I know that there are times when friends are apart for a while – or even forever – and that your lives take different paths. Yet, I always hope for a happy ending. I know that friends reconnect again when it makes sense.

    My friend Julie and I had a long period in our friendship. We used to see each other daily. I would eat brown rice in her kitchen while we shared our secrets.

    Later, we celebrated each other's weddings. My husband and I welcomed Julie's first son (born on my birthday). By the time he was learning to walk, Julie and her family had moved to another city. We spoke on the phone sometimes and exchanged Christmas cards.

    After they welcomed their third son, they moved to Edmonton, which is a farther city. We haven't seen each other since then. They changed their phone numbers. I received a letter from her, but I couldn't find that envelope later. I e-mailed her a few times, but didn't get a reply.

    It was painful not to be in touch with an old friend. I let it go. I knew that Julie and I would reconnect again, when it made sense.

    Last year, Julie's husband got in touch with me on Facebook. I felt something bad, and soon my feeling proved true: Julie had passed away the month before. She died of cancer.

    I regretted that I had not been part of Julie's support system, or the last years of her joyous, painful time on Earth. I cried. I'm so sorry, Julie, for counting on more chances.

    Last week, I donated my hair in memory of Julie to make wigs (假发) for cancer patients. It was a small way of showing that I loved her and will never forget her. And that I look forward to us reconnecting again – when it makes sense.

    If we are observant(善于观察的), we can find that most of the flowers in nature are red, orange and yellow. If we have seen a black flower, it is a chance in a million. People have made census (统计) to colors of more than four thousand kinds of flowers and discovered that only eight of them are black. Why are black flowers so rare?

    As we know, sunlight is formed by seven different kinds of colored light. The wave length of each light changes, so the quantity of heat in each light changes, too. Flowers, especially their petals (花瓣) , are very weak and easy to the harm caused by high temperature. Black flowers can take in all the light waves, which cause the flowers to dry up in a high temperature. So the black flowers can hardly continue their lives. While red flowers, orange flowers and yellow ones can protect themselves from sunlight by reflecting（反射） the red light, orange light and yellow light, each of which has a large quantity of heat.

    That is why red, orange and yellow flowers are very common in nature while black flowers are so unusual.

    The minute you start talking about what you're going to do if you lose, you have lost.

    Some people have a great fear of losing. In fact, fear is not the best description of what they have. It is more like a crazy phobia(恐惧症) that they cannot keep away from. Day after day, these people allow their fear of losing to control everything in their lives. They are so afraid of losing that they try to keep away from losing without considering the cost of doing so.

    When things start to get out of control, fear begins to come in. As the fear of losing or getting hurt overwhelms(充溢) them, they quickly look for excuses, rather than fight back or find a way to deal with their fear. They never realize that losing is just as common as eating and breathing.

    If one is given a choice, who wouldn't prefer winning over losing? After all, winning is exciting and winning is what living is all about. Although we might try hard all the time, we're not going to win every time. In fact, most of us are going to lose a lot more often than we win and, believe it or not, it's not all bad.

    In order to make the most of our abilities ，we have to take risks every now and then. When we take risks, we might get knocked down, or even knocked flat, but with each failure and each loss, we have an opportunity to get better and get closer to the life we expect.

C

    You may have heard the term self-awareness, but what is it and why does it matter?

    Being self-aware can influence how you feel in your job and in your personal life. Daniel Goleman takes that connection much further, saying self-awareness is the key to success. He describes self-awareness as “knowing one's internal（内在的）states ,preference and resources”, and then monitoring that “inner world” information as it comes up. If you can be as aware of your feelings and thoughts, you'll be better able to deal with new situations. Because you know yourself better, you'll be more accepting of yourself, your thoughts and your feelings, Goleman says.

    But self-awareness doesn't stop at how you see yourself. It's also understanding and acknowledging how others see you. Tasha Eurich, an organizational psychologist, explains that self-awareness has two parts — internal and external（外部的）. Internal self-awareness means we can clearly see our own values, thoughts, passions and feelings. External self-awareness is clearly seeing how others see us. People who are externally self-aware tend to be better leaders.

    So how do you know if you're self-aware or not? Eurich developed a short online quiz to help. You're not the only one who has to take it. Someone who knows you well also has to answer questions about you.

    In a recent TED Talk, Eurich refers to self-awareness unicorns. This group makes up only a small part of all the people she has studied. These are people who not only believe they are self-aware, but other people who know them would agree. Additionally, these unicorns would say they have improved their self-awareness in their lives and again, those who know them well would agree.

    Thankfully, anyone can become more self-aware, as long as they're willing to devote some time and effort to the cause.

The Valley Art Center energizes and encourages art appreciation in people of all ages and backgrounds through education, inspiration, and opportunities to experience the visual arts. We support art students and artists through quality curriculum and programming along with exhibition space. We promote the growth of each individual's potential and the advancement of the arts in the community.

Basic Oil Painting

This course, with a four-hour format, is for serious artists of all levels from beginners to advanced learners. Guidance will be offered on issues such as composition, colors, tools and techniques, but the emphasis of the course will be on thinking creatively. Individual attention will be available whenever needed. The course will end up with a group discussion of the students' works.

IMPORTANT: students will be responsible for bringing all necessary materials, including any desired photographic reference. Supply list is available online. And don't forget your lunch. $192/$173.

Digital Photography for the Fraidy Cat

Learn the basics of digital photography. We will start with understanding what those symbols on your camera mean. We will explore how to set your own film speed, aperture (孔径) and shutter (快门) speed. We will also learn when to use a flash. We will explore taking action shots, landscapes and family portraits (全家福). In this class you will practice and apply what you have learned using your camera! $96/$86.

Drawing for the Fraidy Cat

Everyone can draw! If you have ever wanted to learn how to draw or just want to refresh yourself in drawing basics, then this is the class for you. This class will focus on building drawing skills through the use of line, value, perspective, and composition. Students will work on a variety of projects with different drawing mediums to develop their personal style. A list of suggested supplies is available online. $96/$86.

Enamel on Metal

In this art form, drawing skills are not required for this colorful and expressive craft. Beginners learn several basic classical techniques and those with experience are guided in other techniques of choice. For those who are making jewelry, this is another form to add to your artist's toolbox!

All equipment and supplies are included in the first project fee of $8, payable to the instructor at the first class. $96/$ 86.