Results for "optimism"
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Roland is trim and fit. Yet in his early forties, his knees are giving him trouble. He hobbles across the infield of the track, shouting encouragement to runners, pausing to give a little instruction, gathering the hundred or so small athletes together for organized drills and stretches. If one misses a practice he calls their home. They start at 8 years old and finish at 18. Welcome to the Cheetahs inner-city track club. It’s family. The only cost is $15 dollars for a t-shirt and shorts. Roland was the first in his family to go to college. He earned his degree and put his hand on the business plow, looking forward to working his way up the corporate ladder. But his heart had other ideas. Track had changed his life. He took a teaching job at a local high school and started the Cheetah’s track club. Standing among the rapt young runners he can slip easily from street lingo to coach talk. To follow him around at a track meet is to be awash in his boundless optimism. “None of these kids have to be what their circumstance tells them they have to be,” he says. And indeed, as the years have gone by, he’s watched former awkward striders become doctors and lawyers, coaches and clergy. Roland preaches from his stadium seat pulpit: “A third place earns points. A sixth place pushes teammates ahead of you. “Any effort is better than no effort.”
A good road trip can strain any family. But for the Cheetahs, it only strengthens the bond. At Nationals in Chicago, teams from legacy programs in Atlanta, New Jersey, Los Angeles and New York stepped off shiny, chartered busses wearing matching travel gear accompanied by not only coaches and trainers, but also team pastors. The Cheetahs arrive in cramped family mini-vans, carrying groceries from home and packed ten kids per room. The volunteer coaches share a room with Roland and the few parents who could make the journey satirically named the Cheetahs “The team with the mismatched water bottles.”
But on the first day of workouts before the meet begins, the optimism is at an all time high. Kids wander into the lobby for the free continental breakfast giddy and excited. Roland woke early and ate eggs and bacon, then sits with the team. “My gut doesn’t like sugar anymore,” he says. Maybe because he is so full of sweet optimism he can’t stomach the artificial glucose high.
This morning, like every morning starts with a team meeting: high doses of “you can do this!” and “this is going to be your best time all year!” Roland knows about the power of optimism. He nearly lost all of this to a pain killer addiction after his second knee surgery. He just couldn’t kick it. He went into rehab, that lonely, isolated place where the only person who can save you is yourself. Plenty don’t make it. But Roland did, by taking it one day at a time and telling himself over and over again “you can do this.”
The Cheetahs win their share of medals at Nationals. More importantly, the mismatched water bottle club is by far the loudest group in the stadium. “You can do this!” they chant from the bleachers. And of course, they do.
You Can Do This... PassItOn.com®
Coming of age is that time in each of our lives when we begin to see the possibilities. The world opens up in ways that matures our vision, gives us a sense of responsibility and gratitude. Connor Thomson had just started college and loved being at that phase in his life where he could eat all the pizza he wanted, yet engage in adult conversations with his parents about the responsibility to make life better for others. Connor’s optimism was contagious. There was so much he could do, so much he could become.
But it all ended one night when Connor was distracted while driving in a Colorado canyon. A young man, who emanated so much light, suddenly went dark.
Connor’s father, David, took it particularly hard. A father sees more than his own traits in his son; he sees greater possibilities than he achieved. Taking that hope away left David feeling adrift. But Connor’s optimism was one of those traits passed on to him by his father. So David got to work.
First, he established the Honor Connor Scholarship Fund to reward students who served in the community. Next, he went to work creating a research-based curriculum that educates University of Colorado Boulder students and their families about the dangers of texting and driving. It includes a very simple three-part pledge: to not text or use social media while driving, speak out if riding with a driver who is distracted and encourage friends and family to drive phone-free.
David now collaborates with lecturers at various colleges and high schools, ensuring young minds understand how statistically at risk they are when they text and drive. He’s become a passionate advocate for preparing young people to drive safely and not impulsively reach for their phones while they’re at the wheel. “I just don’t want other parents to go through what I did when I lost Connor,” says David. “It’s just so preventable.”
While every constructive endeavor reminds David of the loss he suffered, he is encouraged knowing that more young people with so much to offer the world will be around to do good. “I get to be a part of what Connor would have done,” says David. “And that is a small consolation.”
Don’t Drive Distracted... PassItOn.com®
Penny Doerge should have had a normal childhood, hanging out with friends and growing into adulthood before thinking about how she could change the world. But at an early age, Penny was diagnosed with neurofibromatosis, a condition that causes tumors and can lead to brain cancer.
The prognosis was not good. But Penny had a life to live and refused to live it in darkness. In fact, she chose to spread light to everyone around her.
During the pandemic, Penny created a series of small gatherings called adventure camps for the neighborhood kids. Each child had a COVID test at the door, and then the fun began. It was Penny’s way of creating connections to overcome isolation. For those who couldn’t attend, she made funny TikTok videos and shared her artwork for those who couldn't attend. She loved to use her creativity to make ordinary things beautiful.
When it was time for another surgery — she had 15 in all — Penny would go about it in a businesslike manner. No complaining, no crying, just get through it and get back to living. Her mother remembers, “Somebody said Penny was an actress and the world was her stage. She was joy personified.”
Her teachers remember her as a hardworking girl everyone wanted to be around. She was happy and beautiful and artistically gifted. And she used those attributes to lift others. “She was a little angel,” her grandfather remembers. “She was fun and happy. Penny taught us a lot.” Her father adds, “She taught us how to treat other people.
Sometimes a very special person comes into this life to remind all those around her what we should really be about. We should make time to create beauty, and to share it. Penny’s artwork made people happy. Her notes and videos made people forget about hard things and focus on good things. Her friendship brought a sense of hope to everyone who wanted to be close to her. Her pastor says, “Penny was and will continue to be a bright light for her family and friends.”
Penny died at the age of 16. “She made a choice to live her life with joy and optimism,” says her father.
That optimism continues to burn bright. Her family launched Penny’s Flight, a foundation dedicated to inspiring others to live life as she did, according to the family’s motto, “It’s not your lifespan, it’s your wingspan.” The foundation raises money for cancer research and also celebrates life by sharing the message: Spread your wings. Shine your light.
Comedian Jimmy Fallon and former NFL quarterback Eli Manning have picked up the torch of Penny’s cause. And so it glows. The brief life of a young girl touches thousands of lives and reminds us all that we can soar to new heights, no matter who we are.
Spread Your Wings... PassItOn.com®
Life can feel terribly unfair. And yet for some people, when life hands them the worst possible circumstance, they are at their absolute best.
Jessie Joy Rees is just such a person. The blonde-haired, California kid with the big personality as fun as a day at the beach became the voice of courage for kids with cancer. How can so much good be packaged in one so small? Athletic and outgoing, Jessie had her whole world in front of her, until she was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor in 2011.
Three weeks into her treatment, Jessie asked an uncharacteristically mature question for such a young girl. She looked out at the other children who were also going through cancer treatment and asked her parents: “How can we help them?” Jessie’s heart was bigger than any tumor. She wanted to comfort other kids who were going through treatment; she wanted them to be happy, no matter what. The morning after her diagnoses, Jessie was at the kitchen table assembling bags of toys for other cancer patients. “She was determined to make other cancer kids happy,” her father Erik tenderly remembers. “How could we not help?”
12-year-old Jessie had a 1% chance of beating cancer. So, she decided to make the most of her time. The packages became hospital-safe plastic jars stuffed with toys, crafts and activities to surprise children while they are in the hospital for treatment. Aptly named JoyJars® using Jessie’s middle name, JoyJars contain a little bit of fun during mundane days, but mostly they contain a little bit of Jessie’s optimism that fills the room every time one is opened. One mother sent a tender thank you: “JoyJars have helped lift our spirits during Travis’ ongoing battle with his brain tumor.”
It is a special soul who can radiate so much good in so short a time. Jessie Joy Rees passed away less than a year from her diagnosis. But her parents keep the joy alive. More than 400,000 JoyJars have been delivered to children undergoing cancer treatment in all 50 states and over 50 countries. For each, there is a bit of Joy to help them through the tough times. And to give them courage, there’s also a bracelet stamped with Jessie’s mantra: Never Ever Give Up. “Jessie would never ever give up,” says Erik. “And neither will we. Every child facing cancer should know they are loved and supported.” For more information visit www.negu.org
No matter how long or short our lives turn out to be, there is always room for a little joy.
Never Ever Give Up... PassItOn.com®
A cancer diagnosis can bring you to the very edge of the cliff. It did for Allie Newman. A bright, athletic 16-year-old one day and a cancer patient the next.
Osteosarcoma isn’t a word that should ever be in a high schooler’s vocabulary. Allie got very familiar with it. It’s a degenerative bone cancer that requires aggressive chemotherapy. She endured 12 months of treatment, losing her hair, her strength and her appetite but never her positive outlook.
Then came the surgeries to replace her hip, her femur, her knee. On top of those were 10 maintenance surgeries. Allie became very familiar with hospitals. The endless trauma can take a toll, rob a person of optimism.
So when Allie found herself on the cliff edge, she had already made up her mind the first day she got her diagnosis. She had decided that she would live and love life, no matter what it brought. Yes, it was hard. But Allie also discovered new friends and the courage to finish college, to travel abroad, to sing at the top of her lungs, celebrate every new year of being cancer free and, yes, jump off literal cliffs. She jumped and screamed all the way down into the cool water. Her head bobbed to the surface, and she wanted to do it all again.
As Allie has realized, life is an opportunity not only to see what we’re made of but to help others see what they are made of. “Cancer changes people,” she says. “It sculpts us into someone who understands more deeply, hurts more often, appreciates more quickly, hopes more desperately, loves more deeply and lives more passionately.”
With that passion, Allie joined Teen Cancer America, an organization founded by rockers Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend that helps hospitals treat teenage cancer patients. Most hospitals don’t have special programs or facilities for 13- to 24-year-olds. Yet youth-focused programs and facilities help teenage patients better understand procedures, recover faster and have an overall better hospital experience. To date, Teen Cancer America has positively impacted 18,000 families by consulting with 97 hospitals and partnering with 30 to award grants.
You never know where your life will lead, what courage and determination you will have to summon. But when you are facing your fears, do as Allie says: “Take a second to smile, and give yourself a minute to truly reflect on all the good in your life right now.” And, if you are so inclined, jump off a cliff into the ocean, screaming for joy that you are here, that you are alive, that you can still love.
Resilience... PassItOn.com®
If your publication uses video, we produced the following inspirational video featuring Allie Newman. You can watch it below, or download the .mp4 file from this link and the closed caption file from this link for use in your content management system. This video is also on YouTube if your system can use video published there.
In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, when the volunteers have moved on but the residents are still there, David parks his car beside an apartment building. The light is waning. The building is made of stone, one of the few on this side of New Orleans. He opens his trunk, drags out four grocery bags of food, closes the trunk with his elbow and enters the building.
It’s Wednesday, the day he regularly arrives after work. He doesn’t look back at his car. He doesn’t worry about it anymore. At first, someone would scratch the side of his door with a key or a rock every time he left it for the hour he was making visits. But the anger in the neighborhood has subsided, and he has become a regular. The scratches remain, and he just shrugs. It’s only a car.
The apartment building is home to four widows. They live week to week and look forward to David’s visits. He brings each a bag of food beyond the necessities, a box of cookies, fresh (not frozen) meat, cans of instant coffee, new dishrags and laundry soap. But mostly, he stays to talk.
They tell him that each storm seemed to take a little more of the neighborhood away. That people are angry at the world. That their community is trying to come back, but it’s taking some time. What they all miss is the sound of children playing in the street. They hope that comes back someday soon.
Cleaning up after a hurricane takes time. It’s more than pumping out the water and mucking out the mud. It’s more than replacing moldy carpets and furniture. A violent storm can test a community’s bonds. It leaves residents numb, with barely enough energy to take care of themselves, let alone help somebody else.
There’s always an initial push when they all clean up together. That first response is encouraging, life-affirming. But then the doldrums hit. The sails are no longer filled with optimism. David knows this. He has spent his life helping grieving people. So when he leaves the office on Wednesday evening, he stops by the grocery store, picks out favorite cookies and sauces, and drives to the apartment building where loneliness is a constant storm. He hikes up the damp stairs and delivers a smile, a hug, a long conversation and a few tokens of friendship.
This Wednesday, when David arrives at his car in the dark, a young boy is standing there. “I watched your car,” the boy says. “Nobody did anything.”
David looks at the boy and smiles. “You did something, young man. You did a good thing.”
The boy lights up. A little encouragement is rare these days; seems it, too, got swept away in the storm. Without warning, the boy hugs David, the tall stranger who quietly brings groceries to the widows and tells them everything is going to be all right.
And it is. Everything is going to be all right.
Encouragement... PassItOn.com®
In classrooms across the country, students returning to fall assignments find themselves befuddled by the most daunting homework assignment: write a poem.
It is not easy to bare your emotions in poetry. Many grade-school kids avoid exposing their vulnerabilities at a time when they are trying so hard to fit in. But under the gentle guidance of good teachers, they put pencil to paper. Some of them even dare to submit their work.
In central Pennsylvania, Public Radio station WPSU sponsors a poetry contest. Eager young poets with minds sensitive to their surroundings timidly bring forth their musings in hopes of a little attention, perhaps encouraging others to be reflective, too.
Kindergartener Allison Caron writes: “The sunshine lights up the flowers … / The moon shines on the cars. / The moon shine becomes a sun. / The sunshine lights up our new day.” In a simple verse, Allison captures the hope we all share for a bright future.
Second-grader Alice Rimland writes: “Why is the world so big? ... / Why is summer hot? ... / Why did I ever write this poem? ... / Life holds so much more than what’s in the near future. / Wonder awaits!” Childhood optimism is one of the great wonders of the world. It would do us all good to see our lives through the eyes of a child, seeking friendships and peace, warm days and wonder in every gaze. Imagine waking full of curiosity, impatient to throw ourselves into the magic of a fresh start.
Fourth-grader Poppy Goble writes: “High on the mountain, a meadowlark / enthralled by the beauty, bursts forth and sings. / All around the mountain his glorious voice rings.” Such observation elevates the heart. Poppy goes on to describe a change in the scene; a storm rolls in, and the meadowlark takes refuge under a tree. Each of us has our place of refuge. And each of us can be a place of refuge for others.
Sixth-grader Eveline Overdurf reminds us of how much we can do with a blank page: “First there was nothing / A blank page / Waiting to be a story / A story of dragons, of princesses, and lost princes / Or maybe it’s a story of change, of patience /… It could give hope, or give comfort / It could change you, or strengthen you /… All on a single page of blank paper a better world could be formed.”
Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Carl Sandburg is described as America’s poet. He brought forth emotions that helped readers of all ages see the purpose of life more clearly. “I believe more than I can ever prove of the future of the human race,” he wrote. And so we can, with ink and paper, make the future bright beyond imagination.
Do Write... PassItOn.com®
As a teenager, Graham Nash co-founded The Hollies with his school friend, Allan Clarke. They became one of the most popular groups to emerge from the UK as part of the “British Invasion”. Named after their idol Buddy Holly, the Hollies began touring in the United States in 1969 which in time led to Graham meeting David Crosby and Stephen Stills with whom he created one of the most distinctive blends of voices in rock and roll history: Crosby Stills & Nash. Among Graham’s songwriting contributions to CSN and soon thereafter to CSNY was a song never recorded by the Hollies but a perfect fit for CSNY: “Teach Your Children”. The tender call-out to be attentive to your children and to encourage them to dream is a timeless reminder of our responsibilities and an awareness that as they grow into those dreams, they will always love you. The song then takes a turn and admonishes children to teach their parents, to share dreams with them, thus creating a mutual bond of trust and strong shoulders to lean on.
Graham Nash has never lost sight of his sensitivity to children and the world they will inherit. On Nash’s new release, Now, recorded at 81 years old, his song “A Better Life” explores the contagious optimism of an introspective observer who sings, “The world has changed, but the soul remains.”
As children, the road ahead seems long and obscured by many turns. With the guidance of the older generation, sharing the lessons learned and the ones that should be forgotten, we can (hope to) hear them say, that we left them a better life; a life more manageable, more likely to give them space to grow and in turn, reach back and give us that steady shoulder we need when our legs are feeble and our backs a little weakened by the load we carried.
No matter your age, and what you have accomplished, you can always take the time to make a better life for somebody. As Graham Nash says, “Although children are 25% of the population, they are 100% of our future.” Reach out by reaching back. Teach children well.
A Better Life... PassItOn.com®
The early 1900s in America were rough years for much of the population. The economy was strained, the great flu pandemic shortened lifespans, World War l took its toll, and many common diseases were not yet treatable the way they are today. But the working class found ways to thrive. They were resourceful, lived in close-knit communities and looked out for each other.
We often look for ways to be happy in our day. Looking back at how our great-grandparents lived gives us a new perspective. Their values, hard work and optimism for the future cleared the path for each of us. When Bernetta McKindra started looking into her family tree, she found her grandfather, Henry Perry, the Barbecue King of Kansas City.
“He came to Kansas City when he was 15, by steamship. He came alone, and he brought with him this method; you could take these cheaper cuts of meat that was thrown out from the packing plants and make it be tender, make it be delicious, make it be where people stand in line and wait for it [with] that beautiful art of smoking that he perfected,” Bernetta says.
Henry Perry honed his skills in restaurants and on steamships. He perfected the art of slow cooking over coals, a process that encouraged people to take their time eating. And eat they did. When he opened his restaurant, word quickly spread. People traveled from great distances just to eat his food.
But with all the time spent preparing meals and running a restaurant, Henry had little time to write his life down. Bernetta only learned of her famous grandfather when she overheard a conversation. And that set her looking into the smoky, savory past. “It was a glorious time. It was a time of reckoning that not only was this man being recognized, but he also was my blood relative,” Bernetta says.
It was also a time of segregation. But that didn’t stop people of all colors eating together. In fact, Henry’s Barbecue was one of the few places in America that was integrated. “It was a place where segregation ended when you walked through the door,” historian Sonny Gibson says. “People were just hospitable. They loved to sit there and eat barbecue.”
Bernetta carries on the tradition of having people over for dinner. Her friend Ray Mabion delivers memories with a deep, mellifluous voice, the kind that has been smoked to perfection next to a barbecue pit: “BBQ was always there. How wonderful it is to be invited to your house and those wonderful Sunday meals. You are an excellent cook; it is in your gene pool.”
Bernetta adds: “When you know what you come from, and it’s good stock, it makes you stand a little straighter, makes you walk a little more upright.”
Honor the Past... PassItOn.com®