A few years ago, the company I worked for sent my wife and me to live in New York for a year. I've always loved running, so I was happy when I found out the house we lived in was next to Central Park. This means I could go to the park to run every morning before I went to work.

      A lot of people had told me to be careful of robbers in the park, so usually I didn't take any money with me. But one morning, my wife gave me a $10 bill and asked me to buy some bread on the way.

      While I was running through the park, another runner knocked into me. Just as I was wondering what was happening, he said sorry to me and went on running. I thought it was kind of strange, and suddenly I thought of my money, so I checked my pocket and found that my money was missing. Without thinking twice, I ran after that runner. The minute I held him by the arm, I shouted, “Give my money back! Now!” I'm not usually a hot-headed person, but I got really angry this time. He seemed to be afraid and he took out the money and gave it to me. Then he ran away as quickly as he could.

      I bought the bread and went home. As soon as I got home, I began to tell my wife my story. “You won't believe what happened to me.” I started. She immediately stopped me, “I know, you left the money for the bread on the kitchen table.”

    An old man was fishing on the bank of a river. A child came to see him fishing. The old man was really good at fishing and it didn't take long for him to catch a full basket of fish. The old man saw that the child was very cute, and he wanted to give her a whole basket of fish. But the child shook her head.

    The old man was surprised and asked, "Why don't you want the fish?"

    The child answered, "I want the fishing rod(竿)in your hands."

    The old man asked, "Why do you want the rod?"

    "It doesn't take long to eat all the fish in a basket. But if I have the fishing rod, I can go fishing by myself and I won't be afraid of not having any more fish to eat."

    I think you will certainly say that the child is very smart. Wrong! If she doesn't know how to fish, she can not have fish to eat, even though she has the fishing rod. It's useless to only have a fishing rod. Fishing skills are the most important, not the fishing rod.

    Too many people think that if they have a "fishing rod" in their life, they will no longer fear(害怕)the wind and rain. They are just like the child, who thought that if she had a fishing rod, she would have fish to eat.

    Think back to a time in your life when you tried something new.

    When I was a teenager I volunteered to pass out water at a local race. I was so excited to see all the different runners who passed by and quickly took a cup of water. Some ran past, some walked past and a few wheeled past.

    I saw so many types of people doing it. I thought maybe I could do it too! The next year I decided to run for the race, but I had little running practice. I just wanted to finish.

    On the day of the race, it was terribly hot. After running for about 5 miles, I was thinking, "I must be crazy. Why did I do this？What was I thinking?" And at one moment, I said to myself, "I will never do this again!"

    That first 10km race was quite an experience. I jogged (慢跑), I walked, and I jogged and walked. At times, I didn't know if I could finish.

    Near the end, a 70­year­old man ran past me, very fast, and I felt a little embarrassed (尴尬的) that I was more than 50 years younger than him and I couldn't even keep up with him. But then I realized something. He was running his race and I was running mine. How often in life do we compare ourselves to others when we really shouldn't？I decided that I would not give up, and that one day I would be one of those 70­year­old men who were still running.

    As I crossed the finishing line, I was proud of myself. I didn't regret (后悔) having such an experience.

    Sharon Reasonover first started volunteering at the age of 16. She hadn't really understood the meaning behind doing something for others until that summer day.

    Sharon got to the Ronald McDonald House (RMH) in Dallas, Texas. RMH is a "home away-from-home" for families so they can spend little money or no money to stay close by their sick children.

    Sharon remembered her first time walking into RMH-nervous and afraid of doing something wrong. After only 5 minutes, she began to communicate with families. "That day, I played with kids, laughed with their parents, and heard so many stories," says Sharon.

    Now Sharon is a 21-year-old student at the University of North Texas. She is still volunteering with RMH. "I met so many people there, and they changed my life," she says.

    A smile that Sharon will always remember came from a girl named Caroline. Caroline was badly ill, and she had great difficulty in eating. One day, Caroline's mom was angry with her, because she refused to have dinner. To help, Sharon said to Caroline that if she ate 5 bites. Sharon would do whatever she wanted. Little Caroline ate dinner that day, and Sharon had to dance in front of everyone! Although Caroline has passed away (去世), Sharon will never forget her smile.

    Wonder what it is like to be a chef(厨师)? This weekend you will have your chance to find out. Two local chefs, Monica Sallier and Andrew Gleason, will hold an "open kitchen" at their restaurants this Saturday.

    Monica's restaurant, The Blue Hen, is small but comfortable. Wooden tables and chairs cover the dining area, and sweet music is always on. "I like to laugh and always tell jokes while I cook," Monica said. "Cooking brings people together. The cooks who work with me have become my best friends."

    At Monica's "open kitchen", she plans to teach her guests how to prepare country­style fried chicken. For it, she will use her family's secret spice(香料). She learned how to make it from her father. Monica seldom uses a measuring cup(量杯)when cooking. By doing so, she hopes to offer her guests a special dining experience. "If you come to my restaurant, you'll never get the same dish twice, "she said.

    Also opening his kitchen this Saturday in Shreveport is Andrew Gleason. He is the head chef at Quarter Bistro. "I am not the most talkative chef in the business," Andrew said. "Mostly because I prefer to give my full attention to the food. Every ingredient(食材)must be carefully measured. "

    Andrew's food also makes the dining experience special. He makes every dish look like a piece of art. At his "open kitchen", Andrew plans to teach his visitors how to prepare blackened catfish, a dish of his that has won much praise throughout the city.

    Jan Mela was born in Poland and he lost an arm and a leg in an accident in 2002. But that didn't stop him. The 15-year-old boy from Poland walked to the North Pole(北极) in 2004.

     "If I can do it, other people can do great things, too," Mela said before he went. Polish newspaper said Mela was the youngest person and the first disable(残疾) person to walk to the North Pole. Mela walked to the North Pole with the help of a man-made leg.

    After the accident, Mala felt sad for himself. But he didn't lose hope. One day, he met Marek Kaminski. In 1996, Kaminski went to the North Pole and the South Pole in the same year. Mela wanted to see the North Pole, too. So Mela asked Kaminski if they could go together the next time. Kaminski said yes.

    It took Mela twenty-one days to get to the North Pole. The last three or four days were really hard because of the bad weather. But Mela didn't give up going.