My first lesson is at a meeting. As we settle around the table I hear Meg, who is 1 a recent operation, talking to Judith, the manager of our project. “Thank you so much for 2 my daughters to their dance lessons last week.” “Don't mention it,” Judith says, “It was nothing.”

    Knowing how 3 Judith's schedule is, with her work, kids and aging parents, I find her driving Meg's children to lessons unbelievably 4. I am about to say more about this when Donna, another colleague, enters the room 5. She apologizes for being late, saying she just hosted a lunch for her friends who are over seventy. “That is so nice of you,” I say, 6 how busy she is, how she doesn't like to cook and clean. “Oh,” she says, waving her hand, “It was nothing.” 7, I can still tell the 8 in her voice. She did gain a sense of satisfaction from the entertainment offered to her friends.

    Seeing their 9 to help others selflessly, I start thinking about the concept of “nothing”, this peaceful and generous way of living — had it really been nothing or are they simply saying that? It 10 to me that once I spent a whole afternoon after work helping a friend 11 a speech she was going to deliver. I 12 her to rearrange the sequence of the stories in the lecture to make it sound more 13. After the fifth try, she finally 14 it . She hugged me with 15, saying thanks to me. I smiled and said it was nothing.

    Suddenly, I realized that helping someone was really something to me. I learned that giving from the heart doesn't 16 mean sacrifice and hard work. The 17 is finding something we love to do and finding someone who 18 that something. Our generosity can benefit others 19 ourselves. Once you have a good 20 of it, it's nothing. And it's really something.

    I did very badly at school. My headmaster thought I was 1 and when I was 14 he said, “You're never going to be 2 but a failure.”

    After five years of 3  jobs, I fell in love with a very nice middle-class girl. It was the best 4  that could have happened to me. I 5  to do something positive (积极地) with my life because I wanted to prove to 6  that what people said about me was 7 . Especially her mother, who had said to me, “Let's 8  it, you've failed at everything you've ever done.” So I tried hard with my 9  and went to college. My first novel (小说) 10  while I was at college.

    After college I taught during the 11  in high schools and attended evening classes at London University, where I got a 12  in history. I became a lecturer at a college and was thinking of 13  that job to write full time 14  I was offered a part-time job at Leeds University. I began to feel proud of myself — 15  was a working-class boy who'd 16  school early, now teaching at the university.

    My writing career (职业) took off when I discovered my own style. Now I'm rich and 17 , have been on TV, and met lots of film stars. 18  what does it mean? I 19  wish all the people that have put me down had 20 : “I believe in you. You'll succeed.”

    At 7 a.m. on October 2, 2016, I got up, feeling excited and nervous. The first thought on my mind was, “Today's game is my first1football game.” I've played before but not like this, Not in pads (护具), not with a helmet on my head, my heart started beating faster. I 2finished breakfast and left for the field.

    The whole time on the bus, I felt sick and nervous. Finally, I reached the field3that white number 7 jersey (运动衫) for the first time made me feel great. I felt like4was my fortune.

    We stood there. By the look on our faces, you could see who had 5before and who hadn't. To me, it felt like a war. I was a(n)6soldier going into battle. Now I know that feeling was fear. We had7but not the real game. In training, we took a form and knew each other. In the8you don't know your opponent's strength. Everything just happened 9you know it was happening.

    We did warm-ups, some of us couldn't 10to play, jumping around and yelling. Others stood still waiting for direction. The referees came out. We knew the game11came. As a captain, I went out for the coin toss to see which team would get the ball first. Campus Magnet won the coin toss. They12to receive.

    Soon the game 13I tracked down the ball carrier and ran at a full speed. I lowered my shoulders and ran into his side with all my 14knocking him down and at the same time knocking my15out. I stood to my feet and16what I had done. I'd made my first tackle (阻截). I was 17my dream, feeling renewed, That tackle 18me, giving me strength, confidence and the desire to go on.

    We 19that game—48 to 6. That year we went undefeated20every team on our schedule, I was rated the best receiver in our division.

    I enjoy reading all of moving ideas from the wonderful site about people giving on their birthday. So, I1this would be my chance to experience the joy of giving on my special day.

    My husband took me to the Olive Garden, where we often had meals, and our 2was very nice. We had a great dinner experience there. Then Karina brought our 3I knew it was my time to give4she came back to the table to get our credit card, I placed the gift bag on the edge of the table and 5said, "I want to6you with a gift 7my birthday, "Oh, the8on her face! She said." No, not for9! It's your birthday!" Then she said, "Can I open it in front of you? "And I said that would be 10

    The first thing she 11 was the color of the gift bag which was purple. Purple is her favorite color, She actually12a purple tie! She opened the card and said, "It's Christmas in July. "As she was taking the gift out of the13 she said she was excited. It's wonderful to give to someone who is 14to receive! She opened the box and saw it was a purple mug(杯子). Inside the mug was a smile card and forty five dollars, a dollar15each year of my life. After seeing the16 she looked at my husband and said we did not have to 17a tip. He just 18her words and left her the tip anyway.

    Karina was so19 what she had received. I thanked her for receiving my gift. I am thankful to God for another year of life and the 20to see that every day is a great day to give.

    My son Joey was born with club feet(天生特厚的畸形脚). The doctors assured us that with treatment he would be able to walk1, but would never run very well. The first three years of his life were2in surgery(手术). By the time he was eight, you wouldn't know he had a 3when you saw him walk.

    The children in our neighborhood ran around as most children do during4, and Joey would jump right in, run and play, too. We5told him that he probably wouldn't be able to 6 as well as the other children. So he didn't know.

    In seventh grade he7to go out for the cross-country team. Every day he 8 with the team. He worked harder and ran9 than any of the others—perhaps he sensed that the10that seemed to come naturally to so many others did not come naturally to him.11the entire team runs, only the top seven runners have the potential to12points for the school. We didn't tell him he probably would never make the team, so he didn't know.

    He13to run four to five miles a day, every day —even the day he had a 103-degree fever. I was14, so I went to look for him after school. I found him 15all alone. I asked him how he felt. “Okay,” he said. He had two more16to go. The sweat ran down his face and his eyes were glassy from his fever.17he looked straight ahead and kept running.

    Two weeks later, the names of the team runners were18. Joey was number six on the list. Joey had made the team. He was in19grade —the other six team members were all eighth-graders. We never told him he shouldn't20to make the team. We never told him he couldn't do it… so he didn't know. He just did it.

    As a child I once read an article about the Pacific Crest Trail (太平洋屋脊步道) in National Geographic. It was a 1 of two men who walked 2,650 miles from Mexico to Canada with huge packs. It caught my eye, as I, too, 2 adventures in the wilderness. I've always remembered that story, but never believed I would actually 3 it. It was too far out of my comfort zone.

    But then, at the age of 42, I hiked the 88 Temples Trail through Japan. There, I experienced how 4 it could be to hike alone. What 5 me most were the fantastic mountains, grand temples and generous local people. And 6, I managed to complete the trail in six weeks without any severe injuries. For the first time, I 7 that I could achieve my dream of travelling around America one day.

    When I shared my plan with friends and colleagues, the news was welcomed with 8 reactions. From some I got enthusiastic 9. But from others there were frowns and question marks. Half a year away from my family was a 10 for me. Yet it wouldn't defeat me. After all, six months is 11 a short period in a lifetime. After having worked hard for 20 years in shiny office buildings, I felt the need for more 12 in my life. I hoped to 13 and look within, as well as explore the unfamiliar things. I understood that I needed them both. 14 John Muir once put it, "Keep close to 15… and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean."