In 2004, environmentalist and human rights activist Wangari Maathai achieved the historic distinction of becoming the first African woman to be honored with the Nobel Peace Prize. Maathai, who was also the first woman in East and Central Africa to earn a doctorate, received the award for her efforts in advancing democracy, peace, and sustainable development. In 1977, Maathai founded the Green Belt Movement, an environmental organization committed to supporting conservation and empowering communities. In her 2006 memoir, “Unbowed,” she reflects on the challenges of her life and how the rewarding path she ventured down after her divorce may not have been possible had she stayed married. Her poignant observation reminds us to look for the silver linings in the storm clouds of our own lives. Even during the most challenging times, there are still openings for positive redirection and personal growth to be found if we choose to look for them.

A defining feature of fantasy author Guy Gavriel Kay’s novels is his tendency to set them in fictional locales that resemble real places, rather than wholly fabricated fantasy worlds such as J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth. For example, “A Song for Arbonne” is set in an analogue of medieval Provence, France, and “The Sarantine Mosaic” takes place in a version of sixth-century Byzantium with a fantastical twist. In his epic 1990 novel “Tigana,” set in a world resembling Renaissance Italy, a group of rebels conspire to overthrow occupying forces and reclaim their homeland. While walking the winding darkened hallways of an ancient castle, Devin, one of the novel’s protagonists, remembers something he had once been told: “There are no wrong turnings. Only paths we had not known we were meant to walk.” It’s a reminder to journey on even when the path seems lost — and that other ways are sure to open up to us as long as we keep the faith.