I still clearly remember that day. I was on the side of the road for about four hours with my big jeep. I put signs in the windows that said,“Need a jack (千斤顶）.”

    As I was about to give up, a truck stopped and a man got off. He looked at the situation, made a judgment and went back to take a jack. After about two hours, we finished the job with sweats. We were both dirty. His wife took a large bottle of water for us to wash our hands.

    I tried to put $20 in the man's hand, but he wouldn't take it, so I went to give it to his wife quietly. I asked their little girl where they lived. She said they lived in Mexico. They were in Oregon now, so Mommy and Daddy could pick cherries for the next few weeks. After that, they were going to pick peaches and then go home.

    After I said goodbye and started going back to my jeep, the girl ran to me and handed me a tamale(玉米粽子)for lunch. I thanked them again and walked back to my jeep. When I opened the tamale, what did I find inside? My $20! I ran to the truck and the guy rolled down his window. He started shaking his head, smiled and  said in English“Today you, tomorrow me. ” Then he drove away, with his daughter waving to me from the back.

    This family, working on a seasonal basis where time is money, took a couple of hours to help a stranger while others passed by quietly.

    Since then I've helped many people like the Mexican family. I didn't accept their money. Every time I was able to help, I felt as if I was putting something in the bank.

    There are good reasons to value our friendships.Some years ago a public-opinion research firm,Roper Starch Worldwide,asked 2007 people to name one or two things that said the most about themselves.Friends far outranked homes jobs, clothes and cars.

    “Ironically,” says Brant R.Burleson, professor of communication at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind., “the better friends you are, the more likely you'll face conflicts.” And the outcome can be what you don't want—an end to the relationship.

    The good news is that most troubled friendships can be mended.

    Swallow your pride. It wasn't easy, but that's what Denise Moreland of Hickam Air Force Base in Hawaii did when a friendship turned sour.For nearly four months,Moreland,45,had watched over Nora Huizenga's two young daughters, who were living with their father on the base,while Huizenga,40,completed training as a dental hygienist in Nevada.“I felt honored to be asked to step in,” Moreland says.

    “When Huizenga returned at Christmas,” Moreland recalls,“I had so much to tell her, but she never called.”

    One daughter had a birthday party, but Moreland wasn't invited. “I felt like I'd been used,” she says.At first, Moreland swore to avoid Huizenga.Then she decided to swallow her pride and let her friend know how she felt. Huizenga admitted that she'd been so worried about being separated from her family that she'd been blind to what her friend had done to help her. Today she says, “I would never have figured out what happened if Denise hadn't called me on it.”

    When a friend hurts you, your instinct is to protect yourself.But that makes it harder to solve problems,explains William Wilmot,author of Relational Communication.“Most of us are relieved when differences are brought out in the open.”

    Apologize when you're wrong—even if you've also been wronged.But over the course of a friendship, even the best people make mistakes. “We don't think clearly when we're arguing,” says Michael Lang,a professional mediator (调解人) in Pittsburgh. Instead, says Lang, ask: “What's going on? This doesn't make sense.”

    See things from your friend's point of view. Sociologists Rebecca Adams Rosemary and Blieszner interviewed 53 adults who each had many friendships lasting decades. “We were curious how these people managed to sustain strong friendships for so long,” says Blieszner. Tolerance is key, the researchers learned.” It's surprising how often a dispute results from a simple misunderstanding,” adds psychotherapist Anne Frenkel.

    Accept that friendships change. “Friendships change as our needs and lifestyles change,” Wilmot observes.

    Making friends can sometimes seem easy,says Yager.The hard part is keeping the connections strong during the natural ups and downs that affect all relationships.Her suggestion: Consider friendship an honor and a gift,and worth the effort to treasure and nurture.

    New research shows sheep are clever

    People often make jokes about how dull sheep are, but new research shows they may be cleverer than we think. Researchers at the University of Cambridge discovered that Welsh mountain sheep have brainpower that equals rodents (啮齿动物). Tests found that the sheep can map the area they live in, and some may even be able to plan ahead.

    Young fish prefer noisy neighbors

    A new study has shown that young fish like to live on reefs (暗礁) with noisy neighbors! Researchers from the universities of Auckland and Bristol found that young fish looking for a home choose areas where other noisy fish live. The scientists produced all kinds of sounds which had been recorded in different natural environments. The young fish seemed to prefer the sounds of natural reefs, compared with noisy animals! The scientists compared the choice to a music fan wandering around at a music festival, choosing to set up a tent closest to the music they like best!

    Butterflies are disappearing

    A new study has shown that 17 species (物种) of butterfly found in Europe have dropped by 70% in the last 20 years. The information collected from 3,000 sites across 15 countries shows it may be caused by the loss (减少) of grasslands covered with flowers. You can encourage butterflies to come into your garden by planting flowers.

    Runners who encounter visual and auditory distractions (干扰)may be more likely to suffer leg injuries, according to research by the Association of Academic Physiatrists in Las Vegas. Runners often seek distraction from the task at hand. Whether it be music, texting, daydreaming, taking in the sights, or propping a book up on the treadmill(跑步机), more often than not a distraction is welcome. But, researchers from the University of Florida have recently discovered those distractions may lead to injury.

    Daniel Herman, MD, assistant professor at University of Florida, and his team conducted research on the effects of visual and auditory distractions on 14 runners to determine what effect these distractions would have on things such as heart rate, how many times a runner breathes per minute and how much oxygen is consumed by the body.

    The runners were all injury-free at the time of the study and ran 31 miles each week. Dr . Herman's team had each participant run on a treadmill three separate times. The first time was without any distractions. The second time added a visual distraction, during which the runners concentrated on a screen displaying different letters in different colors with the runner having to note when a specific letter-color combination appeared. The third time added an auditory distraction similar to the visual distraction, with the runner having to note when a certain word was spoken by a certain voice.

    When compared to running without distractions, the participants applied force faster to their left and right legs called loading rate, with auditory and visual distractions. They also experienced an increased amount of force from the ground on both legs, called ground reaction force, with auditory distractions. Finally, the runners tended to breathe heavier and have higher heart rates with visual and auditory distractions than without any distractions at all.

    "Running in environments with different distractions may unfavorably affect running performance and increase injury risk," explains Dr. Herman. "Sometimes these things cannot be helped, but you may be able to minimize potentially cumulative(累积的) effects. For example, when running a new route in a chaotic environment such as during a destination of marathon, you may want to skip listening to something which may require more attention - like a new song playlist."

    Dr. Herman's team will continue to investigate the potential relationship between distracted running and leg injuries, and any effect this relationship has on different training techniques that use auditory or visual cues.

    Having a job is great, I have learned. It means I can afford things such as a place to live and daily meals. And with an above-average job, I can afford a car and occasional overseas vacations.

    However, I also understand how difficult it is to have a below-average job, having had many of them before. It's frankly pretty awful. Owning a car was out of the question – I could barely afford to ride the subway.

    So, I decided to go to university and get a degree.

    Later, I emailed my details to every company and government institution with an online careers page. I even printed my resume and handed it out in what seemed like hundreds of office buildings.

    One summer during university, my cousin and I helped out at my uncle's business, fixing roofs, although the only thing I got out of that was back problems.

    That same year, I got a job at a plumbing(管道工程) company, which I was terrible at. It was no surprise when I was asked to leave that job after only four days.

    A lot of people today believe the problem of unemployment in my generation is our fault. Some accuse us of being lazy or feeling too entitled(有资格的). At the same time, some people accuse members of my generation of having a sense of “specialness” that has led us to believe we can all be astronauts, movie stars or singers if we put our minds to it. Also, a few of them think that we would all be happily employed if we would only learn trades or become software engineers, because those people make the most money.

    I realize that not everyone can go into space, star in Hollywood movies or fill stadiums with fans, however. I also think not everyone can make a good electrician or design advanced computer software – I know I can't. Everyone is good at something, but no one is good at everything. It took me hundreds of rejection emails to realize that I had to focus on finding a job where I could actually be successful.

    And now, I finally have that job. All it took was several years of desperation, failure and an honest assessment(评估) of my personal value in the job market.

    It's not the best start, but it's not bad for a start too.

How to Keep Personal Art Journals

You might have heard that keeping a journal is a great way to record your thoughts and understand your emotions. Typical journaling involves only writing. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}. And because there are so many ways to express yourself in an art journal, it's a wonderful creative outlet for both beginners and more experienced creatives.

{#blank#}2{#/blank#}. It combines elements of writing, drawing, painting, collage (拼贴画), and even graffiti to express yourself. This includes your everyday life, as well as your hopes, dreams, and fears. A single page will often have both words and illustrations to offer a look at what's going on inside your head.

Art journaling is a way to practice self-care. It encourages you to take a little time for yourself — even if it's just for 15 minutes a day. When you look back at what you've written or drawn, you can gain valuable insight into the challenges in your life. The point of creating a visual journal is not to make every page a masterpiece. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}.

Art journaling is completely customizable (可定制的) depending on your skills and interests. Many people choose to use mixed media and decorate their pages with drawing and painting materials. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}. The most important thing when beginning your art journal, however, is selecting the right book.

There are many considerations when it comes to picking your journal book. Size is one. If you enjoy making large drawings, for instance, then a bigger book might be best. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}. Since it's a good chance you'll be using mixed media, select a journal whose paper can handle both drawing and painting.