【推荐1】It took multiple weddings for Christine Law to realize what she needed to do. In the summer of 2014, her schedule was packed with friends’ marriage celebrations - flower-filled occasions that got her thinking, “Where do all the flowers go after the party？” More often than not, they were thrown away. Law was confident she could find a better use for them.

By August, she had a plan:convince couples and companies hosting events to donate their flowers, which she would pick up and deliver within 48 hours to seniors across the city. She wanted to bring beauty into the lives of the elderly. She drew on her experience through being a volunteer in non­profit institutions in order to set up her own organization, which she called Floranthropie. Not having enough bouquets (花束) for all 150 people of a health center, Law asked the staff to provide a list of patients who needed cheering up most. “The first woman I approached thought it was a mistake, and that the flowers couldn’t possibly be for her,” says Law. “I said they were a gift, and we talked for a half hour.

In addition to health centers, Floranthropie focuses on community groups devoted to the elderly. Laëtitia Thélème is a volunteer for Les Petits Fières, an organization that aims to help the elderly who don’t have a support system. The group receives a dozen or so bouquets from Floranthropie monthly, and then redistributes them. “Our motto is ‘flowers before bread’,” says Thélème. “We don’t focus on primary care, but rather on nourishing (滋养) the spirit. Floranthropie helps us do that. It’s amazing what a big difference a small bouquet can make.”

In the beginning, most of Floranthropie’s donations came through word of mouth. These days, Law receives messages from strangers via her organization’s Facebook page and has connected with corporations and flower wholesalers. Law hopes to expand Floranthropie nationally, but at this point is happy to be able to oversee each delivery personally.

【推荐3】I live in San Luis Obispo, California, about four miles from the beach. Every few years, the humpback whales come into the bay for a few days while they’re migrating. In November 2020, the whales were around, so my friend Liz and I took out our yellow double kayak to watch the wildlife.

We got out on the water at about 8:30 am. For the first half hour, we didn’t see anything. Then I spotted two pairs of whales right past the pier, swimming toward us. We were in awe: it’s an amazing feeling to be so close to a creature that size.

When whales go down after breaching (跃出水面), they leave what looks like an oil slick on the water. I figured if we paddled toward that spot, we’d be safe from the whales, since they’d just left. We followed them at a distance-or what I thought was a distance. I later found out that it’s recommended to keep 90 meters away. We were probably more like 18 meters away.

All of a sudden, a tightly packed swarm of fish started jumping out of the water into our kayak. Their movement sounded like crackling glass around us. At that moment, I knew we were too close. I was terrified. Then I felt the kayak lifted out of the water and tipped back into the ocean. I figured the whale was going to drag us down somehow, and I had no idea how deep we’d be sucked underwater.

What I didn’t realize at the time was that Liz and I were in the whale’s mouth. It had engulfed my entire body except for my right arm and paddle. Liz, meanwhile, was looking up directly into the whale’s jaw-it was like a big white wall. She told me later she thought she was going to die. I was still worried about being sucked down by the vacuum, so I just kept thinking that I had to get up and fight this.

Whales have enormous mouths but tiny throats. Anything they can’t swallow, they spit out. We were wearing life jackets, and soon we both popped up out of the water about a meter apart. The entire ordeal lasted only ten seconds, but to me it felt like an eternity.

A few people were nearby, and someone shot a video of the entire incident. A few days later, I studied the video and saw how close I’d come to being injured or killed. I became so much more appreciative of life after that day. There’s no way I’m getting that close to whales again. I want to respect their space and now I’m very aware of the power of nature.

【推荐2】Adventure-seeker Emma broke her ankle when she fell awkwardly while climbing a rock and spent a week in hospital waiting for an operation on her foot. When she was sent home to recover under strict instructions not to bear any weight, she became so fearful of crutches (拐杖) that she didn't move for three weeks. “I tried crutches but I kept falling over and injuring myself. So I literally just stayed on the sofa all day, ” says Emma.

She was gutted at the thought of missing the Wolf Run — a quarterly event that she hasn't missed since 2014. “If you complete four Wolf Runs in a year, one in each season, you get Alpha Wolf status,” explains Emma. “This year was going to be my fifth in a row as an Alpha Wolf and I was really upset that I'd lose my status.” So she was willing to try anything to get through the course — even with her injured ankle.

“I was telling my friend that I was going to cancel, and he persuaded me to give it a go. Having something to aim for really kept me going." Emma completed the run wearing an iWALK2.0, which is a medically-approved device and it basically functions like a hi-tech artificial leg, allowing users to walk freely. I decided to get one and it completely changed my recovery. I could move around the house and start getting out and about again, which had a real impact on my mental well-being.”

On the day of the race, Emma was nervous but the sound of people cheering her on kept her motivated. Emma made it over the finish line in just under six hours and clocked up her 23rd Wolf Run in five years. “It was an incredible day and my determination to finish combined with the support I received along the way kept me going,” says Emma.

【推荐3】A PhD student in Michigan defended her paper while wearing a skirt made of rejection letters she received while studying. 29-year-old Caitlin Kirby printed out 17 of her rejection letters — from scholarships, academic journals, and conferences — then folded each one into a fan. She connected them in rows, and by the end she designed the item into a skirt and wore it.

She said that the idea behind her unique clothing item came out of a desire to normalize rejection and take pride in overcoming it. “The whole process of revisiting those old letters and making that skirt sort of reminded me that you have to apply to a lot of things to succeed,” she said. “A natural part of the process is to get rejected along the way.”

Caitlin’s adviser, Julie Libarkin, a professor of earth and environmental science at Michigan State University, also encourages the acceptance of failure in her students. Libarkin believes it’s important for students to get into habit of applying for things, and to get used to the feeling of rejection, so she encourages them to chase after any opportunity that comes their way. If a student doesn’t get the grant or the spot in the academic journal, that’s okay. They’ll still have learned something in the process.

As for Caitlin? Her rejections over the years have led to great things: Since her doctorate, she’s won a scholarship to do further research on urban agriculture in Germany.

Currently, she’s a post-doctoral researcher at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. As for what the future holds? “I’m prepared to receive a few more rejection letters along the way,” she joked heartily, “Maybe I’ll make a longer skirt.”