If your Facebook newsfeed is congested with political garbage, viral urban legends –“baby carrots are evil, y’all!” — and everything Kardashian, and you just. can’t. take. anymore…

Think of your newsfeed as a garden: you have to prune it with the Hide Post button on all the stuff that makes you want to unfriend everyone and weep for humanity; seed it with content and pages you enjoy; and fertilize it with likes so Zuckerberg & Co. can work their fancy algorithms to grow a newsfeed you’ll happily waste spend hours scrolling each day. {*wink*}

Here are nine of my favorite Facebook pages that keep it real, affect positive change, and celebrate the good things in life:

Verily Magazine: “It is no secret that women today are more educated, influential, and affluent than ever before. Yet we report record levels of anxiety and decreased happiness. Is this what we were striving for?

In a world that seems to offer us limitless choices, somehow the modern narrative about women – what we should look like, how we should date, how to be successful, what should make us happy – can ring hollow. So Verily is starting a new conversation – one for those who want a fresh take on life; an honest message that relates to their experiences which is uplifting, affirming, and true.”

Good News Network: “Featuring a Daily Dose of News to Enthuse, we are inspiring millions of viewers with positive news stories from around the world.”

Amy Poehler’s Smart Girls: “Founded by actor and writer Amy Poehler and producer Meredith Walker, the Smart Girls organization is dedicated to helping young people cultivate their authentic selves. Our motto is: Change the World by Being Yourself.

Our goal is to provide a healthy alternative to so much that is being marketed to young people on the internet. We emphasize intelligence and imagination over “fitting in.” We celebrate curiosity over gossip. We are a place where people can truly be their weird and wonderful selves.”

Love What Matters: “Personal stories of love, hope and kindness to make us #LoveWhatMatters.”

Upworthy:“The internet was supposed to open doors to new ideas. But too often it’s the opposite and narrows our world instead of broadening it. And fills it with empty stories that drown out the ones that matter most.

But sometimes a story opens a door to a new and better world. It might make you feel surprised, happy, inspired, motivated — even sad. Stories like that give us what we’re missing in life. They connect us with each other. They change our hearts and our minds. They are worth our time.

Upworthy tells those stories, and helps them reach millions every day. Stories that are worth your time — and that make the world a better place.”

Humans of New York: “Humans of New York began as a photography project in 2010. The initial goal was to photograph 10,000 New Yorkers on the street, and create an exhaustive catalogue of the city’s inhabitants. Somewhere along the way, I began to interview my subjects in addition to photographing them. And alongside their portraits, I’d include quotes and short stories from their lives.

Taken together, these portraits and captions became the subject of a vibrant blog. HONY now has over twenty million followers on social media, and provides a worldwide audience with daily glimpses into the lives of strangers on the streets of New York City.”

What are your favorite Facebook pages?