My high school gym teacher went from being a health nut and bodybuilder to a professional pastry chef. One day he just decided he was tired of bench presses and protein shakes, went to culinary school, and now he runs one of the best bakeries in town. The dude gained like 50 pounds but swears he's never been happier.

I knew a guy in college who was a straight A student on track to become a doctor, but he was miserable and burned out. One day, he dropped out, moved to a small town, and started a woodworking business. He's now incredibly happy making custom furniture and says it's the best decision he ever made.

3 years ago I was totally paralysed due to a neurological condition. Totally bed ridden dependent on carers. As of this month, I am almost a qualified teacher and ran my first 5K. A doctor told me years ago to accept my life for what it was. I never stopped fighting and now you’d never know anything was ever wrong with me.

I can only speak for myself. I was 13 years old, overweight, sick all the time, prone to violent outbursts (mimicking my biological father), and actively researching the most painless and foolproof methods for ending my life.

I started running. At first, I could only make it a couple of hundred feet. My ankles felt like they'd burst into flames. But I leaned into the pain, because it felt like something other than despair. I kept running. Within a year, I was fit, swore off violence, and found several compelling reasons to live. And I got hopped up on bananas and Diet Coke and ran 13 miles one afternoon like it was nothing.

I've fallen back into the pit several times in my life, but I always claw my way out toward the light. Running has always been the fulcrum. I'd be dead without it.

As a new mom, I had my special needs son at Disneyland when he was about 4. He had a complete meltdown. As he screamed and flailed, I got all kinds of dirty looks and muttered comments about how I should be controlling him, he was spoiled, he shouldn't be there if he couldn't behave, etc. It was extremely stressful for both him and me. He couldn't control his dysregulation, I had him in a safety hold and was unable to do anything more than keep him physically safe.

Then a mom came up and said "do you need a juice box or some goldfish crackers? I have extra." She even stuck the straw in the juice box for him. He was immediately able to calm down and regulate. I could have cried. All of those people walking past us giving us looks and comments, and one person recognized that he just needed some sugar and carbs to get through a rough patch. Now that my kids are older and I'm more experienced, I always look for ways I can help other parents in distress. It takes a village, but I wouldn't have thought I'd find that village from a random stranger at Disneyland.

I bought a dining room table off Facebook marketplace after my ex took ours during the separation. It was a tough season. Went to pick it up and there was no way I was fitting both the table and chairs into my vehicle. I also failed to bring bungee cords. The FB stranger, knowing very little of my situation, immediately loaded up her van with the chairs, helped me secure the table into my car, followed me home (all the way across town, tailing me to make sure the table didn't fall out on the highway,) and helped me move the new furniture into my dining room.

It was one of the kindest things anyone has ever done for me. I sent her a hand written thank you note and gas money, but there is no way to adequately express the gratitude I have for that person and her kindness.

Today the librarian must have noticed my 2 year old was reaching his limit of staying-quiet-and-not-grabbing-all-the-books and offered him a sticker just in time. I didn't even notice she was there until she saved the day!