In the week before Christmas, one Delta airlines pilot gave a sad Arizona family a gift that no one else could.

    Father of three, Jay short died after a 1with lung cancer Dec, 16^th. Three days later, his family was attempting to 2to Tennessee for the funeral scheduled for the next morning. But a 90-munite 3at the Phoenix airport 4them only seven minutes to make their connecting flight in Minnesota. “This was our 5chance to say goodbye to my dad, and if we hadn't 6the flight, we would have missed the 7.” Jay's daughter said. But when they arrived at the gate, the last plane of the day to Memphis was 8away from the gate.

    “My son was 9his arms and pleading with the pilot through the floor-to ceiling windows.” said Marcia, “I was 10 and comforting my girls who were also in tears when the phone rang, 11us that the pilot was returning to the gate to let us 12the plane .” Captain Adam Cohen saw the 13on their faces through the gate's windows and decided to turn the plane around. Airline experts pointed out Cohen could have 14gotten into trouble for the 15decision, but Delta 16the move instead. “This is 17we'll take with us, knowing we made a 18.” confirmed Adam.

    This story is an 19that we can bring humanity back to society. Show care and it may 20you how far that you go.

    It was a hot day in Bangkok (曼谷). I was walking out of the busy Grand Palace, and some 1Thai teens started asking me questions. Noticing that I was2, they were interested and wanted to know more.

    “Oh, so lonely!” they said to me when they learned I was,indeed,3 solo for the long journey. I smiled and shrugged. They didn't know I've 4 been alone.

    I'm surprised by how much more outgoing I've become. Instead of putting my5down and ignoring the person who may be6me on the sidewalk, now I smile and say hello.

    The only bad thing is the fleeting (短暂的) nature of the relationship one builds on the7. I've felt sad more than a couple of times over parting ways8a fellow traveler. But there are always9friends and possibilities just the next town over.

    Part of the10of taking this trip was the knowledge that I'd be doing this alone. At first, I tried to get friends to11with me for various legs of the journey. I asked close friends, then even not-so-close12, then slowly realized that I might never travel if I13around for a time when a friend of mine would be free to14me.

    If I was really going to do this, it would have to be alone.

    As it turns out, traveling alone is the best15I could have made. You always have to make16considerations for others when you travel with others. Sometimes, you have to do things you don't feel like doing.

    Solo travel is amazing. And really,17I truly want and seek out18, I am never alone. I always have a group. I never feel19. Sometimes, being alone forces you to reach out to people you might not otherwise have ever 20.

    So don't fear traveling alone. It's the best thing there is.

    Each year her husband sent her valentine roses, tied with pretty bows, and a card. The card would 1say, "I love you even more than last year on this day."

    The year he2, the roses were delivered to her door as usual. The card said, "Be my valentine. My love for you will always3with every passing year." She thought this was the4 time that the roses would appear. She5he ordered roses6without knowing that he would7.He always liked to do things ahead. Then, if he got busy, everything would work out 8.She put 9 in a very special vase, and then placed the vase beside the portrait of his smiling face. She would sit for hours, staring at his picture and the roses.

    A year went by, 10it was tough to live without him. Then, on Valentine's Day, the doorbell rang, and she saw roses sitting 11 her door. She brought the roses in, and then looked at them in surprise. Later she 12 the flower­ shop and asked them to explain 13 valentine roses were sent to her.

    The owner replied,"I know your husband passed away a year ago. The flowers you14today were paid for two years ago. Your husband always planned ahead. Here is 15 of many years. You'll get them every year till... and he also wrote a special little16for you...he did this years ago. He said, 'If you find out that I'm no longer here, the card should be sent to my wife the following year.'"

    She thanked him and hung up the phone, her tears 17 her face. She found a card among the roses and read it slowly, "Hello, my love. I know it's been a year since I was gone. I hope it's not too hard for you to overcome. I know you must be 18 and the pain is real. The 19 we shared made everything so beautiful in life. I loved you more than20can say. Please try not to be too sad. That is why the roses will be sent to you for years."

    My head was so full of digital noise that my brain was about to explode. As a writer, I was 1 to admit my love of books had been replaced by a brain that simply could not sit 2. So, this year I 3 to return to books before the Internet broke my brain.

    My goal was 52 books. It seemed like an impossible 4. A 400-page book will take the 5 person around eight hours to read. Finding the time to read was a challenge but I 6it anyway. I treated my mind like a misbehaving child who needs some rules laid down. Then I read for an hour or two at a time without 7 each day. It was something I hadn't done in years.

    In The Distracted Mind, Larry Rosen says that the more we 8spending time away from our electronic devices, the 9and more focused we become. And this is what I found. Again, I would 10 bring myself back to the page, 11 the urge to reach for that screen. I took inspiration from a book On Quiet, in which the author 12 how buying a safe（保险箱）to lock away her family devices for long periods had opened up a space to reflect.

    For me, finding that quiet time 13 finding time just to read. It was a  14  moment between me and my book when I ordinarily would have reached for my15. I read on the tram, in bed at night and on lunch 16.

    With my re-gained 17 for books, I created a space 18 I could press pause and find inspiration, knowledge and 19. In our fast-paced world, reading for the sake of reading is not selfish but a powerful way to 20 and be ourselves.

    "Do I really want to go through with this?" Have you ever asked yourself that 1 ? Sometimes in life, there are moments when you 2 if you will be able to handle the responsibilities ahead of you. For me, these 3 come daily, whether it's taking a test or working. But one Saturday afternoon, my family and I were 4 around when my dad pulled into a small mall. Little did I realize, we were going to a 5 store where a new member would be 6 to our family.

    As my 7 parked our car, I figured we would just take a 8 look and then leave. After a while, my dad called us over. He was standing next to my mom, looking at several 9 . I began to think, "Are we 10 a cat"? My dad asked, "So guys, you like any of these?" My brother said "Yes!" before I could even open my 11 .

    When I pictured feeding the cat, cleaning it and giving it water, all of these responsibilities felt  12 to me. Would I be able to handle it? 13 , I would have to live a more adult-like  14 if I got a cat. Later on, after 15 that we should get a cat, I thought about this new phase of my life. I realized that the 16 I make can affect my future.

    Looking back, I find that I have been able to 17 the responsibility of owning a cat. Some tasks may be 18 , but that doesn't 19 they can't be accomplished. You simply20 to do your best in order to push past them.

    A few days after Christmas, my friend Zachary came over with his snowboard. Zachary was very good at snowboarding, but I could 1 do it at all. I wondered if maybe my new board wasn't the right size for me, so I tried 2 Zachary's board, but I still didn't get very 3.

    While I 4 with Zachary's board, he was making run after run down the hill. He asked me if we could go to his favourite hill to do more runs, and not wanting to 5 his fun, I 6 said I would go.

    While out on the new hill, I still struggled to stay 7. I had fallen a few times when a teenager that I had never 8 before noticed that I was getting 9, and called me over to give me some advice. I don't talk to strangers as a 10, but my mom was with me, so I felt 11. So I listened to what he had to 12, and then I made another 13. He watched, and then came over to give me more 14. I did what he told me, and I was able to get all the way down the hill without 15. It seemed much easier with the instructions he gave me.

    This guy was so nice and helpful about 16 me. He could have chosen to make a few more runs for the day, 17 taking the time to help me. As 18 preteens, sometimes when we think of teenagers, we think of those who are troublemakers, or those who scare us. But this teenager made me feel 19 around him and was really helpful and kind to me.

    I'm a much better snowboarder now, thanks to the very 20 teenage stranger.