Learning experiences happen to us throughout our lives, and not too long ago, I had one that I would like to 1 . This story began with a 2 three years ago. It's a story of pizza and being3of buying ice cream with a US $20 bill.

    I was going to Marblehead, Massachusetts, with my racing team on the highway and we were all 4Luckily, we saw a rest area5. I had a brand-new US $ 20 bill, and I had 6had that kind of cash before. Spending it on food 7to me like throwing it away.

    We all rushed into the pizza line. 8 I got a cheese pizza and drink. Halfway through the 9, I realized I had not actually 10 any money to the cashier. I felt terrible. I just couldn't go back to the cashier and11my stolen pizza. I would feel embarrassed.

    I was so upset that I refused to give myself the12of an ice cream in fear that someone would say, "Hey, Jeff, why don't you 13 the change from the pizza instead of that nice, new US $20 bill?"

     was not so proud of my 14 now.

    For the next two years, whenever I was15of the "Pizza incident," I 16my eyes and said to myself, "Not gonna think about it, not gonna think about it…"

    I think this 17the saying, "A coward (懦夫) dies a thousand deaths, a hero dies 18." I was a coward and have felt19 about that incident at least a thousand times. If I had been a "hero" and gone 20up to pay for the pizza, then I would have felt a little embarrassed about it only once, or maybe twice.

Education from My Father

    My memories of my father are slim because he was so sick in the last years of his life. But there are   1 that I am often reminded of and which may have had some bearing on my love of  2 .

    When I was small I was somewhat  3 of lightning and thunder. My father explained it. The explanation was in 4  that a child could understand but was basically correct. I gained a better 5 later, but I didn't have to unlearn anything.

    What he said was that there was electricity in the clouds 6  it traveled to the ground like a spark. When it traveled  7  the air it made the air so hot that it 8 . Then there was nothing where the air had been and the air all around rushed in to 9  the space. He clapped his hands together very loud,  10 to be the air rushing in, and said that makes the thunder. When I hear thunder, I can still hear that 11 .

    He explained why if it was cloudy in the winter the night was warmer than if it was 12 . It was one of those nights when the sky was full of stars: no moon, no town lights. But there were more stars than you could 13 and they had color too. He said that if there were no clouds, we had no blankets and were  14 to the universe. Our warmth was going to 15  the whole universe. When there were clouds, they were like blankets and we were not exposed to the universe. I 16 feel on the edge of space on a very clear night.

    I am sure there were many other lessons that I 17  but no longer remember. What I did 18 , in general, was that there were explanations and that the more I understood them, the more comfortable the world was to live in. I was not taught that there were 19 but that there was understanding if you looked for it. This may be why I have always been  20  in science.

    A Welcome Gift

    Dario and his mother loved their new apartment. The living room was large enough for their piano. That night, the two of them 1 side by side at the piano. They played jazz music to celebrate their new home. The loud 2 filled the room and made them feel very happy.

    The next morning,3, their happiness disappeared. Someone had left a 4 under their door during the night. One of their neighbors had written to complain about the sound of the piano. Dario's mother asked the building superintendent (管理员) if he knew anything about it. But he said that they were all 5 people and he couldn't imagine any of them had done that. Later that morning, Dario suggested that they write a letter to their 6 and apologize for their playing.

     “Maybe we could go and 7 everyone in person.” his mother said.

“What if we invited them to come here for a 8 instead?” Dario asked.

They both loved the 9. Over the next few days, they sent out invitations and prepared desserts 10 their guests. They decorated the apartment with streamers (彩带) and party lights.

    Finally, the day of the party 11. Some guests brought presents. Others brought flowers. Some even brought desserts to 12. One woman, Mrs. Gilbert,13 Dario's mother with a book of piano music by Chopin.

     “I heard you playing the other night,” she said. “The sounds woke me out of bed. I 14 that you might play like this every night. So I wrote a short note. I hope you don't think I disliked the playing.”

    Dario's mother smiled at Mrs. Gilbert. “I think maybe we 15 you an apology.” she said. “I didn't 16 how late it was when we were playing. Maybe we should play some quieter music at night.

     “You play, you play!” Mrs. Gilbert said. “I like what you play! Just not so loud at night.” She pointed to the book she had given them. “These songs are not such 17 music.”

     “These songs are beautiful music.” Dario's mother said. “We will be 18to play them in the evening.”

     “And we won't play so loud or late!” Dario said. He was already looking forward to 19 the new music. More than that, however, he was happy to see the big smile on his mother's face. It gave him a feeling of 20 and made him feel that they were home at last.

    I always wondered how people would react if I tried to approach a total stranger for help in a busy place like a street corner or a mall. I have always 1 a stranger who tried to catch my 2 in a busy place.

    Yesterday I was in a busy shopping mall buying a large piece of luggage because I just had the 3 to do it after many days of planning. After the 4, I picked up my phone from my pocket to call my driver waiting in the parking lot but my phone was 5.

    Then I requested the shop assistant who had 6 sold me the merchandise (which was not cheap), if she could ring my driver for me. She 7 that it was the shop policy that they cannot use 8 while working in the shop.

    After I got out of the shop onto the busy street, I 9 a young mother with her two kids to make the same 10. As soon as I said “Excuse me, madam!” she grabbed her kids and ran. I 11 a kidnapper（绑匪）.

    I stood there wondering how many times I had 12 to strangers like the young 13. I stood there in the 14 street with people rushing by, looking at their faces to see if there was a sign of 15 on their face.

    I saw a man pretty shabbily dressed compared to me who 16 to notice me. I just stopped him and made my request. He 17 called my driver and waited till my car came to make sure I was picked up, turned around 18 I could thank him adequately and was gone.

    I was 19 by kindness and hope I will do20 to strangers who try to catch my attention from now on.

    It was Australia Day. We had spent the afternoon 1with friends. When we arrived home, the message bank on my mobile phone was flashing. It was our 2, Annabel, who had just been left at a boarding school over 500 kilometers away. Annabel's 3 voice greeted us: "Hi, Mum and Dad, I've 4 my phone!” After just four days at school her main means of 5 had gone missing at an Australia Day celebration. We realized the chance of finding the phone were 6 for we hadn't installed (安装) the Find My Phone app.

    The next morning, my mobile beeped (发出哔哔声) loudly. When I replayed the 7 a kind voice announced that she had something that 8 my daughter and could I please call her back.

Annabel had 9 my number on the inside of her phone's case —- 10 thinking! "I'll take it to work 11 you see if anyone can pick it up,” she kindly offered after I 12 that my daughter was at boarding school and I lived a six-hour drive away.

After tracking the people I 13 who lived nearby, I was out of luck —- no one was able to 14 the phone.

    Later I decided to ask our angel (天使) to post the 15 to my daughter. But to my 16, this angel, who had already spent a busy day at work, was making a two-hour round trip on a Saturday night, especially to 17 a phone to a complete stranger.

    I gave her 18 and she delivered the phone into the hands of my daughter. The only word of her explanation was: "I've got four 19 of my own. I know how a mother 20."

It was a sunny Sunday afternoon. My husband was taking care of our baby girl so that my six-year-old son and I could do some yard work, just the two of us. It was sure to be 1 . But soon, the clouds of mosquitos seemed 2 to our bug spray (喷雾). I was sweating, itchy, and arguing with my son about how to pull weeds. I had told him the "right" way — getting those weeds out from the bottom, by the roots, 3 them entirely. 

However, my son went about things in his own way. He pulled the 4 of the weeds off, moving quickly down the line as he left the remaining part still in the soil. Somehow, I found this to be incredibly 5 . Why couldn't he do it in my way and save me the time of having to 6 his portion (部分)? Why did he do it at all if he wasn't going to do it properly? 

"If you do as told, we'd be done earlier and 7 a longer period before we would have to return and pull weeds next time," I said, trying to keep my tone 8 . 

He went back to his work, shaking dirt from his handful of growing things and throwing 9 stems into our shared basket. "People do things 10 , Mom," he said innocently. 

My fire soon faded, replaced by the 11 realization that I'd just received a valuable12 from the person that I was supposed to be teaching. While trying to 13 my baby girl, my kindergartener, and the yard work, 14 was a lifeline for me. But my way was, perhaps, not the best way after all. His time shouldn't be 15 . His job was to be a kid and take his time, for as long as he was able.