Two of the saddest words in the English language are if only. I live my life with the goal of never having to say those words, because they convey regret, lost opportunities, mistakes, and disappointment.

    My father is famous in our family for saying, “Take the extra minute to do it right.” I always try to live by the “extra minute” rule. When my children were young and likely to cause accidents, I always thought about what I could do to avoid an “if only” moment, whether it was something minor like moving a cup full of hot coffee away from the edge of a counter, or something that required a little more work such as taping padding (衬垫) onto the sharp corners of a glass coffee table.

    I don't only avoid those “if only” moments when it comes to safety. It's equally important to avoid “if only” in our personal relationships. We all know people who lost a loved one and regretted that they had foregone an opportunity to say “I love you” or “I forgive you.” When my father announced he was going to the eye doctor across from my office on Good Friday, I told him that it was a holiday for my company and I wouldn't be here. But then I thought about the fact that he's 84 years old and I realized that I shouldn't give up an opportunity to see him. I called him and told him I had decided to go to work on my day off after all.

    I know there will still be occasions when I have to say if only about something, but my life is definitely better because of my policy of doing everything possible to avoid that eventuality. And even though it takes an extra minute to do something right, or it occasionally takes an hour or two in my busy schedule to make a personal connection, I know that I'm doing the right thing. I'm buying myself peace of mind and that's the best kind of insurance for my emotional well-being.

    What will you think of when it comes to “Hong Kong” and “great swimming”? Shopping sure, but swimming pool? Turns out, along with all its other attractions, Hong Kong is loaded with wonderful pools.

    The Ritz－Carlton

    The pool at the Ritz－Carlton is breathtaking, thanks to the view, the altitude and, of course, the swim. On the 118th floor at 484 meters above the street in the tallest building in Hong Kong, it's the world's highest swimming pool. The ceiling and walls are made up of 144 LED screens displaying coral reefs and other natural scenes.

    W Hotel Hong Kong

    If you have only one nice swimsuit, save it for the W Hotel Hong Kong. Only people living in this hotel can enjoy this wonderful pool, which is Hong Kong's highest rooftop pool. The hotel's signature WET deck is famous for stylish and occasionally wild poolside parties in summer. WET also features a good cocktail bar and a Jacuzzi.

    Hotel Indigo

    One of Hong Kong's unique experiences is swimming in Hotel Indigo's glass bottom pool. The pool protrudes from the hotel, allowing people below to see swimmers and the swimmers to do laps while checking out the traffic below. The pool is smaller compared to other local grand hotels and only available to the hotel guests.

    Four Seasons Hotel

    The Four Seasons Hotel gorgeous infinity pool overlooks Victoria Harbor. Even cooler, the hotel pipes in underwater music, making the swim much more wonderful, or annoying, depending on your taste in music. The pool is open only to hotel guests.

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    Kid of the Year Photo Contest

    Enter your kid's photo today and win! We're giving away 52 weekly $250 prizes from Readers' Choice votes. PLUS our editors will select one entry(参赛作品) to win our grand prize of $7,000.

    Official Contest Rules

    No purchase necessary to enter or win. The Kid of the Year Photo Contest entry period begins at 12:00 a.m. January 23, 2014, and ends January 21, 2016( the “Entry Period”). Entries must be arrived by 9:00 p.m. on January 21, 2016 (“Entry Deadline”). Entries will not be acknowledged or returned.

    SPONSOR: Meredith Corporation, 1716 Locust Street, Des Moines, Iowa.

    ENTRY: There will be two methods of entry.

    Share My Entry:

    Visit http://www.parents.com/photos/photo-contests-l/kid-of-the-year/and click the button to enter. Then complete the registration form and follow the instructions to upload one album of up to six photos of your child aged three months to eight years. Photos must be taken by entrant, non-professional, unpublished and may not have won any prize or award. Photos must be .jpeg or .bmp image formats(格式) and cannot exceed 3 MB.

    Facebook Entry:

    Visit http://www.Facebook.com / Parents Magazine and click the Kid of 2015 tab. Fill out the registration form and upload one album of up to six photos of your child aged three months to eight years. You may provide one description and one album title that will be applied to all photos. Photos must be taken by entrants, non-professional, unpublished and may not have won any prize or award. Photos must be .jpeg or .bmp image formats and cannot exceed 3 MB.

    This promotion is in no way sponsored, supported or run by, or associated with Facebook. You are providing your information to Parents Magazine and not to Facebook. The information you provide will only be used to run the promotion and register for Parents.com.

    Photos must not contain material that infringes the rights of another, including but not limited to privacy, publicity or intellectual property rights, or that constitutes copyright violation. Photos must not contain brand names or trademarks.

    LIMIT: One entry per household, per eligible(有资格的) child, per week. One weekly prize per child. For entries of more than one eligible child in the household, the entry process must be completed separately for each child. No group entries.

    You may think, salt is just a simple cooking element we shake on our food for a little extra taste. But salt is much more than that. Without salt our muscles would not move. Our nervous systems would not operate. Our hearts would not beat.

    But do not think rubbing salt in a wound will help. Doing that would be painful and not heal the wound. To rub salt in a wound is an idiom that means to purposefully make a bad situation worse.

    Early humans got the salt they needed to stay alive from the animals they killed. But advances in agriculture led to a diet low in salt. So, humans needed to find other sources. Those who lived near the ocean or other natural sources for salt were lucky. Those who did not had to trade for salt. In fact, people used salt as a method of payment in many parts of the ancient world. The word “salary” comes from the word “salt”.

    Salt also played an important part in population movement and world exploration. Explorers understood that if they could keep food fresh, they could travel longer distances. So they used salt to preserve food and explored the world.

    Salt was so important that, according to food historians, it was traded pound-for- pound for gold. Today, people still use the expressions “to be worth one's salt” or “worth one's weight in salt”. The expressions describe a person of value.

    A person might also be called “salt of the earth”. That description means he or she is dependable and trustworthy. However, when you say “I think we should take what he said with a grain of salt” you mean you accept it but maintain a degree of doubt about its truth.

    I live on the West Coast of British Columbia with my husband and three children. Our day started like any other day. My husband left for work in the north of the town, which is an hour and a half's drive. The younger children caught their bus to school ten minutes away. Our oldest attends high school and is a 40-minute drive away. I work at home in the office, working on the computer.

    It was November 2006 and the news had reported gusty winds. When the winds started to get strong I shut the computer down and tried to phone my husband. I left a message telling him the winds were blowing at 80 to 90 km/hr. As I hung up the phone, I heard a tree crack. I went outside and stood in the driveway. Another tree exploded and my heart was racing.

    When the school bus carrying the youngsters arrived, I ran to get them. No sooner had we made it to the house than another tree exploded. The children were clearly scared, so I loaded them up into the car and we parked in the middle of the yard, where no trees could land on us, it was starting to get dark.

    My oldest son didn't come home on the bus and my husband was stranded at work. I called the high school and reached my son. He said he was stranded and didn't know what to do. I called a friend in town for help. He managed to get my son home to me. Finally, my husband managed to get home.

    We had been prepared for such events, as we had a generator, candles, a wood stove, fresh water, batteries and two freezers full of food. We were without power for five days. But we didn't panic we had all the emergency equipment we needed. Thankfully, none of our neighbours were injured, but the damage was extensive. We are witnessing climate change. We need to be prepared.

The Best American Cities for Live Music (Besides Nashville)

Nashville isn't the only city in the country with an amazing live -music site. Read on to discover other hot spots that should top your live -music bucket list.

Austin, Texas

With an official motto of "Live Music Capital of the World," it is easy to find more than 100 spots showcasing a wide variety of free live music performances. So make your way to Texas. Hang your cowboy hat and check out The Parish, The Elephant Room,etc. for a truly unforgettable Austin experience.

Minneapolis, Minnesota

Prince, Bob Dylan, Lizzo and Husker Du are just some of the great musicians who have called Minnesota their home. One of Prince's favorite clubs to visit was the Dakota Jazz Club. If your budget is tight, you'll be happy to know that Minneapolis is one of 11 affordable U. S. cities to add to your bucket list.

Asbury Park, New Jersey

Asbury Park has seen a major musical rebirth over the last decade. The Stone Pony has been one of the most popular rock sites in the world since opening its doors in 1974, with Jon Bon Jovi helping to put i ton the map.

Raleigh, North Carolina

With more than 80 live music spots, Raleigh is sure to satisfy any musical desire you have. If dinner and a show is your style, the Irregardless Cafe has been hosting live jazz, not to mention fresh-from-the- farm meals- nightly since 1975. But before you book your ticket, learn how to say "Raleigh" like a local.