I had arrived at the airport to catch an early flight home.It had been a very busy three days for me on an interstate trip with lots of meetings，business to do and new customers to meet.Then came the announcement that the flight had been delayed due to a technical problem.I could see a group of technicians and ground staff rushing about，obviously trying hard to fix the problem.I watched and listened as many of the passengers sitting near me shared their frustration about the inconvenience.

    As I sat waiting，I reflected on my last meeting for the day.It was not a business meeting but rather a very enjoyable and brief lunch with an old business associate and friend I had not seen for over 12 years，and who I had worked with for nearly 15 years before we lost in touch.I had been given his phone number by a customer I had visited on the first day of my trip，so I called him out of the blue and made a time for us to meet.

    Our lunch was spent recollecting(回忆) times gone by and as well filling each other in on what had happened in our lives over the last 12 years.Our conversation was frequently interrupted with statements such as 'remember when we did...'，'whatever happened to...' and of course the one we all liked to hear...'you know you haven't changed one bit，except for a few more grey hairs.'

    We both laughed and smiled as we recalled the good times and the great experiences we had shared over the 15 years we had worked together. Each event we discussed caused another recollection and everything we talked about centered on the good times.Almost at the same time，right at the end of our time together，we both said how much we both enjoyed it and that we must do it again.We agreed to catch up when I was next in town，then said our goodbyes and I was off to the airport.

    So with this extra time on my hands as I waited for my flight，it was great to revisit and replay in my mind all that we had talked about over lunch.I realized at that moment just how important it is to have regular reminders of the good times in your life and to be able to take the time to recall the past，for so much of what we have done in our past，shapes us and makes us who and what we are today and beyond.

    At the end of my busy trip with the focus on getting all the business done，I was indeed fortunate enough to have had the chance to take a short break and reflect on the good things that had happened in my life over 12 years ago.It was somewhat like looking at an old photo album that you have found stored away in a cupboard in your house.There before your eyes are lots of wonderful memories in print that take you back to that time and place，and most importantly to those people who are in the photos.It also made me realize that when you get caught up doing what has to be done in the moment，it is easy to forget the people you have met in your life who have made a positive effect on and enriched you，often in only the smallest of ways.

    My flight home was finally called nearly three hours later and yes as you would have expected many of the passengers cheered when the announcement was made.I smiled as I boarded the plane and realized that I was not at all upset about the delay，as I had been able to spend much of my time reflecting on the good times from days gone by and now eagerly look forward to many more opportunities to recall the past.

Tips for Staying Sharp

    It's not abnormal to feel out of it from time to time or perhaps you're feeling a bit sluggish(迟钝的)when it comes to remembering things. If you're worried about your forgetfulness, try out these five tips to stay sharp.

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    You've probably heard the term “you are what you eat.” If you decide to eat sugary foods that are heavy with fats then expect to feel lazy and have no energy. But if you decide to eat fruits, vegetables and make other healthy eating decisions you'll find that you're full of energy.

Never stop learning

Challenge yourself constantly—whether it is puzzles, reading, cooking or other tasks that will keep your mind working. If your mind is always learning new things and active, you'll realize that it's much easier for you to learn new things and to function.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}

Stay fit

    Being in good health and staying in shape is a big part of staying sharp.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}If you choose to be lazy then your body is not going to give you the energy that requires remembering things and completing tasks. However, if you put forth the effort into being health then your body will expel(释放)the energy you need to achieve your goals.

Ensure enough sleep

    Be sure to get the necessary amount of sleep that your body needs to function on a daily basis.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}It also helps your body build up an energy reserve so you can improve your ability to focus and avoid distractions.

Socialize more

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Social interaction will help you develop multitasking, problem solving and other skills that are necessary in life to keep your mind sharp.

A. Feed your brain

B. Avoid eating too much

C. Your body will only give you what you put into it

D. Lack of sleep contributes to tiredness and slow reaction

E. Conversations require individuals to stay aware and active

F. According to studies, sleep helps strengthen and recover your memories

G. Remember you brain is a muscle and if you want to get the most out of it, you must use it

    It is a tall tale（夸张的故事）that terrifies most young children. Swallow a piece of chewing gum and it will remain in your body for seven years before it is digested. An even worse tale is that swallowed（吞） gum can wrap itself around your heart.

    But what does happen if you should accidentally eat a stick of gum? Chewing gum is made out of gum base, sweeteners, coloring and flavoring. The gum base is pretty indigestible(难消化的)—it is a mixture of different ingredients (成分) that our body can't absorb.

    Most of the time, your stomach really cannot break down the gum the way it would break down other foods. However, your digestive system has another way to deal with things you swallow. After all, we eat lots of things that we are unable to fully digest. They keep moving along until they make it all the way through the gut (肠子) and come out at the other end one or two days later.

    The saliva (唾液) in our mouths will make an attempt at digesting chewing gum as soon as we put it in our mouths. It might get through the shell（壳） but many of gum's base ingredients are indigestible. It's then down to our stomach muscles—which contract(收缩) and relax, much like the way an earthworm moves—to slowly force the things that we swallow through our systems.

    Swallowing a huge piece of gum or swallowing many small pieces of gum in a short time can cause a blockage within the digestive system, most often in children, who have a thinner digestive tube than adults—but this is extremely rare.

Around the World by Wheelchair

    Rick Hansen was always an active kid and loved to fish. When returning in a truck one day from a fishing trip, he had an accident and suffered injuries to his spine (脊柱)，This 15-year-old young man awoke to find that he had lost the use of his legs. However, he didn't give up. Many months later he began to compete in wheelchair sports. At the age of 27, he decided to wheel around the world to raise awareness and money for spinal cord research. His tour took him through 34 countries around the world between 1985 and1987. In this Man of Motion World Tour, he wheeled 24,901.55 miles, which is equal to the distance around the earth.

    Bad weather and difficult, rocky roads often provided challenges for Rick, but he continued to push himself to complete the trip. He was determined to succeed. Even mountains did not stop Rick Hansen. He wheeled himself up the Rocky Mountains and several other major mountains in the world. He even wheeled himself along the Great Wall of China!

    “Never Give Up On Your Dream” was his motto and he hasn't given up yet. He completed his world tour raising $24 million. He continues to work to increase knowledge of spinal cord injury. He is a true Canadian hero who shows what determination can achieve.

    The end of the school year is in sight — Christmas cards, candy canes and of course, end of year reports.

    While most parents welcome an assessment of their kids' performance, they do not expect their own input to be evaluated. But a school in the UK is changing that. As well as assessing their students, they are dishing out grades to mums and dads. Parents that are really involved in their kid's education are rewarded with an A, and parents that haven't done their bit get a disappointing D.

    The school, Greasley Beauvale Primary in Nottinghamshire, uses criteria such as whether mums and dads have attended school events such as plays and parent-teacher conferences to decide on the grade. The school's principal, Donna Chambers, said that the scheme (方案)had been well received.

    “There were some critics, but my response was 'well, it can't do any harm'. Between 15 percent and 20 percent of parents started out in the lower categories but now that has been reduced to just two percent,” she explained.

    Chambers hopes that the scheme will help motivate parental involvement. “The system is important because you have got to get the parents on board from day one. That one hour initial conversation saying they could improve will pay dividends for the rest of that child's academic life”, she said.

    But while the scheme may be well-intentioned, it is likely to be connected with parent shaming. There are lots of reasons why some mums and dads might not be involved in school activities such as work commitments, looking after younger children or caring for elderly relatives.

    And of course, being involved in your kid's education doesn't begin and end at school. There is a lot that goes on behind the scenes from helping with homework to keeping uniforms freshly laundered. And what about all the parents who stayed up sewing special costumes at the last minute? Surely that earns a gold star instead of a grade!

    Here's a list of books I'm looking forward to this fall season. Not all of them will rise to the level of the advertisement, but it's an abundant crop.

    "Home After Dark" by David Small (Liveright, Sept.11)

    In 2009, Small published a celebrated graphic memoir (回忆录) called "Stitches". Now the Caldecott Medal winner is back with a graphic novel about a motherless 13-year-old boy brought up in an unhappy home in California. This is a tale told in few words and many striking images. On Sept. 11 at 3p.m. . Small will be at Amazonbooks at Union Market. More information at www.amazon.com/graph-tale.

    "Waiting for Eden" by Elliot Ackerman (Knopf, Sept. 25)

    This brief novel is related by a dead soldier who is watching over a horribly burned partner in a Texas hospital. That sounds embarrassingly emotional, but Ackerman, who served in a Navy in Iraq and Afghanistan, is one of the best soldier-writers of his generation. More information at www.amazon.com/military-essay.

    "All You Can Ever Know" by Nicole Chung (Catapult, Oct. 2)

    Chung, the editor of the literary magazine Catapult, was adopted as a baby by a white family in Oregon. In this memoir, she writes about her childhood, her Asian American identity and her search for the Korean parents who gave her up. More information at www.amazon.com/politics-prose.

    "Unsheltered" by Barbara Kingsolver (Harper, Oct. 16)

    Alternating between past and present, this novel tells the story of a woman investigating a late-19th-century science teacher who was caught up in the controversy over Darwinism. Like her other novels, this one promises to explore social and scientific problems. Visit www. amazon.com/tech-science for more information.