There was a woman in Detroit, who has two sons. She was worried 1 them, especially the younger one, Ben, 2 he was not doing well in school. Boys in his class 3 fun of him because he seemed so 4.

    The mother 5 that she would, herself, have to get her sons to do better in school. She 6 them to go to the Detroit Public Library to read a 7 a week and do a report about it for her.

    One day, in Ben's  8, the teacher held up a rock and asked if anyone knew it. Ben 9 up his hand and the teacher let him 10. “Why did Ben raise his hand?” They wondered. He 11 said anything; what could he possibly want to say?

    Well, Ben not only 12 the rock; he said a lot about it. He named other rocks in its group and even knew 13 the teacher had found it. The teacher and the students were 14. Ben had learned all this from doing one of his book 15.

    Ben later went on to the 16 of his class. When he finished high school, he went to Yale University 17 at last became one of the best doctors in the United States.

    After Ben had grown up, he 18 something about his mother that he did not know as a 19.

    She, herself, had never learned how to  20.

    Once a wise man was walking from one town to another with a few of his students. While they were travelling, they happened to pass a lake. They  1 there and the wise man told one of his students, “ I am  2. Get me some water from the lake there.”

    The student  3 up to the lake. When he reached it, he  4 that some people were  5 clothes in the water, and, right at that moment, a cart (四轮车) started  6 the lake. As a result, the water became very  7. The student thought,“ How can I give this muddy water to my teacher to drink!” So he  8 and told the wise man, “ The water there is very muddy. I don't think it is  9 to drink.”

    After about half an hour, again the wise man asked the  10 student to go back to the lake and get him some water to drink. The student obediently (顺从的) went back to the lake. This time he found that the lake had absolutely 11 water in it. The mud had settled down and the water above it looked fit to drink. So he 12 some water in a pot and took it to his teacher.

The wise man looked at the water, and then he looked up at the student and said, “ See 13 you did to make the water clean. You let it be … and the mud 14 on its own — and you got clear water… Your mind is also like that. When it is15, just let it be. Give it a little time. It will settle down on its own. You don't have to 16 any effort to calm it down. It will happen. It is effortless.”

    What did the wise man 17 here? He said, “ It is effortless.” 18 peace of mind is effortless process. When there is peace inside you, that 19 permeates (蔓延) to the outside. It20around you and in the environment, so that people around start feeling that peace and grace.

Be a Traveler, not a Tourist

    Last summer, I had just enough money saved to buy a golden ticket—a 3-month train pass that would take me to the furthest reaches of Europe. Excited for my journey, I packed all the necessities —except the 1.

    While the convenience of the Internet was definitely a contributing factor to my 2 not to take with me the few expensive kilograms of out-of-date information, this was not the only reason why I decided to fly alone.

    To be honest, my main 3 with the guidebook is that I find it 4 the pleasure of a journey—like bossy aunt who is always telling you what to do, 5 she doesn't always know what is the best.

    Experience has taught me that there is an obvious 6 between a tourist and traveler.

    While waiting in a queue, I met a man who had a checklist. He showed me his list of “Top 20 Things To Do in Italy” and 7 off in a loud American accent that he'd seen everything Italy has to offer in just four days.

    The problem I had with this man's 8 to travelling was that he was too 9 information provided by his guidebook. He was lost in the 10 attractiveness of the “must-sees” and 11 to all the wonders and adventures that might happen during the 12 trip.

    So, 13 any  guidebook,  I  traveled  to  Estonia,  the  tiny  Baltic  country bordering Russia. In the 14 of advance plans as guidebooks would suggest, I had no choice but to turn to some friendly faces for advice. I 15 myself first and then asked them what was happening around the town. When this 16 an invitation to a beautiful Estonian home by a river where I 17 a 110-degree wood-stove sauna(桑拿浴), 18 picked forest-mushrooms and the good 19 of our five newly-found Estonian friends, I was most glad that I had left my “bossy 20” at home.

    I remember the first day when I saw Sally playing basketball. I watched in wonder as she struggled her way through the crowed of boys on the playground. She seemed so

    1 but she managed to shoot jump shots just over their heads and into the net. The boys always tried to stop her 2 nobody could.

    I began to notice Sally at other times, basketball in hand, playing 3. She practiced dribbling(运球) and 4 over and over.

    One day I asked Sally why she 5 so much. Without a moment of hesitation she said, "I want to go to college. The only way I can go is to get a 6. I'm going to play college basketball and I want to be the best one. I believe if I am 7 enough, I will get one. My father has told me that if the dream is big enough, the facts don't8. "

    I 9 her through those junior high years and into high school. Every week, she led her team to 10. One day in her senior year, I saw her sitting on the grass, her head

    11 in her arms. Slowly and quietly, I walk 12 and sat down beside her. "What's wrong?" I asked. "Oh, nothing," came a soft reply, "I am just too short. " The 13 told her that at 165 cm she would probably never play for a top team -- still less she would be 14 a scholarship -- so she should stop dreaming about college.

    I felt she was extremely 15. I asked her if she had talked to her dad about it yet. She told me that her father said those coaches were 16. They didn't understand the17 of a dream.

    The next year, Sally was seen by a college basketball coach after a big game. She was 18 offered a scholarship and 19 to the college education that she had 20and worked toward for all those years.

    It's true: if the dream is big enough, the facts don't count.

    It was many years ago. I was a1father on my way home to my wife and baby boy after spending all day2college classes. I had gone back to school to get a degree in education. I wanted to secure a3job that would help me to build a better life for my growing family. It was a two-hour round trip to the4, so every day I would pray for my 20-year-old car to5it all the way.

    As I started down a lonely stretch of highway about 12 miles from my home I6a car parked along the side of the road with its emergency flashers7. A small woman was struggling to8a flat tire. This was long before the age of cell phones9I knew that any other help might not arrive for a while. I10behind her car and offered to give her a hand. Her own hands were bruised(擦伤的)and11from struggling with the lug nuts(四方螺帽)and she had tears of frustration in her eyes. The lug nuts were rusty(生锈的)and12and the lug wrench(单向扳手)a little small, but after a while I got the flat off and the13tire on. As I said goodbye the little lady hugged me with tears of14this time. I waved and drove off a little embarrassed at her15. After all, it had just been one kind act.

    It took me a lot of years after that to learn the true16of one kind act. One kind act can change the world. One kind act can teach more17than a million words. One kind act can save a lost soul and heal(治愈)a18heart.

    Never pass up the possibility of using your own19to make this world a better place. Every day we are given the choice to be20or kind. Always choose to be kind.

    At an airport I overheard(无意听到) a father and daughter in their last moments together. They had announced her plane's1and standing near the door, he said to his daughter, "I love you; I wish you enough."

    She said, "Daddy, our2together has been more than enough. Your love is3I ever needed. I wish you enough, too, Daddy." They kissed good-bye and she left.

    He walked over4the window where I was seated. Standing there I could see he wanted and needed to5. I tried not to interfere(干涉) his6, but he welcomed me in by asking, "Did you ever say good-bye to someone7it would be forever?" "Yes, I have," I replied.

    Saying that brought back8I had of expressing my love and9for all my Dad had done for me. Recognizing that his days were10, I took the time to tell him face to face how much he meant to me. So I knew what this man was11. When I asked why it was a forever good-bye, he said he was12and her daughter lived much too far away. He guessed this departure might be the13before his funeral. When I asked him why they said "I wish you enough", he explained that had been14from other generations. His parents used to say it to15, by which they wanted other people to have a life filled with enough16things to support them.

    "I wish you enough sun to17your attitude bright. I wish you enough rain to appreciate the sun more. I wish you enough happiness to keep your spirit18. I wish you enough pain19the smallest joys in life appear much bigger. I wish you enough gains to20your wanting. I wish you enough "Hellos" to get you through the final 'Good-bye'."