We, humans, are hardwired to feel empathy toward others. It comes naturally for us to put ourselves in other people’s (or even animals’) shoes, especially when we can relate to the situation or emotion they are in.

Bright Side believes that we are all connected by the shared feelings we all experience as living, breathing beings. We’ll let these photos take you on an emotional rollercoaster that will make you want to hug a loved one today.

1. “My grandparents won first place at their senior center.”

2. “Met another bionic and decided to swap limbs.”

3. “Today I celebrate the 2-year anniversary of breaking off my front tooth by breaking off the new one on a piece of bacon.”

4. “My 130-lb Rottweiler, Zena, is afraid of grocery bags and loves stuffed animals.”

5. “My grandpa seeing his navy commander again for the first time in a long time.”

6. A pup having a blast experiencing snow for the first time.

7. “My great aunt reunited with her best friend from her teens. They haven’t seen each other since 1962.”

8. “On one hand, I finally got a job. On the other, they took my soul.”