Today I kept a promise and had lunch with a friend I had not seen for a while. I {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (be) extremely tired from school work, and my 5 hours in art lab where I had just come from, {#blank#}2{#/blank#} I wanted to go home to have a rest. But I kept my promise (48) {#blank#}3{#/blank#}I didn't want to make my friend disappointed. As it turned out, we had such a good time that I stayed{#blank#}4{#/blank#} (long) than I had planned and really saw how much the occasion meant to my friend. We{#blank#}5{#/blank#} (share) a lot of news, and it felt like we had never had such a long break.

I{#blank#}6{#/blank#} (real) wanted to go home and hide under the covers today. But for{#blank#}7{#/blank#} (keep) my promise and going to meet with a friend, I not only was kind to another person, but was also kind to {#blank#}8{#/blank#}. I got some much needed self-care out of the occasion and was able {#blank#}9{#/blank#} (make) the day of another person meaningful — someone {#blank#}10{#/blank#}was busy but still kept his promise to have dinner with me.

    When I was young, my mother used to give the family something special for meals. She once put some burnt bread in front of my dad. To my {#blank#}1{#/blank#}my dad just took his bread, smiled at my mother and then turned to ask me  {#blank#}2{#/blank#} my day at school was. I've forgotten what I told him that night, but I do remember watching him put some butter on that bread. He ate it up as {#blank#}3{#/blank#}.

    After dinner, my mum said sorry to my dad for burning the bread. And I will never forget what he said, “I {#blank#}4{#/blank#}burnt bread, dear. It doesn't matter at all. ”

    That night, I asked dad if he really liked his bread burnt. He took me in the arms and said, “Your mum worked very hard all day. She's really{#blank#}5{#/blank#} .And you see—a bit of burnt food never hurt!”

    Now I know life is not perfect. Nobody is perfect,{#blank#}6{#/blank#}. As for me, I often forget birthdays or some other special {#blank#}7{#/blank#}. But I've learned something important over these years. What we really need is the understanding of each other, whether between a husband and  {#blank#}8{#/blank#}a parent and child or just between two friends. This is the key{#blank#}9{#/blank#} a happy life.

    So don't get angry if the bread gets burnt. Remember, burnt bread never hurt anyone. Be{#blank#}10{#/blank#} to those around you and a happier life will surely come closer to you.