I was on my way home from work, cutting through the park. On that day, the sun seemed to 1 faster than usual, and all of a sudden I found myself walking 2 I was less than half a mile from my apartment,3the path would lead me over a bridge, across train tracks, and 4 an unlit underpass (地下通道).

Then 5 I heard him — a stranger running alongside me. My mouth went 6. My legs felt like water. But I didn't7my pace. Instead, I stopped, turned, and8 him. He came out of the bushes and said he'd been watching me for a long time.9he walked beside me, I moved a little closer to the edge of the10When we reached the bridge, a train raced past, and he seized the moment,11 himself suddenly at me as his hands12my throat. The self-defense skills I had learned years before kicked in, and I dug my 13into his eye, hard. But he14grew bolder (大胆), pulling at my clothes. So I put all my 15into that thumb, and finally he16.

I was shaking with 17but I looked him straight in the eye and began to back away. I 18to run the hell out of there, but then I 19 another self-defense lesson: Never20 because then you're prey (猎物). So I walked away —alone — through the dark underpass as I dialed 911 with trembling fingers.

    If you want your life to stand for peace and kindness, it's helpful to do kind, peaceful things. One of my1ways to do this is by developing my own helping rituals (习惯). These little2of kindness are opportunities to be of service and reminders of how good it feels to be kind and helpful.

    We live in a rural area of the San Francisco Bay Area.3of what we see is the beauty of nature. One of the exceptions to the beauty is the4that some people throw out of their windows as they are5on the rural roads. One of the few drawbacks(缺点) to living out the boondocks（偏远地区）is that 6services, such as litter collection, are less available than those closer to the city.

    A helping ritual that I practice7 with my two children is picking up litter in our surrounding area. We've become so8 doing this that my daughters will often say to me in animated(兴致勃勃)9, “There's some litter, Daddy, stop the car!” And if we have10, we will often pull over and pick it up. It seems strange, but we actually 11 it. We pick up litter in parks, on sidewalks, practically12. Once I even saw a complete stranger picking up litter close to where we13. He smiled at me and said, “I saw you doing this, and it seemed like a good idea.”

    Picking up litter is only one of an endless supply of possible helping rituals. You might like14a door open for people, visiting lonely old people in nursing homes, or shoveling snow from someone else's driveway. Think of something that seems effortless yet helpful. It's fun, personally rewarding, and15a good example. Everyone wins.

    Several years ago, I had a long delay at the Pittsburg airport, 1 I headed for the shoe shine stand where two young 2 worked. One was a pleasant young man, the other was 3. I wanted the 4 one to shine my shoes. However, when my 5 came I got the quiet one.

    I said, “Good morning! How are you?” The man said 6 and I thought to myself, “That's no 7 to build a business!” As I sat down, he 8 rolled up my pant leg and as he used the soap to 9 my shoes he was careful to get none on my 10. He wiped the shoes with extreme care and as he 11 the polish (shoe cream) he made certain that every inch of leather was totally 12. He brushed the shoes, 13then took his shine cloth and really put some energy into the 14. As he was shining my shoes, I looked carefully at the man 15. He obviously suffered from some degree of mental dullness. When he 16 the job successfully, I don't need to tell you that the man got a 17 tip from me.

    Two major observations: his parents must be great people to have18 this young man the 19 of hard work; the second: regardless of your ability, if you 20 it and use it to the fullest, you can become really good at what you do. Major point: Be careful how you judge people on the first impression. Give them a chance.

    When Pat Jones finished college, she decided to travel around the world and see as many foreign places as she could1she was young. Pat wanted to visit Latin America2, so she got a job3an English teacher in a school in Bolivia. Pat spoke a little Spanish4she was able to communicate with her students even when they didn't5much English.

    A sentence she had read somewhere stuck in her mind: if you dream6a foreign language, you have really mastered it. Pat repeated this sentence to her students and7that some day she would dream in Spanish and they would dream in8.

    One day, one of her9students came up and explained in Spanish that he had not done his homework. He had10early, but had slept 11 .

    "What does this have to do with your 12?" Pat asked.

    "I dreamed all night, Miss Jones, and my dream was in English."

    "In English?" Pat was very13, since he was such a bad student. She was14 secretly jealous (嫉妒的). Her15was still not in Spanish. But she encouraged her young student. "Well, 16me about your dream."

    "All the people in my dream17 English." the student said. "And all the signs were in English. All the newspapers and magazines and all the TV programs were in English. "

    "Great. That's18, " said Pat. "What did all the people say to you?"

    "I'm sorry, Miss Jones. That's19I slept so terribly. I didn't20a word they said. It was a nightmare (噩梦 )!"

    It was the last day of the final examination in a large eastern university. On the 1 of one building, a group of engineering seniors gathered, discussing the exam due in a few minutes. On their faces was confidence. This was their last exam—then on to graduation and 2.

    Some talked of jobs they already had; others talked of jobs they 3 get. With the certainty of four years of college, they felt ready and able to take 4 of the world.

    The approaching exam, they knew, would be an easy task. The professor had said they could bring 5books or notes they wanted, requesting only that they did not 6 each other during the test.

    7they entered the classroom. The professor passed out the papers. And smiles8on the students' faces as they noticed there were only five essay­type questions.

    Three hours had passed9the professor began to collect the papers. The students no longer looked confident. On their faces was a 10 expression. Paper in hand, no one spoke as the professor faced the class.

    He looked at the 11faces before him, and then asked,  “How many completed all five questions？”12a hand was raised.

    “How many answered four？” still no hands.

    “Three? Two？” The students moved restlessly in their seats.

    “One, then? Certainly somebody finished one.” But the class 13 silent.

    The professor put down the papers. “That is exactly what I 14, ”he said. “I just want to impress upon you that, 15you have completed four years of engineering, there are still many things about the16you don't know. These questions you could not answer are relatively17in everyday practice.” Then, smiling, he added, “ You will all 18this course, but remember—even though you are now college graduates, your education has just19.”

    The years have20the name of this professor, but not the lesson he taught.

    It was 7 in the morning. I was on a train to another city when I started a(n)1with a young man sitting next to me. From what he said, I2that he came from a farming family and was now doing very well in the IT industry. He was3enough to give me a window seat, help a co-passenger when he dropped his coffee, etc. These small4showed what a good person he was!

    I was lost in reading a biography(自传) on Arnold Schwarzenegger. Arnold Schwarzenegger has played a huge role in my life5I haven't met him. Reading a6about him is great fun.

    Now my co-passenger7to see the book, so I handed it to him. Minutes passed into hours. From the train window, I8him reading the book carefully. Towards the end of the trip, I even saw him9everything about the book including the publishing house and code number. He turned to me and asked where he could buy this book.

    "You can10 it," I said. "This is the second time that I've read it anyway."

    I was lying! Actually it was last weekend that I bought it. I loved it so much and how I11to hold on to it myself! 12, when I thought of his kindness, I thought I should do something too. "Wow," the man said to me. "This is really13. Thank you so much."

    "No problem. Don't worry about it."

    I got off the train and walked into the new city with a sense of14. I did not regret giving the book to him as I believed15each other is really a good thing.