Life can change in an instant. My first instance was when I got diagnosed with chronic Lyme Disease five years ago. My second was October 15th, 2013, the day I collapsed from undiagnosed co-infections. My third happened just last week. It involved a balinese bead cap, a mischievous cat, and a lecture by Dr. Wayne Dyer.

It was a Wednesday afternoon. I sat at my kitchen table with tears streaming down my face, a pair of jeweler’s pliers lying forgotten in my hands. Snow fell lightly outside the window as I sat in hushed silence, listening to Dyer recount the story of holocaust survivor Viktor Frankl, a man who willed himself to survive by forcing himself to find the beauty in everything.

To most teachers, the idea of fitting in more recess time seems scary, especially given how much most curriculums require them to get across in such a short period of time.

To most students, more recess time is a desirable figment of their imagination, as I truly believe you will be hard pressed to find a kid who doesn’t enjoy their daily time outside of the classroom.

To Eagle Mountain Elementary in Fort Worth, Texas, more recess time was an initiative worth pursuing and several months into the program, it’s proving to be a strong decision.

The school recently decided to start giving their students four recess periods a day: two fifteen minute breaks every morning and two fifteen minute breaks every afternoon. The results so far have been incredible, and teachers, students, and parents have all chimed in with nothing but praise for the new system.

Imagine walking into a library full of breathing, blinking, crying, laughing, thinking, speaking – even walking —  books! Imagine being able to ask any question you like of these books and getting an answer tailored to the nuances of your request; only, they aren’t really books, they are actual people! Now, thanks to the work of an incredible organization, you can check out a person as you would a book to find out more about their unique stories.

How Does A Human Library Work?

A human library is set up quite similarly to a normal library, in that you pick a topic which you would like to know more about and have an allotted time with your ‘book’ to learn about it before it must be returned. The downside is, unlike a book, you don’t get to take that person home with you.

“It’s meant to be a safe space to ask difficult questions and not to be judged,” Ronni Abergel, founder of The Human Library, told Upworthy. “To try and gain an important insight into the life of someone you think you know something about, but… You don’t.”