I learned something interesting this week. John Pemberton, the famous Atlantan who invented Coca-Cola, was also a Civil War veteran who suffered from chronic pain because of injuries. This led to a morphine addiction. In his quest to lessen this dangerous dependence, he created the mixture that became Coca-Cola (which, yes, did have cocaine in the original recipe, from coca leaves).
As they say, necessity breeds invention. Sometimes, that invention takes on a life — and legacy — one could have never imagined.
GET OUT AND GALAVANT
Gambol. Frolic. Frisk. Sure, it’s running, but we can call it something more whimsical. Getting out and moving your body can heal so much, as Grammy-nominated Atlanta rapper Gunna knows well.
- Gunna spent about four years in prison for his role in a wide-ranging racketeering case involving several Atlanta rap personalities.
- While he was incarcerated, Gunna decided to make some changes. He embarked upon a rigorous personal fitness program and committed to what he calls “walking the straight and narrow.”
- When he got out of prison, he decided to share his love of fitness with the community. It caught on, and the rapper has hosted 5Ks in New York, Toronto, South Africa and Atlanta through his Wunna Run Club.
“I just wanted to do something for my side in Atlanta, and it ended up just starting to be like a worldwide run,” he told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “We running everywhere.”
🏃🏿 READ MORE: Gunna’s message to younger generations of Black boys and men
DOLLY’S A-MAIZE-ING
File under: Things that just make sense.
It’s corn maze season, and all across the country corn maze artists (because surely, that’s what they are) are using the great Ms. Dolly Parton as inspiration.
Look at this beaut from Twins BBQ Co. in Brookfield, Connecticut. That’s 5 acres of corn and Tennessee greatness right there.
🦋 READ MORE: What it takes to make a maize maze
SIPS FROM AROUND THE SOUTH
🐺 Mann Harbor, NC: Three American red wolf pups born in a St. Louis zoo will be raised by a wild red wolf family in North Carolina’s sprawling Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge, a premier sanctuary for the critically endangered species. The new additions bring hope for conservationists and will also add extremely important genetic diversity to their new North Carolina family. More from the St. Louis Zoo
🥫 Richmond, VA: RVA Community Fridges has been providing free food to communities in need for more than five years. Community fridges are a type of mutual aid that anyone can get involved in, including local restaurants and grocery stores. The group just opened their 17th community fridge in the Richmond area. More from WVTF
🏠 Greensboro, NC: “I thought I was dreaming.” That’s what one local man said when he moved into his first apartment after 10 years of homelessness. He’s one of the first recipients of long-term housing under the city’s new Housing First Plus Initiative. More from WGHP
🐄 Christiana, TN: Green energy or farmland? Why not both? A solar panel farm in Tennessee lets cows graze beneath the panels. The panels can rotate to a unique “grazing” position, which allows the cows underneath while they maintain the field (aka eat the grass and then fertilize it.) The arrangement is one of several ways farms and companies are combining clean energy and farming techniques to make the most of the land. More from Eco News
TELL US SOMETHING GOOD
Is there a cool event we need to know about? Something great happening in your town? Let us know. This is your space, too. SweetTea@ajc.com.
SOUTHERN WISDOM
I don't worry about things. So when things come up, I can't change them, you know?
When you reach 100, you probably know a thing or two. Barbara Haig still zips around in her Mustang and has traveled all over the world. But her advice to future centenarians is simple. Well, in theory it is. It actually takes a lot of practice, patience, mindfulness and hope to set aside the things we can’t change and focus on what we can.
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