With the barrage of negative and tragic stories that control our airwaves every day, it is refreshing and uplifting to see coverage of a story that can’t help but bring a smile to your face.

Even better, this fun and light-hearted story is one that’s going on right in our backyards – at the Detroit Zoo.

I first heard about Talini, the zoo’s 10-month old polar bear, from a friend of mine that recently spent an afternoon at the zoo.

“You should have seen him,” my friend said. “He was just like a little kid; he kept getting up on this rock and then he would almost run and jump in the water…it was so funny because he just kept doing it, over and over. He was like a child running and jumping into the swimming pool.”

I couldn’t help smiling when my friend was telling me the story, even though I hadn’t been there. Just thinking about this big, white bear running and jumping into the pool had turned my mediocre day into a brighter one.

Then, today, while reading the online edition of the Free Press, I noticed another story about Talini, but, this time, the story wasn’t about him cannon-balling into the water; it was about his mother teaching him to swim. I was already smiling when I opened the video file on the FREEP site, and – with one look at that footage – I was grinning from ear to ear.

If you don’t have time to see Talini’s swimming lessons this Sunday, check out the Free Press photos and video clip. I guarantee it’ll brighten up your day.