My aunt came to my home with her six-year-old daughter Alice this morning. While my aunt was talking with my mom at home, my cousin felt a bit 1. So I suggested that I go out with her. My aunt happily 2. So we went to the park near my home together. There we bought two 3 and started flying them. While we were doing that, Alice couldn't help 4. She jumped up and down and I knew she was 5having great fun. And I must 6that I haven't enjoyed myself like that for a long time.

    Later, we sat down on a bench, looking at the gardens. As we were7there, Alice looked up at me and said, "What a 8day today!" I smiled at her and agreed. I then started 9 what we had done that day. We did something quite 10, yet we were very happy.

    Many people wait for their "best days". But I think today is our 11 day. That's a lesson I 12 today. As adults, we often make plans 13 in order to have a great day. Some people think that they can have a nice day through spending a lot of 14. I think we should be more like 15. They don't think about money or what will happen tomorrow. They 16 live in the moment and enjoy the moment!

    We often hear the expression that we should live in the 17. How do we do that? We're not doing such a 18 job. Remember today is important as we are exchanging (交换) a day of our 19 for it. Yesterday is a history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a 20. That's why it is called present. So seize (把握) the day!

When I was young, my mom only had one eye. I hated her. She was such an 1.She ran a small shop at a flea(跳蚤) market and 2 old clothes and some other things to sell for the money we needed. Once during elementary school, it was field day, and my mom came. I was so embarrassed and 3 how could she do this to me？I threw her a 4 look and ran out. The next day at school, my schoolmates asked me, "Your mom only has one eye?!" and 5 me.

I was so angry with my mom and wished that she would just 6 from this world. So I said to my mom, "Why don't you have the other eye?! If you're only going to make me a laughingstock(笑柄)!" My mom did not respond, I guess I felt a little bad, but at the same time, I felt so 7 to have had said what I wanted to say. Maybe it was 8 my mom hadn't punished me, I didn't think that I had hurt her feelings very badly.

    For the words I had said to her earlier, there was something pinching at me in the corner of my heart. Even so, I hated my one-eyed mom and our 9 poverty. I told myself that I would become 10 in the near future, 11 I studied very hard. Later I got accepted by the Seoul University, I left my mother and came to Seoul to study. Then I got 12 there.

    I bought a house of my own. Then I had kids, too. Now I am living 13 as a successful man. I enjoy the 14 in Seoul because it's a place that doesn't 15 me of my mom and my past. This kind of happiness was getting bigger and bigger, 16 one day someone knocked at my door. It was my mom! And still with her one eye! It felt 17 the whole sky was falling apart on me. My little girl 18, scared of my mom's eye.

I screamed at her, "Who are you? I don't know you! How dare you come to my house and scare my daughter!" To this, my mom quietly answered, "Oh, I'm so sorry. I may have gotten the

19 address," and she disappeared out of sight. I was quite relieved.

    One day, I went back to participate in a reunion. After the reunion, I went down to the old shack(窝棚), which I used to call a house, just out of 20. Unexpectedly, there I found my mom fallen on the cold ground. Then a piece of paper in her hand came into my eyes. It was a letter to me.

    My son,

    I think my life has been long enough now, and I won't visit Seoul anymore. I miss you so much. I'm so sorry that I only have one eye, and I was an embarrassment for you.

    You see, when you were very little, you got into an accident and lost your eye. As a mom, I couldn't stand watching you having to grow up with only one eye. So I gave you mine. I was so proud of my son to see a whole new world for me with that eye. I was never upset at you for anything you did. During the couple of times that you were angry with me, I thought to myself, it's because he loves me.

    My son…oh, my son…

    Don't cry for me because of my death. I love you so much.

    Several weeks ago, I had a dinner party. During the1 a glass of red wine was dropped on a very fancy, Persian carpet in the living room. Later, when I planned to have the carpet2, experts came out. They 3 that they could not only get out the  4, but also make every carpeted room look and smell nice.

    After spending more than 200 dollars, my 5 looked great. All of the carpets were cleaned, but there was still one slight 6— the stain was still there, and to say I was 7, actually an understatement. Committed to getting rid of the stain, I 8 another expert. This was a real expert with great 9 in this trade. When he arrived and saw the stain, he immediately explained to me how 10 it would be to deal with the stain, and he wanted me to know that before he even unloaded his 11 to start the job. My expectation at that point was low; however, I told him to put in his best 12.

    In the first scenario（背景）I expected the stain to be  13. In the second I expected little or nothing. Those made me realize that in life the fine line between 14 and disappointment can be our expectations. Disappointment will occur 15 the expectation line drawn by ourselves is placed incorrectly. 16 good things will happen if you set your expectations 17. In the carpet cleaning scenario above, the second 18 not only set my expectations appropriately by under promising, but he also over delivered by getting the stain out—a result that 19 my expectations, making me very 20. So remember: set your expectations properly.

    From childhood. Moira loved to write, Throughout school she 1writing, but pursuing(追求）it  2was never a possibility. Her father was a doctor, her mother a nurse "Medicine was a fairly 3option," Moira says. "And writing was a career where it wasn't a 4that you'd have high income."

    She became a doctor but still wanted to do some writing. However, being a doctor was so 5that she didn't take up writing until her thirties. She 6 a novel — a fictionalized version of her travels in China after university. She got excellent 7 . Moira sent it off to as many agents as she could find and found one who wanted to 8her. Suddenly it seemed she was on her 9as an author.

    "I had one lengthy phone call with the agent where we 10 all possible areas she thought needed 11I worked on those and sent it back to her but didn't hear anything. It was not long 12Moira found another agent who was 13 if she was willing to rewrite" it from the first person to the third person. She did the hard work and sent it off again. "I got back a really brief letter." Thank you. I'm no longer interested. It was really 14.

    A decade went by, and Moira found herself itching to write again, this time15for her own enjoyment. She16herself the challenge of creating a thriller and chose Western Australia as her setting.

    As she was writing just for herself, something surprising began to happen. "The characters 17 a life of their own; they started doing things I hadn't thought about. It just 18out." One day, an agent called from Australia. Three weeks later, Moira had a publication deal. Her novel, Cicada, was published in March.

    " 19 it hadn't been published I still gained so much from the 20 ," says Moira.

    Kevin Booth had originally planned to take some free food left outside the Sumner Food Bank for people to take when the bank is closed at night. Instead, he1a brown paper bag outside the front door.

    2that it held food, Booth opened the bag only to see that it contained stacks (摞) of $20 bills. The bag was filled with $17,0003. Needless to say, that money would have made a great difference to Booth, and there was no one around to4that he had taken it.

    But Booth says he knew the money would5more people at the food bank, so he waited until volunteer Anita Miller arrived to6the bank.

    "There are a lot of people who would have 7it," Booth said. "I'm just not that person."

    Miller was8to hear about that, and she9called the police. Though the police reviewed the security footage (监控录像), they were not able to10who dropped off the package. After11the necessary 90 days for someone to claim the cash, they turned it over to the12and honored Booth for his behavior.

    Miller says that she has13the cash with Booth by giving him part of the donation in the form of gift cards.14 he lives in a tent, he has turned down her offers of shelter, although he does 15 her gifts of winter clothes.16, a town citizen has started a GoFundMe campaign to help17money for Booth to buy a car that he dreams of using as shelter.

    The food bank serves18meals to roughly 1,000 people every month, including Booth — and19 the multi-thousand dollar package, they will finally be able to20a new large freezer.

I was cutting up lettuce in the kitchen when I suddenly remembered watching a video about soaking the lettuce stub (莴苣残余部分) in water to grow a whole new vegetable. So I took out a wide-mouthed cup and placed the stub into it, gave it a little water, and placed it by the window. 

On a snowy morning I noticed the first sign. A first small leaf from its heart spread out. A tiny green flag of hope. Beaten, but not defeated. This lettuce was not done living! Within days, it was impossible to see the cuts where I had removed the leaves. The growth was explosive. And when I lifted the blossoming head out of the cup, tiny root threads fell down, seeking for the earth. 

What is growing here? Lettuce or hope? 

If I were a lettuce in a similar condition, I'd want to skeptically assess where I found myself before committing to full growth. Yet for this lettuce, my inadequate offering of water and a place by a window was enough for it to decide to reclaim itself again. It grew in a cup of water, in faith. This is the heart of this lettuce: alive, strong and fearless. It deserved a name. I decided to call it Monty. 

Monty wanted to grow, as we all do. I think I gave him a little love and freedom. Those two were all he needed to return to himself. I see joy in this lettuce. The return to self is always an expression of joy, which is life itself. This is the tendency of all living things. 

Monty still lives in a cup, but I'm going to transplant him outside. He deserves to become his full self. The only problem I see now is my ability to support Monty. I hope I have enough of a green finger. 

I'm surprised to find myself where I am. Maybe Monty is, too. I have the same choice as he does: give in or start again. The prospect of starting again is discouraging. But my lettuce-friend, Monty, leads the way. I can only hope to be as brave.