The Power of a Note

          On my first job as sports editor for the Montpelier(Ohio) Leader Enterprise, I didn't get a lot of fan mail, 1a letter that was dropped on my desk one morning seemed 2  to me.

         When I opened it, I read: “A nice piece of writing on the Tigers. Please3 the good work.” It was 4  by Don Wolfe, the sports editor. Because I was a teenager (being paid for 15 cents a column inch ), his words couldn't have been more 5 . I kept the letter in my desk drawer 6  it got rag-eared. Whenever I  7whether I had the ability to be a writer, I would reread Don's note and feel 8  again.

        Later, when I got to know him, I learned that Don made a 9  of writing a quick, encouraging word to people in10  . “When I made others feel good about 11  ,” he told me, “I feel good too.”

    Not 12  , he had a body of friends as big as nearby Lake Erie. When he died last year at 75, the paper was 13  with calls and letters from people who had been recipients of his 14  words.

  15 the years, I've tried to copy the example of Don and other friends16  care enough to write uplifting comments, because I think they are on to something important. In a world too often cold and unresponsive, such 17 bring warmth and reassurance. We all need a push from time to time, and a few lines of 18  have been known to turn around a day, even a life.

        Be 19  with your praise. Superlatives like “greatest” “smartest” “prettiest” make us all feel good. Even if your praise is a little ahead of reality, remember that expectations are often the20  of dreams fulfilled.

    I have always lived in India, and was recently traveling from Mumbai to Jaipur for work. Arriving at the airport 1, I was asked to hang out in the waiting area 2, without much else to do, I decided to check out the gift shop. As I walked around the store, I saw two American 3 having a nap on a recliner(躺椅) outside. It looked as if they had been at the airport for hours, and I felt I had to do something to help ease their 4.

    I looked around the store for a few moments, and 5purchasing a medium-sized stuffed by toy which looked like the cartoon character SpongeBob SquarePants (though it was orange instead of the normal yellow). I asked the owner of the shop for a 6 and a pen and wrote, “When you get up 7this makes you smile, it would 8 the world to me. Have a good trip and an awesome experience. ”

    I walked 9 towards the two women and placed the toy and the note next to them. Not wanting to shock on 10 them, I tried to be as slow as possible, but in my 11 to flee the scene, one of them woke up and 12me in the act. At first when she looked at me, I 13: maybe she thinks I'm a thief? 14when she looked at the soft toy and the note, she brightened up, as if this was the 15thing anyone had ever done for her. “Is this for me?” she asked. I gave her a huge 16 and nodded.

    She was so excited! For a minute, it didn't feel like we were 17 anymore. I shook hands with her, and her smile 18my day. I walked away with nothing but 19 for her, and came to feel that, even though we were from 20 places, she was just like me.

    27- year - old Ross OC Jennings has become an online celebrity for his bagpipe-playing (演奏风笛) photos across the globe. He calls1 the First Piper.

    The seed for the world traveling idea 2 him when he attended a travel expo in London, where he met adventurers who shared their 3 from across the globe. Ross was attracted by their stories.

The 4 began on a night in Tunisia in May 2014 by chance. Ross 5 his bags without knowing much about the North African country.6Tunisia, he traveled across Western Europe, the mountains of China, played in front of the Taj Mahal in India and Cambodians ancient temples. But his greatest7was in Kenya.

    On the way to Nairobi, Ross arrived at a famous 8 sanctuary (禁猎区) and hotel in Kenya. He begged the hotel owners to ask if he could play the bagpipes there. They answered 9“Of course the house was built by a Scotsman.” “the minute I started playing all these giraffes started 10towards me, rocking. It was the most 11 audience I've ever had.

    Ross has three 12when traveling. First, pipe in a school to interact with students; second, challenge himself to play in a dramatic place; and last, play in public. His Facebook is filled with 13 taken from around the world.

    Ross's journey is all 14 thanks to his unique music career, which started at the 15 of thirteen when he was offered the chance to play bagpipes at school. After leaving university, he16“the last thing I wanted to do was work behind a desk”. Inspired by the travel expo and equipped with his bagpipes, he made his wish to 17a real desk.

    18 planning what to do in the countries Ross visits, the plans seem to find him. He said, “Chance is a big part of it. That's why I partly, intentionally, don't try to plan too much.” The music connects people in uncommon and wonderful 19“Without having this dripping in clichés（陈词滥调）, it is amazing how 20 does connect people and how it makes people smile,” Ross said.

When Marcus, a homeless man, walked into a small cafe, begging for spare change, he didn't get 1. Instead, Cesia, the owner, kindly asked why he didn't have a job. 2 his head to avoid eye contact, he replied, "I used to be in prison and no one wants to 3 me." Although Cesia had hit some hard times of her own at the cafe, she was short of hands that day and 4 Marcus a position, washing dishes for two hours.

With a big smile, Marcus 5 accepted it. While Marcus was busy with the dishes, Cesia made him a sandwich. Marcus immediately walked out to the street and 6 it with a homeless woman. "Do you know the lady over there?" she asked out of 7. "No, but I know she is hungry." That really 8 Cesia.

Since business was not good, Cesia couldn't 9 to employ him. So at the end of that day, they said their goodbyes. 10, much to her surprise, Marcus continued to 11 on time for work every day. When he got 12, he bought food from the cafe, refusing to take it for free. When asked why, he said, "It makes me feel 13." Marcus was showing that he was really a nice person. For Cesia who was going through a dark period, Marcus became a 14 in her life.

"People need someone who 15 them and even lends a helping hand." Cesia wrote on Facebook, "Just like Marcus, I had my 16 when in trouble. I had many people to help make it to where I am today. Do something 17 for someone else and don't 18 them just because they're out there asking for money, for we don't know their real 19. Some deserve another 20."

    Looking at the checkout lines at the grocery, I quickly turned my handcart to line number three. There were only two women there, and neither had kids or coupons(赠券) ! The store was my first 1that morning, and I had a half dozen others on my2before meeting my husband for lunch.

    Two minutes turned into ten, and I watched as the other lines moved 3. I moved my 4in the shopping handcart and dug for my wallet, trying to5the cashier that it was time to get a move on. Finally, after fifteen minutes, I took a breath and6. Then I heard the cashier tell the women in front of me: “And just like that, he told me what she looked like and 7one hundred dollars here to8her groceries. He said not to worry about the9, just give it to charity.”

    The story she was10had taken place in the sales department. An older man had witnessed a(n) 11mama in need.12for foods with kids around, she was sticking to her list and 13the items on her calculator as she went. The gentleman said he had a little 14on him that day, so he left one hundred dollars to 15her groceries and, just maybe, add a little wiggle room(回旋的余地) to her 16.

    After hearing about the man who had17served a fellow traveler in life, I realized that my hurry, 18and general worries were19. What's five extra minutes in a line to hear a story of a man sharing his  20? Suddenly, I know I could wait.

    Next week, strangers with a truck will 1 everything we own, except the clothes on our backs, the car we will drive, and as much stuff as we can pack into it.

    It's called 2 . Some people do it often. For others, like me, it's a rare experience. In all my adult years, I've moved only 3 .

    My first husband and I moved into our first house with a bed, our clothes and a few gifts. That was 4 ago. Over the years, I filled that house with three children, a few dogs and enough stuff to reach the ceiling(天花板).

    Then the kids grew up, I lost my 5  to cancer, and I began to learn about 6 .

    First, I let go of the idea of being 7. Life isn't about being in charge of what happens; it's about being in charge of what we do with it.

    Next, I let go of 8 the things I care most about. I began to put important things first like keeping in touch with the people that mean the most to me.

    I let go of the people whose lives are about anger or hatred( 憎恨), and tried instead to 9 myself with those who shine with 10 .

    Finally, I let go of being 11－I remarried.

    I eventually moved to a new city with my new husband, and after that move, I promised I'd stop collecting meaningless things. But 12 years later, here I am, still learning about letting go. Yesterday while cleaning out a dresser, I found a box filled with old keepsakes(纪念品). Nothing in that box may mean much to anyone, except me. They are treasures for me which 12 me of the 13 they preserve. We finally decided to hold onto to them and never let them go.

    We'll all move someday from this world to the next, but we won't need a truck to do it. We'll take nothing with us and but 14 a memory of the life we lived, the mistakes we made, and all the love and kindness we tried to show That memory might not be a treasure, but 15 , someone will keep it and hold it close and never let it go.