In 2004 ,when my daughter Becky was ten , she and my husband ,Joe, were united in their desire for a dog . As for me , I shared none of their canine lust.

But why , they pleaded. “Because I don't have time to take care of a dog.” But we'll do it. ” Really? You're going to walk the dog? Feed the dog? Bathe the dog?” Yes, yes , and yes .”I don't believe you .” We will . We promise.

They didn't . From day two (everyone wanted to walk the cute puppy that first day ) , neither thought to walk the dog . While I was slow to accept that I would be the one to keep track of her shots , to schedule her vet appointments , to feed and clean her , Misty knew this on day one . As she looked up at the three new humans in her life (small, medium, and large) , she calculated ,”The medium one is the sucker in the pack .”

Quickly, she and I developed something very similar to a Vulcan mind meld (心灵融合) . She'd look at me with those sad brown eyes of hers , beam her need , and then wait , trusting I would understand — which , strangely , I almost always did . In no time , she became my feet as I read , and splaying across my stomach as I watched television .

Even so , part of me continued to resent walking duty .Joe and Becky had promised. Not fair , I'd balk (不心甘情愿地做) silently as she and I walked . “Not fair , ” I' d loudly remind anyone within earshot upon our return home .

       Then one day — January 1, 2007 , to be exact — my husband ‘ s doctor uttered an unthinkable word : leukemia ( 白血病) .With that , I spent eight to ten hours a day with Joe in the hospital , doing anything and everything I could to ease his discomfort. During those six months of hospitalizations, Becky, 12 at the time, adjusted to other adults being in the house when she returned from school. My work colleagues adjusted to my taking off at a moment's notice for medical emergencies. Every part of my life changed; no part of my old routine remained.

      Save one: Misty still needed walking. At the beginning, when friends offered to take her

through her paces, I declined because I knew they had their own households to deal with.

      As the months went by，I began to realize that I actually wanted to walk Misty. The walk in the morning before I headed to the hospital was a quiet, peaceful time to gather my thoughts or to just be before the day's medical drama unfolded. The evening walk was a time to shake off the day's upsets and let the worry tracks in my head go to white noise.

      When serious illness visits your household, it's , not just your daily routine and your assumptions about the future that are no longer familiar. Pretty much everyone you acts differently.

Not Misty. Take her for a walk, and she had no interest in Joe's blood counts or 'one marrow test results. On the street or in the park, she had only one thing on her mind: squirrels! She Was so joyous that even on the worst days, she could make me smile. On a daily basis she reminded me that life goes on.

      After Joe died in 2009，Misty slept on his pillow.

I'm grateful一to a point. The truth is, after years of balking, I've come to enjoy m' walks with Misty. As I watch her chase after a squirrel, throwing her whole being into the here-and-now of an exercise that has never once ended in victory, she reminds me, too, that no matter how harsh the present or unpredictable the future , there's almost always some measure of joy to be extracted from the moment.

    Last spring, I was fortunate to be chosen to join in an exchange study program. The moment I arrived in Paris, I was greeted by a nice French couple who would become my host parents. The bit of French I had taken in high school began coming out of my mouth; speaking the language would only become more natural over the course of the term. At the airport, we all got into the couple's car and began the journey to their townhouse. We talked the whole way, getting to know one another.

    Every day afterwards, I would eat breakfast with the two of them, and then we'd all go our separate ways for the day. In the evening, my host mother would make delicious dinners for the three of us. My experience was exciting until I received some shocking news from my program coordinator（协调人）: There had been a death in my host parents' family and they would have to go away for several weeks to deal with all the business that arises from the death. That afternoon, I had to move out of one family's house and into another.

    The coordinator told me I'd have a roommate and asked whether I would mind sharing a bedroom with an English speaker. To avoid speaking my native language, I asked not to be placed with an English-speaking roommate. When I got to my new room, I introduced myself to my new roommate Paolo, a Brazilian（巴西人）, the same age as I, whom I was surprised to find playing one of my favorite CDs on his computer! In just a few hours, we knew we'd be good friends for the rest of the term.

    I left France with many stories, so when people ask me what my favorite part of the trip was, they always hear about my Brazilian friend Paolo and the weekdays in class, weeknights on the town, and weekends exploring France we enjoyed together. I would recommend an exchange program to anyone who wants to experience foreign cultures and gain meaningful friendships.

    Tang Dynasty poets sang for about three centuries in different tones. There were many famous poets living in the Tang period such as Li Bai, Du Fu, Bai Juyi and Li Shangyin. Poems of the Tang Dynasty edited in the Qing Dynasty is a collection of more than 48,900 poem that were written by over 2,200 poets. But it didn't cover all the poems of the Tang Dynasty.

    During the Tang Dynasty, poems were recited when lovers walked under the moonlight. Poems were also recited when soldiers fought on the battlefield. People recited them in the open air or at temple fairs.

    Tang Dynasty poets wrote poems to win fame and also to develop their temperament(性情). They poured out deep feelings for their friends and criticized in injustice in the world through poems.

    In the Tang Dynasty scholars had to be poets. Their readers were not only people of high social position but also common people. Poets recited poems, women singers sang poems and other ranks of people, including old women and children, read Tang poems. This atmosphere affected foreigners who visited the country at that time. As a result, Tang poetry was introduced to some adjacent countries, like Japan and Vietnam.

    Tang poetry is a most brilliant page in the history of ancient Chinese literature. It's a miracle in the cultural history of mankind. The Tang Dynasty was a powerful empire with a vast territory. It inherited(继承)Chinese civilization that went back to ancient times, was combined with the best of other cultures and adopted the benefits of other nations in the world. Tang poetry wasn't the only spiritual wealth created by the Tang Dynasty people. Philosophy and religion, handwriting and painting and music and dance all gained new peaks of development. Tang poetry, however, was the jewel in the crown and its greatest achievement.

    It's well-known that meditation (冥想) has many benefits, but do you know how to practice it for a beginner?

    Set a proper scene

    Find a space for meditation. It should be private and quiet. Make sure the temperature is comfortable. Sit on a cushion (垫子) if the floor is uncomfortable. You may play soft music if you like.
                   

    Take a moment to loosen up. Remember that the goal of meditation is to relax. Loosen your clothing, remove your shoes and have a good stretch. Do your best to ease any muscle tension that might keep you from achieving relaxation. Make an effort to relax your facial muscles.

    Focus on your breath

    Sit down in the space you've prepared. Close your eyes and breathe. Each time you breathe in, count “one”. Each time you breathe out, count “one”. The idea is to strengthen being in the moment — the last breath doesn't matter, and the next one doesn't matter; only this one matters.

    Feel your breath inflate (胀大) your lungs and push on your diaphragm (隔膜). Feel how sweet it is to inhale the fresh air. As you do this, your body will gradually begin to relax and all of your attention will be centered within your mind.

    Return to real life

    Once you feel fully centered in your mind, allow yourself to gradually drift back to real life. Move your fingers and toes and slowly wake your body up. Open your eyes and remain there for a few minutes until your senses come back, and then slowly stand up.

    Even if you can't make it fully into your mind, you still get some benefits from it. If you want to feel better, you just need to practice. Set about 10 minutes around the same time every day and repeat this exercise.

    I went up to Peet's Coffee the other morning and there was a young man, Mike, probably my age. With him he had all his physical belongings on a small roll cart. I first thought, how nice to have so few possessions. That was followed with the thought of how ironic (讽刺的) it is that we live in one of the financially wealthiest areas of the U.S., if not the world, yet we can't, or don't, take care of the basic needs of human beings. Yes, we are financially wealthy, but we lack in wealth of compassion (同情), kindness, and understanding. I tear up as I ponder the inequality and injustice that exists.

    Anyway, I invited Mike in for a bite to eat and he eagerly accepted. He talked about looking up a friend for a place to stay that night. On Christmas Eve as many eagerly and greedily stuff their bellies with food in nice, warm homes and then open presents, Mike just wanted a place to spend the evening.

    Then I was really blown away. As he waited for his sandwich, Mike began cleaning up the condiment (佐料) area. He took some paper and wiped up the spills of others and rearranged the milks and other condiments, making everything neat and orderly. Here is a person with very little and he's serving others in a way that's just natural to him.

    I spoke with Mike about this afterward, thanking him. He said he always did that sort of thing—straightening up. To him, it was just common politeness. I just asked him for a hug and we parted to go our separate ways. There is a lot for us...me... to learn in the most unlikely place.

    Many years ago, Norman Cousins was seriously ill. He was given six months to live. His chance for recovery was 1 in 500.

    He could see the worry, depression and anger in his life contributed to his disease. He wondered, "If illness can be caused by negativity (消极性), can health be created by positivity (积极性)?" He decided to make an experiment of himself.

    Laughing was one of the most positive activities he knew. He watched all the funny movies he could find. He read funny stories. He asked his friends to call him whenever they said, heard or did something interesting.

    His pain was so great that he could not sleep. Laughing for 10 solid minutes, he found, relieved the pain for several hours so he could sleep. He fully recovered from his illness and lived another 20 happy and healthy years.

    Laughing is necessary to our health. If we're not well, laughing helps us get well; if we are well, laughing helps us stay that way. So, if you like laughing, do it as often as you can.

    Use whatever makes you laugh­movies, books, jokes or friends. The people around you may think you're strange, but sooner or later they'll join in even if they don't know what you're laughing about.