The first interview that I listened to was “Try to be Happy: A Father shares his Wisdom”- where interviewer Xiao Hui Star and Tchin share stories of acceptance and belonging, whilst overcoming adversity and odds against him. He was told that he would never amount to anything due to his race and background, starting at ages as young as 13, being stopped by police due to the way he looked, and just holistically through his life felt like he didn’t belong. He walks his daughter through the hardships he experienced as a young adult, and eventually overcoming these adversities and becoming a happy father to his two girls and a loving husband. The main takeaway he describes is that we as humans obsess over the low points in our lives, and allow the negative emotions and moments to consume us and deter our happiness, and that we should all “try to be happy, the longest life is short”. This sentiment really resonated with me, as life is so fragile and fleeting and why we still obsess over the things in life that make us miserable, or consume ourselves with negativity rather than putting that energy into our wellbeing. I lost the last of my extended family this past summer with the passing of my grandparents, and my parents are now the only family I have left- recognizing the importance of celebrating the people around you and putting your energy into making yourself and those you love happy is a very important life lesson I have taken away from the past few months, where I now keep a running list in my phone of things that bring me joy to further express my gratitude for life. Overall this story was really uplifting and sincere to see a father and daughter exchange moments about his life and what brought him to the moment of having her, and a family.
The second story that I listened to was entitled “How a Teacher’s Act of Kindness Bound her Student and Family Together”, where John Cruitt, Cecile and Allison Doyle are interviewed regarding Mrs. Doyle’s impact on John’s life after the loss of his mother days before Christmas- she kissed him on the forehead and told him everything was going to be ok, making third grade John feel supported during his time of grief. She shares a story of empathy towards her student, where she relates to his sudden loss of his mother after she lost her father when she was young. The two reminisce on his inspirations to become a teacher following her impact she made on his life, and share just how important our teachers can be in our development and well being. Sadly, Mrs. Doyle has since passed away in 2019, but John was rejoined with the Doyle family by speaking with her daughter, Allison, and the two reminisce on the importance of their relationship and the joy Mrs. Doyle had brought into the world. Overall, this story was incredibly touching and heartfelt, my mom is a teacher and I know how special her students are to her so it was really sweet to see another teacher care so passionately about the welfare of her students.
