I volunteer some of my time in order to give back just a little of what I am so blessed to have. This month. I had an unbelievable opportunity to 1 my dream, and step out of my 2 surroundings. I volunteered to go to Guatemale (危地马拉) with an eyeglass.

    Our 3 went to a small town in Guatemala. San Augustin. We 4 our tables and packages of pre-made 5in the dirt courtyard of a clinic, get up the Snellen chart on a wall, and began 6 people. Young and old, they came from many of the 7 town. Most had never had an eye exam before.

    They waited for hours8 in the sun, never complaining. If we could help them out with a 9 pair of glasses they would feel deeply 10. Some only left with eye drops or sunglasses, and 11 these people were grateful.

    We saw over a hundred 12 a day and a good part of those we saw got glasses. We 13over and over from people who knew their eyes 14help that they had not gone to a doctor because it was too 15, or had not got the glasses they needed for the same reason. We saw children who were16 out of school because they could not see the17, and we met women who could not see to thread needles, drivers with 18 seeing road signs.

      We are not doctors, and there were several people we could not help. But for those we could, we watched with pleasure as their lives19. What a gift sight is and what a difference it 20to see clearly.

    Last summer I went on a two-day river rafting trip with my teenage daughter as the river guide. I was proud to see my baby girl 1 and confidently moving our raft through a variety of2 white-water conditions. I also found it3to have my daughter giving commands and barking4 as to when and how to paddle(用桨划船).

    As we approached the largest5 on the river I could feel my heart beating faster. Upon 6 the turbulent(湍急的) water, our boat got 7 on a large rock. I was in the front of the boat and reached 8 with my paddle, thinking I would help 9 us away from the rock. In the next instant I could feel myself falling out of the boat and into the river. I did have my moments of 10 and terror.

    This resistance disappeared quickly, 11 I landed in the cold, powerfully turbulent water. 12 my high-quality flotation vest, I was pulled underwater, 13 thankfully, within seconds I popped(冒出) back up to the 14. A few moments later one of the other trip leaders called for me to 15 toward his boat, where I was quickly pulled up and in. I was shaken, out of breath, and quite 16to be out of the turbulent water.

    An equivalent of this experience happens all the time in our lives. This is life. You cannot count on things going 17. When we do, we often 18 disappointed and unhappy. Resisting 19, which often arrives suddenly and unexpectedly, keeps us from 20  the scenario(可能要发生的事) unfolding before us clearly, and it can keep us from acting in ways that are smart and effective and that lead to results that make us feel good and proud of ourselves.

    I always come across random acts of kindness in my life. Many years ago, I was 1Costa Rica when I found myself in an 2situation: my credit cards and bank cards went out of 3 abroad, and I only had $5 to my 4.

    I had no way to get money. I didn't know anybody in this country. I only knew basic Spanish, and besides the cash the only 5I had was a return ticket to my country in almost two 6. Back then, there was no such thing as mobile phones, and7email was very limited. To find help, I decided to go to the countryside. With the only coins I had, I 8the bus terminal(终点站)and found a village, which 9almost the exact amount. About 4 hours later, I arrived at Santa Rosa Abajo at midnight.

    I knocked door to door,10in my very poor Spanish that I was a foreigner travelling in Costa Rica with no money but I 11to stay here for over ten days. I begged them for a 12－such as cooking , cleaning and looking after their kids, anything like that. Everybody 13, “oh my, but so poor are we that we have no 14 food or space. Maybe you can try the next 15.” And they'd point me to another house.

    16, I arrived at a Chinese restaurant. The owner of the restaurant was very 17. She gave me food and called the Red Cross to come to 18me. With the help of the Red Cross, I spent my19days in Costa Rica.

    This is one of the best trips I've ever had, because I realized that when you're in a position to be able to 20, it actually makes you feel happy.

    As Mr. Phillips was in a hurry to reach home, he 1 buying some bananas from an old lady on the street.

    He asked the 2 . She said $7 per kg. He told her the store where he usually bought from gave them for $5 per kg, and asked if she could sell at the 3 price. The old lady said $ 6 per kg was the best price she could offer. So Mr. Phillips left in his car for the 4 grocery shop.

    In the shop, he was 5 to be told the price had been 6 to $10 per kg. And they 7 to offer a better price, saying, "We don't bargain." Mr. Phillips felt 8 with that flat attitude. He put those bananas 9 and went back to the old lady. She recognized him 10 , "Sir, I can't match that price. I won't be able to earn any 11 . "

    Mr. Phillips said, "Don't 12 the price. I will pay you $10 per kg! Now, give me 2 kg." The lady packed the bananas saying, "I will take $ 7 per kg. I appreciate your 13 . My husband used to own a fruit shop 14 he got very sick. We had to 15 his shop to cover his medical bills but he didn't survive. Now to support myself I am trying to sell what I can 16 to buy." Mr. Phillips gave her $100 extra, saying, "From tomorrow on I will only buy bananas from you. Take this as a (an) 17 payment. You can earn more 18 you have more choices of fruits to sell."

    Later Mr. Phillips 19 his colleagues to buy fruits from the lady and she made a better living. Mr. Phillips was happy to help someone who works hard to earn and has a 20 for it.

Sandra was a businesswoman in Orlando. Approaching her 50th birthday, she decided to1 her love of cats and her work experience to start the Orlando Cat Cafe.

As a lifelong cat fan, Sandra's main goal in opening the cafe was to help 2 cats up for adoption with proper pet parents. What she didn't 3at the time was that her café would help human visitors as much as the cats!

"The most4thing in the cafe is that they always have new cats and cats need socialization, so both sides 5!" says Laurie, who is one6guest. She, like many other cat lovers, who 7have pets at home because of allergies (过敏反应) in the family, often comes to the cafe to experience the benefits of 8with cute animals whenever she likes.

Plus, Sandra's cat-adoption 9aren't the only charitable initiative happening at the cafe! The coffee and food10for visitors are made by Axum Coffee, a company that was also started to11others. Axum is a city in Ethiopia where fresh water is 12and even poverty is widely visible. In fact, the coffee and food are sold at a low price at the cafe, some of whose13go to the people of Axum, Ethiopia, to help improve their14 of life.

"My cafe and Axum Coffee have a(n)15 mission to reach out to others. We hit it off and became partners," says Sandra.

Maybe the next time you visit Orlando, you'll16Sandra's cafe, and hit it off with one of the cats up for17 ! Adoption specialists are always on-site to help match the personalities of potential 18 with those of the cats in the play area. And it 19 ! More than 80 cats have been adopted since Sandra20 her business in 2016.