to live off what they had until he got paid on the first of the month. As they were driving home, probably in silence, Merle Haggard's "If We Make It Through December" came on the radio. "Merle always had a way of making people cry, and in the truck, we both cried. We were both wondering how we were going to make it through December until the next year. When we got home, she went in the house and was unpacking leftovers that mom had, thank God, had sent home with us. And for some reason, I checked the mail. I walked out to the end of the driveway, and I checked the mail."  In that mailbox were two pieces of postage that would change the trajectory of their December and, later, their lives. "My first two songwriter checks from ASCAP came in. They were $2,500 apiece. And I walked into the house, and we cried again." The camera then panned to Brandi, sitting in the crowd during the CMT Christmas Special, Johnson recalling the story with tears streaming down her face. Johnson rounds out the story by saying that he and Brandi pulled their couches to the TV, turned on It's A Wonderful Life, and cried again while eating leftovers. @cmt This #christmas miracle is one for the ages ??? @Cody Johnson #codyjohnson #merlehaggard #countrymusic ♬ original sound - CMT After sharing their story, Johnson played Haggard's "If We Make It Through December." Merle Haggard's lyric, "If we make it through December/ Everything's gonna be all right, I know," could not have rang more true for the Johnsons that year, and things did end up more than alright for where he is now. A true Christmas miracle. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOr-vjlQpeM

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Nudity is something that people are often taught to hide in American culture. There are specific places and time where it's acceptable for people to expose their nude bodies like in the shower, doctor's office or gym locker room. There generally aren't many exceptions made unless you're under the age of two and recently learned how to remove unwanted clothing. But even toddlers are quickly chased down and redressed while they wriggle about trying to escape again. Toddlers aren't the only ones that have a desire to be free from restrictive clothing, some adults prefer to be naked as much as possible. They not only desire to be as naked as a mole rat, they want to live a lifestyle where being nude is the norm.People that commit to being nudists also get married, raise children and have a network of friends who are also nude. The nudist lifestyle has always been a point of curiosity for many people though most wouldn't dare to ask about it. But curiosity won when someone decided to ask what it was like to grow up as a nudist. creeping season 7 GIF Giphy One of the best ways to learn about another culture or lifestyle is to be curious enough to ask questions to the members from that particular group. It can open up an informative dialogue making things feel a lot less strange and scary, which is exactly what happened when someone dared to ask what it was like growing up nudist. Several people who did grow up in a nudist family share their experiences while others who came into nudism later in life give their take."I grew up with nudist parents. They weren't very into the lifestyle but we did go to nude beaches a few times and were generally naked inside the home. I found it comfortable, clothes are a bit of a pain," someone writes in part before continuing. "It definitely desexualized nakedness and helped me appreciate that humans come in all shapes and sizes. When people find out, they often act very shocked but I had a positive experience. Even being a teenage girl in those spaces felt frankly much safer than regular beaches." naked girl GIF Giphy Another person shares about their childhood experience, saying in part, "I'm from the Netherlands. I grew up with 'naturist' parents in the seventies/eighties. There was a slight difference between nudists and naturists, but I can't remember what it was. We weren't naked all the time, but it was fine if you were. We went swimming naked every Sunday afternoon in the city public pool. I remember it felt totally normal for me to be naked in public, and seeing all these different body shapes and quirks.I think more people are being shy about their naked body than when I was a kid. I'm still comfortable being naked around other naked (or even clothed) strangers, even though my body changed over the years (on the heavy side), and it allows me to not worry about the way I look. I reckon it's quite a task to keep up with what people think you should look like. I feel being nudist/naturist is good for being kind to yourself and the way you look." Get Dwayne Johnson GIF Giphy Nudism and its affects are not yet thoroughly studied but in a small study done in the UK they showed that people who spent time naked with others felt more body positivity at the end of the experiment. So one could stand to reason that children exposed to all different body types from a young age would also grow to have a high level of body positivity. But what about when those children are teenagers? Are they still naked around adults who are also unclothed? One person who's father was a nudist has an answer to those questions and it may be surprising to hear for some people, sharing, "Even the kids were naked. While a 3 year old isn't something surprising, a 10 or 15 year old sure as sh*t was. Made me feel a bit uncomfortable, but that was 100% on me. They were all just running around having fun and nobody cared." Baby Dancing GIF Giphy The experiences shared by adults who were children of nudists all seem pretty mundane. There's no comments sharing anything outside of a normal childhood with the exception of everyone being naked. Clothing was always an option for guests and even children of nudist who wanted to wear them. One person shares that her only source of shame came from people outside of the community. "My parents weren’t into it in a big way, by any stretch. But we went to nude beaches as a family when we were younger maybe a handful of times? I think mainly in France and perhaps once in Spain. It’s certainly normalized it to me to the extent I think it’s a fine thing to do. I remember telling other people casually though and them being quite shocked. Some even thinking it was ‘abusive’ of my parents to have done that," the commenter reveals in part. naked bevers GIF by Broad City Giphy Naturism may not be for everyone but it doesn't have to be a taboo subject whispered in hushed tones. From the sounds of it nothing nefarious or inappropriate is happening at these locations, just mundane daily living activities. Swimming, cookouts, watching TV and hanging out with friends. If everyone was clothed no one would think twice, so maybe knowing what actually happens at nudist resorts will help people release the stigma.

A lot of thought goes into choosing a baby’s name. Will other kids have the same name when they start kindergarten? Is the name too dull? Is the name too original? Will the name lead to bullying? Will the name look good on a job application? Could you run for president with this name?Popular TikToker Emily Windham, 23, from Birmingham, Alabama, is adding another question that parents should ask themselves: What will their initials be? Windham has gone viral for her video in which she reveals how disheartening it is when she has to write her initials, especially when they appear multiple times on a document.“When you’re deciding what to name your kids, look at what their initials are going to be,” she says at the beginning of her video. “Every time I have to initial a document, I have to write 'EW.' All these little initial lines just say EW EW EW EW.” The situation is frustrating for Emily because her parents considered naming her Alexia, which would have been AW, which is sweet. “That’s so cute,” she said. @emwindham Easy em in tha house ?????? The post inspired other people with unfortunate initials to comment; some of them are much harder to live with than EW.“Yea… mine is XL,” Xitlali wrote.“Mine is ‘BLT’ because it was my dad’s favorite sandwich. Mom didn’t notice until it was too late I don’t even like blts,” Bryony Tally Art wrote.“Mine is ‘PP’ elementary and middle school was a blast,” Pais wrote.“I knew a girl in school whose name was Amy, and her initials were also AMY, and I’ll never forget because that’s so baller,” Charlie wrote.“My son's initials are BRB,” Ashleigh wrote.“My initials are EGG,” El-Glory wrote.“My initials spell EMO and I think thats awesome,” Elle wrote.“Mine is OG… now I’m getting married and it’ll be OJ. Can’t decide if I like an original gangster or Orange Juice more,” Olivia wrote.“Mine is ME, and when I sign out on duties at work, someone goes, ‘Can someone please stop signing ME and sign your initials?’ I’m like, those are my initials,” a TokToker named Madison wrote. @thesam_show sorry if i talk about this problem too much but it is HAPPENING AGAIN!! Emily’s story is similar to that of Samanta Hart, a woman who went viral on TikTok in 2023 because her name doesn’t exactly work well with modern email conventions. Clearly, her parents hadn't thought that her name would cause any trouble in the late '90s when email was a new thing. So, she made a video warning parents to think of their children’s future email addresses before selecting a name.“My name is Samantha Hart,” the 27-year-old said. “Most companies use the email designation of first initial, last name, meaning my email would be shart.” A shart is an accidental release when one assumes they only have gas, which is not exactly how one wants to be known in professional circles.“At every single workplace, I have received an email from HR the week before I start letting me know that my name does not exactly fit the company email structure as they would intend and [asked] would I mind if they gave me a different structure for my email,” Hart said. Sadly, Hart will probably have to deal with this whenever she gets a new job. Hopefully, she enjoys doing long stretches with her employers.

We’ve all heard millennial money woes get blamed on “frivolous” purchases like avocado toast, which is, as we know, both laughable and maddening. But just ask financial expert Tori Dunlap, and there are other "double standards” regarding spending habits that are just as frustrating…one prime example being the way we view women’s hobbies versus men’s hobbies. “I did all this research for my book Financial Feminist about the way women spend money versus men, and the frivolous spending, the spending that is the reason you can’t get rich or the reason you can’t get ahead, is only feminine spending,” Dunlap noted in a video posted to her TikTok. As for “women’s hobbies,” Dunlap listed lattes, manicures, and shopping. Granted, these activities can add up (especially with the price of coffee these days) but often they are shared experiences with friends, or a form of self care (few things are as empowering as a fresh set of nails, after all). So there’s an added mental health benefit. And yet, it’s these purchases that are “the reason women aren’t rich.” Meanwhile, hobbies traditionally seen as masculine, like NFL season tickets, sports betting, golf and video games, obviously warrant a far heftier price tag, and yet are seen as much more acceptable pastimes. @herfirst100k ? ♬ original sound - Tori Dunlap — Money Expert ? Dunlap’s point clearly struck a nerve with many women, who shared their own experiences of being questioned about the frugality of their own hobbies by the men in their life whose choice of entertainment cost a small fortune. “My husband has probably $20,000 worth of gym equipment. I really just wanted a Dyson air wrap ?,”My coworkers & boss made fun of me for spending $200 on a concert ticket ONE time meanwhile they spend $150 on golf EVERY WEEKEND. Not to mention the season tickets to baseball and football game,”“My dad's tools cost like $100 each but he complains when my mom goes to Micahel’s once a month.”It was also interesting seeing how many women’s hobbies still served others in some way, whereas men’s hobbies only served themselves. For example, one person wrote, “I spent $600 on an embroidery machine I can use year-round and for various projects and for gift giving…we spent $3800 on golf clubs for my husband to go golfing 2 to 7 times a year.” This might come across as a battle of the sexes, but there’s a broader underlying theme at work here. Much like the avocado toast controversy of yore, we see an advantaged subset of society blaming a more disadvantaged group for consuming ‘luxuries,’ rather than seeing the system that creates the disadvantages in the first place. In other words, are we really going to chastise folks for a little retail therapy instead of the money hoarding, resource exploiting billionaires and corporations that give us the real issues? C’mon. As Dunlap put it, “The reason women aren’t rich is because of systemic oppression.”Still, at least we can all agree that hobbies do us a world of good—especially if they get us off of blasted screens. So really, as long as it truly does no harm, let’s just let people find joy wherever they can. Be it at sports stadiums, or at the salon.

If you're a parent or grandparent of a little one than you've probably seen an episode or 30 of the preschool shows "Peppa Pig" and "Bluey." Peppa is...as the name suggests, a pig. She lives with her brother George along with Mummy and Daddy pig somewhere on a cartoon hill in England. She speaks with an adorable British accent and the American kid that faithfully tune in to her daily adventures do as well. Bluey is an Australian Blue Heeler who lives with her sister Bingo, dad Bandit and mum Chilli somewhere in Australia. This show really focuses on highlighting the parent's reactions to their children's behaviors. In many ways making the show for parents just as much as it is for children, but it's the kids that walk away speaking in an Aussie accent. Don't worry American parents, Ms. Rachel's YouTube show "Songs for Littles" has kids across the pond speaking in American accents so the adorably vernacular swap goes both ways. But what's the real reason these chubby cheeked little humans are picking up accents from exposure to one show when they're exposed more often to their own native accent through their caregivers, sibling and local television programming? Happy Dance GIF by Xbox Giphy According to Dr. Erica Brozovsky, the host of "Otherwords" a PBS YouTube show, children learn language in multiple stages starting from birth. From birth to six months babies recognize all the different sounds words can produce from multiple languages but by six months they only recognize the sounds from their native language. In the next stage kids begin to learn the rules of their native language in a simplistic way before once again building on that gained knowledge. By the time kids are preschool aged, they've started learning the patterns of language and starting to use things like past, present and future tenses. Enter those cartoons with the fancy talking characters right when their brains are building on those new uses of words. It's a perfect circumstance for these attentive learners to pick up on new things. Be Kind Love GIF by Peppa Pig Giphy "This long iterative process of pattern recognition may play a role in the Bluey effect. When they hear a word on TV like 'brekky' or 'rubbish,' kids pay attention to new linguistic information and try it out in their own speech, especially when a show presents a new word they've never encountered in their own dialect," Brozovsky says.Though the accents that toddlers may pick up from their favorite characters on TV, Brozovsky assures parents that they're not here to stay. Eventually they drop the accent to mimic the ones around them, "while they may have fun imitating their favorite characters, at the same time kids are sorting IRL speech into one category and that as seen on TV dialect into another. When Peppa Pig says mummy, but their siblings, friends and teachers say mom, they'll eventually start to replicate the accents and speech patterns of those around them."So if you've ever been curious why American kids picked up those random accents from preschool shows, now you know. It's just a normal part of brain development, but as Brozovky mentions during the episode, watching these shows with your kids can help with speech and language development. A bonus advantage of watching "Bluey" with your little is that when the characters call a trash can a rubbish bin, you can clarify in real time what the term means if needed. In the meantime, enjoy those adorable imitated accents while they still have them because soon enough they'll be speaking like everyone else in your house and you just might miss these days.

“Do you remember…the 21st night of September?” has been one of the most iconic song openings of the past 45 years, as the R&B hit by Earth, Wind and Fire perpetually serves as a catchy favorite for dance clubs, movie scenes and TikTok clips alike. However, "September" has also gained wild popularity among an unlikely group—pet cockatiels.One cockatiel in particular has taken a shining to the song to the point of obsession, to the combined delight and chagrin of his owner. You see, Kiki doesn’t just like listening to the song, he sings and dances to it. Loudly. Over and over. At uncomfortable hours of the morning.Kiki’s owner has shared multiple examples of her pet bird reveling in his favorite song, and it’s hilarious every time.Watch: @kiki.tiel Send help plz wheres the off button on parrot #fyp #foryou #bird #cockatiel #parrotsoftiktok #birdsoftiktok "Kiki…it's 7 o'clock in the morning…" Yeah, Kiki does not care. Kiki is feelin' the groove.This isn't just a one-off and it's also not just a random song. Here we can see that Kiki recognizes it and sings it when his owner plays it. (Just after pooing on her leg—the reality of having a bird, in case these videos make you want one). @kiki.tiel Babywipes handy at all hours ? #bird #cockatiel #fyp #foryou #september #parrot But Kiki doesn't even need anyone else around in order to sing his favorite song. Here he is singing and dancing all by himself when his owner left the room and left her camera running to see what he would do. @kiki.tiel Partying without me :( #cockatielsoftiktok #birds #fyp #for you As cute and hilarious as this is, it surely gets old after a while, right? It's one thing to watch in a video—it's got to be entirely another to hear it all the time at home.It's also not just a Kiki quirk. Apparently, "September" is a "thing" among cockatiels. Other cockatiels have been known to love it and sing it, though not quite as well as Kiki does. Someone on Reddit asked why so many cockatiels love the song—one person even said it was basically the cockatiel national anthem at this point. No one knows exactly why, but this explanation by Reddit user nattiecakes is as good an explanation as any: "Yeah, cockatiels genuinely like the song in a way they don’t universally take to many other songs. My cockatiel is 17 and early in life basically seemed to max out his harddrive space learning a little bit of La Cucaracha, The Flintstones theme, the phrase 'pretty bird,' and this horrible alarm clock sound that is similar to the hungry baby cockatiel sound. We thought we could not get him to learn anything else because they do have some limits.Then 'September' came. Every cockatiel loved it. We decided to see if our cockatiel loved it.I sh*t y’all not, within a DAY he whistled the first three notes, which is really all that matters. He hasn’t been able to learn more, but he loves it.Now our African grey whistles it to him constantly. He used to reliably whistle La Cucaracha to our cockatiel when our cockatiel would get angry and upset, and our cockatiel would start singing instead and forget he’d been upset. But almost immediately our grey switched to using 'September' 90% of the time. Like, it’s so plain even to our grey that 'September' is the song to unlock a cockatiel’s better nature. I think the grey likes it a lot too, but he has many other songs he likes better.As for why cockatiels like this song so much… all I can guess is it really resonates with their cheery vibe. I think the inside of a cockatiel’s mind is usually like a disco."Rock on, Kiki. Just maybe not so early in the morning. This article originally appeared in April.