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As a quote goes: "Life is 10 percent what happens to you and 90 percent how you react to it." Through the muddied waters of life and societal turmoil, what does it take to see a sense of possibility? This week's stories are witness to remarkable resilience, strength, and community alchemized from the ashes of incredible challenges.
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Paula Hudgell
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A 5-year-old boy with two prosthetic legs has raised more than
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Texas Roadhouse
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When the pandemic hit the U.S. in early March, Texas Roadhouse restaurant chain CEO Kent Taylor jumped into action. He bought protective equipment and developed a stimulus package for staff in his nearly 600 restaurants. He also gave up his own salary and donated $5 million to help employees pay bills and expenses like funerals. "As I approach the ripe old age of 65, I have found what matters to me most is the health and well-being of my family, which includes my parents, kids, and grandchildren. But, I am also blessed with an extended family of over 75,000 Roadies, and their health and safety is also a personal priority to me," he wrote. For Taylor, these unique times call us to think differently and this was simply how he was raised and what he felt was right. Having his own experiences of financial adversity in his past, it was also a way to give back. He says he hopes everyone stays safe and healthy, and perhaps pays the kindness forward.
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NPR
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The U.S. celebrates this Independence Day amid nationwide protests and calls for systemic reforms. In this short film, five young descendants of American social reformer and abolitionist Frederick Douglass read and respond to excerpts of his famous speech, "What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?" speech which asks all of us to consider America's long history of denying equal rights to Black Americans. The speakers range in age from 12 to 20; after reading Douglass' speech, their timeless spirit and youthful sincerity offer insightful commentary on othering and belonging in modern-day United States.
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Rebecca Matthews | Unsplash
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Erin Socall lost her job. The next day, she transformed herself into a baking messiah for her neighborhood. Read the story of this Toronto woman, who has so far baked more than 800 loaves of bread (sometimes waking up at 3am to do so). She has delivered her creations to people from all walks of life, and her reward is the smile these loaves bring to those who receive them.
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This week, from July 6-12th, Montreal's annual circus festival is putting on a series of outdoor pop-up performances. But with a surprise twist. "We can't invite thousands of people to come in the streets," said Nadine Marchand, artistic director of Montreal Completement Cirque. While the festival is technically cancelled due to COVID-19, the spirit of circus persists with a series of secret, surprise performances in Montreal neighborhoods. A truck called the "Bonheur Mobile" will roll up to alleys, parks, streets and squares throughout the next week. Ten Quebec circus performers will come rolling out and put on an hour-and-a-half-long show for any unsuspecting Montrealers who happen to be passing by or looking out the window. "We just wanted to bring moments of happiness and joy to the public and put some spirit of the circus in the city," Marchand described.
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