Dad is a reserved man of few words but is always strict. What's more, he is quite different from others in ideas and 1: beating or bringing to account his son in the presence of neighbors as he strongly believes in such a2: a dutiful son is the 3 of the rod, which is deeply impressed in his mind from his father. So I was emotionally upset and 4 in spite of just a 10-year-old kid, who thought, “I was randomly beaten, so I would bring blows on other smaller kids”. And Dad would deal me a heavier 5the next time.

    It 6 that I completely lost control of this blow and found it impossible for me to 7 on my lessons as I came to blows with other kids all day long . Everything went from bad to worse for me so much 8 I couldn't write out the English alphabet, 9 could I do arithmetic (算术). 10, I was sent into a reformatory school(劳教所) where I stayed guilty for two and a half years. This time Dad shed bitter tears , saying, “Son, it is not that I don't love you but that I should not have been so angry at your failure to 11 my expectations!”

    Retiring from the army, he gave me 10,000 US dollars for a trip around the world. 12 getting back from this trip, he said to me, “Book knowledge is 13 valuable but he who travels far and wide should know better at the time of your life. I guess you are now fully prepared to get started for work.” At 26, I started up Runhua Machinery Co., Ltd., which was later poorly 14 and went bankrupt(破产); it was not long 15I started to engage in a dye-stuff plant which happened to be blown up. At all these, my father only gave me such words, “I will congratulate you on your god-given setbacks and failures, which will help you make 16 mistakes in life.”

    The Ph.D. graduation ceremony was grandly started and my parents were 17 invited to 18. Dad didn't say a single word 19 me but cried bitterly again this time, and at this very moment, my mind was in a state of 20 emotions and I stood on the stage with warm tears in my eyes.

    When Meghan died in a car accident at the age of sixteen, Colleen Keefe together with another friend wrote the following to remember her:

    When I heard the news of you 1 us so soon, all I could do was hug my blanket to me. On my way down to 2 your mom and dad, I realized I needed to give you a 3 of me. I could not cut out my heart, even though it is 4 at this time. So I give to you, my friend, a piece of my blanket in the 5 of a heart. Attached to it is a(n) 6 of the three of us—you, me and Shauna.

    Now, I have to 7 that this blanket was given to me by my grandfather, who is in heaven with you. He will 8 the blanket. He might not recognize my picture, as he has been gone for over fourteen years. But don't be 9--he's really a teddy bear. Give him a big hug and a kiss 10 me, and tell him I said to take care of you. He will 11.

    Now that we know you are being taken 12 of, we can move on with our lives. We found out that one who received your organ（器官）donation is doing 13. Even in your 14 you have helped others. We will be seeing your family soon, and staying in 15 with everyone.

    Good-bye, my friend, we16 you already. You will never be 17 from our thoughts. Give us a nudge（轻推）when we are heading in the 18 direction and, of course, keep “dancing”.

    Every time I 19 my blanket around me I will 20 your presence. Stay warm.

    I always preferred to take on more than I should when I was a young man. At times, it was to prove to myself that I could1it. At other times, it was to please someone and gain2for my efforts. This sometimes led to3or frustration.

    When I was an IT manager after college graduation I was4to work with a wealth customer and be a go-between(中间人) for my company. I took on the assignment(任务)5, thinking that this might be my time to shine.6, the customer's demands proved to be more than I could do with. And the company chose to7the customer and try to meet his unreasonable requirements rather than stick to what we had8offered in the agreement. As you can imagine, this led to a lot of unexpected9and arguing with some of the staff who10to do anything outside their own work. I remember walking into my office one morning, opening my laptop and11the blank screen for long, thinking to myself: What should I do? That was a (n)12time in my life and then I finally had to give up my first job and13that company sadly.

    Perhaps, I thought then, I could find the14 that didn't involve dealing with difficult people and difficult situations. But later I realized: Is this15in our modem world? No, of course not. Now, I know, I shouldn't run away from the16I faced in life: I had to learn how to deal with them. I17not persevering(坚持) in my job. We should train ourselves to look at things from a18point of view, because that is far better than being19in the bad circle depression. I've come to20 that when faced with difficulties, I should not give up, but persevere.

    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.

    Since I introduced animals into my child psychotherapy(心理治疗) practice, my life as a doctor has been full of wonders. One Friday afternoon Diane, a dark-haired five-year-old, who had 1 said a word to anyone outside her home environment, came to me for 2 help.

    When Diane and her parents were 3 in the waiting room, my dog, Puppy, and I walked out to 4 them. I noticed immediately Diane sat with her head down, her eyes directed toward the floor in front of her, making no move to 5.

    Puppy, walking ahead of me, made a beeline for Diane. Because Diane's head was 6, Puppy was just three feet from her when the girl finally 7 sight of him. Startled by the 8 sight, the girl's eyes became huge and then her mouth curved slowly into a smile. Puppy stopped 9 in front of Diane and laid his head in her lap.

    I greeted Diane, but she didn't 10. Instead, she began to silently pet Puppy's head, running her 11 softly over Puppy's ears and nose. Obviously she was still 12, but she was smiling and seemed to be enjoying her 13 with Puppy.

    Then I gave Puppy a hand 14 to go back into the inner office. As Puppy walked away, I watched Diane's face fall and her eyes take on a 15 look. I said, "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't 16 you wanted Puppy to stay. All you have to do for him to come back is say, 'Puppy, come.'"

    After struggling inside, Diane called in a soft 17, "Puppy, come; please come." As Diane's parents watched in tears, I gave Puppy another signal and he ran over to the girl who 18 her chair and hugged Puppy tightly around the neck. Seeing this, I was 19, for Diane had taken the first step in her journey toward being able to interact(互动) with the world outside her home and Puppy had20his magic again.

As I prepared for my Level 8 Royal Conservatory of Music piano exam, memories of previous disappointing marks filled me with dread and anxiety. The mere thought of booking the exam made me feel completely strained. However, fate had other plans in store for me.

Just when I thought things couldn't get any worse, my trusty 10﹣year﹣old electric piano malfunctioned. The middle C note played as an F﹣sharp, and multiple other keys were out of tune.

Despite my distress, my father refused to buy a new piano and instead urged me to be more resourceful. Initially, I was at a loss without my beloved electric piano. But after struggling for a few days, I was determined to find every available piano room on campus. After discovering hidden pianos in corners, I spent countless hours practicing. As my exam drew near

One day, while practicing in a piano room, one of my teachers walked in and offered me a mini exam. To my surprise, I found a place where I could be anyone.

Playing the piano became my escape from the anxieties of adolescence and allowed me to express myself freely. When it was time to play in front of the examiner, I no longer feared judgment. Instead, I only feared not being able to represent all my hard work. As the lights came on

Eventually, I received my mark. Not only did I achieve a rarely given "well done", but I also discovered a newfound appreciation for music. Whenever I feel discouraged, some lessons are best learned the hard way.