🥪 Life is good when you have a good sandwich

🕯️ This Wick burns incredibly warm. No, this is not a candle story; I already used my best candle references a couple weeks ago. Instead, it’s our first induction to the Case of the Mondays Hall of Fame, and it comes for the man who plays John Wick, Keanu Reeves.

Anecdotes of celebrities doing or saying nice things one time are a dime a dozen. It’s rarer to hear story after story about one person, each arriving at the same conclusion: what a genuinely nice guy that dude is.

That dude is Keanu Reeves. Without fully exhausting our supply of Keanu good guy stories (gotta save some for a rainy week in the good news world), here are just a couple quick wholesome tales, including one that’s been making the rounds again this month.

The legend grew last summer at a New York baggage claim, where a young fan bombarded Reeves with questions. Bystanders were stunned by how enthusiastically the actor not only fielded the questions, but also with how enthusiastically he asked several of his own: where had the boy been in Paris, what galleries did he go to, which was his favorite?

Bear in mind, this was after an international flight, when just about anyone would be forgiven for not being at their best. But Reeves is an unfailingly kind person. I get it - that story alone won’t send your jaw to the floor, but it’s the consistency of these stories that makes him a first ballot hall-of-famer.

For an even better example, let’s travel back in time to the ‘90s, when a movie theater employee noticed Reeves coming in to buy a ticket. Hoping for an autograph, he offered Reeves the employee discount, which would require him signing a sheet as part of theater procedure. Confused, Reeves declined the offer, noting he didn’t work there.

Two minutes later, he returned.

It had dawned on him the employee wanted his autograph, so he went to the concessions stand, bought an ice cream, got a receipt, signed the receipt, gave it to the employee, and then tossed the ice cream cone in the trash. He didn’t need a snack - he just did all that so he would have a piece of paper to sign for the boy!

The actor is famous for gifting cast and crew with part of his salary or gifts, but his ability to consistently treat strangers with incredible kindness is truly special. I can guarantee you this won’t be the last time we share stories celebrating it.

Keanu Reeves…welcome to the Case of the Mondays Hall of Fame.

He’s so nice, he’d probably accept this totally unknown and newly-conceived honor with the utmost grace. You know what? Keanu can wrap up this section better than I can.

“We are humans on a rock floating through space with a finite amount of time. So take that into account—how we treat ourselves, how we treat others and we are all in this together. Be excellent to each other!"

But also….

“Life is good when you have a good sandwich.”

Amen.

P.S. There are rumors Keanu is set to star alongside Nicolas Cage in the upcoming National Treasure sequel. If that’s not the best news (albeit unconfirmed) you could get to start your week, I don’t know what is.

👮‍♂️ Mentorship, No Matter What. Sadly, like many US cities, Chicago can be a place rife with stories of hardship, violence, and crime. While those stories grow louder and more numerous, one Chicago police officer is determined to affect change and give kids a chance to productively shape their futures.

Having previously worked as a resource officer in Chicago Public Schools, Officer Kenneth Griffin felt compelled to help at-risk youth. His efforts were born from a belief that the city’s young people just needed a chance to see different behavior and experience different things - to see a path to a different future. So, he founded “No Matter What,” a non-profit focused on those opportunities.

What started as a humble community garden where students learned about building garden beds and fences has morphed into something larger. Recently, Griffin brought fifteen students to Ireland to show them a different culture. The organization has also found a new home, thanks to the Cook County Land Bank.

The work Griffin is doing is special, not just showing these kids what’s possible but making them feel appreciated…like there’s someone out there who really cares no matter what.

🤝 50 years of a job well done. Back in the 1960s, Doris Caldwell would walk by Tennova Healthcare in Cleveland and tell herself she’d work there one day. Today, at the age of 85, Doris is in her 50th year of cleaning rooms at the hospital, a job she considers her dream because it allows her to play her part in helping people. With immense pride in her work, an incredible work ethic, and a remarkable attitude, Doris approaches the job with as much vigor today as she did 50 years ago.

The story was featured in Steve Hartman’s On The Road segment for CBS News, and the video is well worth the watch.

When asked when she’ll retire, her response is both simple and emphatic.

“No!”

Doris is an inspiration to all, including her daughter who has now worked as a nurse at the same facility for 44 years.

Getting up and going to work can be damn hard. Not all of us are built different like Doris, who is both a national treasure and a supremely gifted individual. But with a touch of her attitude and pride in her work, we might just be feeling better about what we do - or just as importantly, we might be inspired to find something that makes us feel that way.

🍝 Good news, carb lovers. According to an Insider piece from last week, you might not have to feel so guilty about eating all that pasta and all those potatoes…as long as you let them cool first.

According to Leena Hilakivi-Clarke, a professor of food science and nutrition, apparently some of your favorite carbs can be a force for good! They’re sources of a dietary fiber known as MACs, which are productive in boosting gut health. The only catch is pasta, rice, and potatoes aren’t rich in MACs when freshly cooked. Instead, they become resistant starches upon cooling in the fridge, activating their beneficial properties.

Once cooled, they can be reheated and consumed, now harder to digest. That sounds like a negative, but as a result, they reach your large intestine where they can feed on bacteria and promote gut health.

Do we buy that these cooled carbs are now a miracle food? Not really!

If Michael Scott had let his Fettuccine Alfredo cool, would he have won Michael Scott’s Dunder Mifflin Scranton Meredith Palmer Memorial Celebrity Rabies Awareness Pro-Am Fun Run Race for the Cure?!

Who’s to say?! But probably.

Anyways, valid or not, if you needed a sign to crush some pasta or a baked potato today, say no more fam! This is exactly what you’re looking for.

Just don’t forget to toss your carb of choice in the fridge first. Microwaves everywhere are about to be fighting for their lives.

🔑 The Key to the City. You know you did something awesome when you receive a Key to the City. Never really understood that award as a kid. Was this some sort of universal key that unlocked every door citywide? Isn’t there liability that comes with that? What would the recipient use it for? To go to the ice cream shop after hours and help himself, free of charge?

Anyways, as it turns out, it’s a symbolic gesture, meaning the hero should be welcomed and celebrated throughout the city. Arturo Castrejon is just such a hero, having received a Key to the City of Las Vegas from Mayor Carolyn Goodman.

Two weeks back, believe it or not, Las Vegas was inundated with floodwaters so strong they began to carry a helpless elderly man down the street. Castrejon noticed, and despite not knowing how to swim, he jumped into action, shepherding the man to safety.

Of his rescue, Castrejon said, “I feel really good inside, feel like I am a hero now, feel like I can help more people, if I can.”

That feeling must be as rewarding as a Key to the City. Probably even more so. Thing can’t even open any ice cream shops…

🍗 Ain’t no thing but 276 chicken wings. Football season is officially back, which means wing-eating season is officially back. That’s a silver lining of summer ending if there ever was one.

Most people start to feel rightfully disgusting somewhere between 10 and 20 wings. Some can extend the enjoyment by breaking up the rapid wing consumption with a quick carrot or celery break.

Ah yes, I ate one carrot stick. I officially declare this meal…..healthy! Pass the ranch, please.

There was no time for carrots or celery last week during the Wing It On! US Chicken Wing Eating Championships. What an event name! In 12 minutes of competition, Australian James Webb ate 276 chicken wings, setting a new world record and easily besting American hero Joey Chestnut.

His strategy?

“Clean the bones as best I could.” Apparently, as part of the contest, officials weigh the leftovers, and Webb’s tactics paid off.

Look, there’s no inspiring lesson here. Sometimes the lesson from this section is simple: humans are capable of some pretty insane stuff when they set their minds - or stomachs - to it. But if you’re battling a chicken wing-induced hangover from the first NFL Sunday of the year, you can at least rest comforted by the knowledge that it could be far, far worse.

🎾 Dancing a dream into reality. This is Coco Gauff, age 8, dancing in the stands as a fan at the 2012 US Open.

11 years later, that girl - now age 19 - just won the whole damn thing. Talk about a dream come true. Gauff broke onto the professional tennis scene four years ago. It feels like she’s been around forever, but she’s not even 20 yet, and her championship breakthrough is right on time.

In the aftermath of her triumph, Gauff was on fire, dropping one gem after another.

“I don’t pray for results. I just ask for the strength to give it my all.”

Whew. Age 19.

We get so results-oriented, we forget to appreciate what we can actually control along the way: our effort.

“Thank you to the people who didn’t believe in me. Those who thought you were putting water on my fire, you were really fueling it, and now I’m burning bright right now.”

The next American tennis star has officially arrived, and she’s wise well beyond her years.

🏟️ Lifelong pilgrimage, complete. Sports demand their own section in Case of the Mondays not just because of the stories of achievement and success. Not just because of the underdog stories or the tales of overcoming adversity.

We love sports because of their unique ability to elicit human emotion. To unite us. To make us feel alive. To forge lifelong bonds between family and friends.

That incredible ability is demonstrated this week by two videos of fans visiting their teams’ home stadium for the first time. Look at what it means to Daire Gorman, a disabled Liverpool fan from Ireland, to hear the club’s You’ll Never Walk Alone anthem ring out around Anfield.

Or look at this 85 year old grandfather on his first trip to the Santiago Bernabeu, home to Real Madrid, a club he’s supported his entire life.

“For me, I’m telling you from the bottom of my heart. If I die today, I’d die a happy man.”

How special is that?!

Sports are an incredible reminder - offered consistently - that our shared experiences are some of the most special things in life, gifts to be treasured at every opportunity.

🏈 The difference 10 years makes. Last week, Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow became the highest paid player in NFL history. But he wasn’t always fast-tracked for success on the biggest stage. Far from it, in fact.

Ten years ago, Burrow was in high school and couldn’t even get attention from college coaches. Rather than sulk and moan about the injustice of it all, he got to work, as this now viral DM shows.

He focused on what he could control. Find opportunities for exposure, play hard, and play well. Improve.

He didn’t become a laughably rich QB from that one DM, but it marked the start of a decade-long process of stringing wins together:

Get noticed → Get recruited → Go to Ohio State → Get overlooked again at Ohio State → Transfer to LSU → Win the Heisman → Become the #1 NFL Draft pick → Tear ACL → Recover → Lead the Bengals to a Super Bowl appearance → Sign biggest contract extension ever

String incremental improvements together consistently over the course of ten years - even through setbacks - and watch where you end up. It may not end with a lucrative NFL contract (damn!), but you’ll be an incredible version of yourself.

Today is September 11th, and while it’s challenging to find silver linings in the tragic events of 22 years ago, we can celebrate all those amazing souls that showed unfathomable heroism and humanity on the day and in the aftermath.

One of our favorite stories is The Man in the Red Bandana, an incredibly moving account of the heroic actions of a man in the World Trade Center named Welles Crowther. Crowther persistently traveled up in hopes that others might safely find their way down, rescuing several survivors at the cost of his own life.

In moments of utmost crisis, there are incredible and selfless helpers in this world. Today, we remember all those lost in 2001, and we honor their legacy by offering each other a helping hand and greater empathy while we have the chance.