Around twenty years ago I was living in Seattle and going through hard times. I could not find 1 work although I had a lot of experience and a Master's degree.

    To my 2, I had to drive a school bus to 3my family. At the same time, I had some4 with different companies but they all5to say I did not get the job. I went to hit bus barn(车库), feeling6.

    Later that afternoon, 7 doing my rounds through the town I had an inner wave rise from deep 8 me and I thought “Why has my9 become so hard?”

    Immediately after this internal(内心的)scream, I 10 the bus over to drop off a little girl. As she11 she handed me an earring saying I should keep it 12somebody looked for it. The 13 was stamped with words “BE HAPPY” Then I struck me. I had been putting all of my 14into what was wrong with my life rather than what was 15!

    One night there was a phone call for me from the 16at a large hospital. She asked me whether I 17 do a one-day training for 200 hospital workers. I said 18 and got the job.

    My day with the hospital workers 19very well. I got a great 20and many more days of work. To this day I know that it was because I changed my attitude to life.

    The other day I was talking to a stranger on the bus; he told me that he had a good 1 in Chicago and he wondered if, by any chance, I 2 to know him . For a moment, I thought he might be 3 , but I could tell from the expression on his face that he was not. He was 4. I felt like saying that it was ridiculous (可笑的) to think that out of all the millions of people in Chicago I could possibly have ever bumped into his friend. But, 5, I just smiled and reminded him that Chicago was a very 6 city. He nodded, and I thought he was going to be content to drop the subject and talk about something else. But I was wrong. He was silent for a few minutes, and then he 7 to tell me all about his friend.

    His friend's main 8 in life seemed to be tennis. He was an excellent tennis player, and he even had his own tennis court（网球场）. There were a lot of people with swimming 9, yet there were only two people with private tennis court; his friend in Chicago was one of them. I told him that I knew several 10 like that, including my brother, who was doctor in California. He 11 that maybe there were more private courts in the country, than he realized but he did not know of any others. Then he asked me 12 my brother lived in California. When I said Sacramento, he said that was a coincidence(巧合) 13 his Chicago friend spent the summer in Sacramento last year and he lived next door to a 14 who had a tennis court in his backyard. I said I felt that really was a coincidence because my next-door neighbour had gone to Sacramento last summer and had hired the house next to my brother's house. For a moment, we stared at each other, but we did not say anything.

    “Would your friend's name happen（碰巧） to be Roland Kirkwood?” I asked finally. He laughed and said,“Yes. Would your brother's name happen to be Dr Rey Hunter?” It was my 15 to laugh. “Yes,” I replied.

    Whatever misfortune you face, just hold up your head and face it with a smile! I got to know this from a musical soul.

    The other day I was feeling quite1, having just been laid off from my job. With so many2to pay, I was wondering what was going to happen to my family.

    I got off the bus when I heard piano music and3rising above the noise of the traffic. I walked a bit slower, trying to find out where it was coming from. Through the4I saw a young lady sitting at a piano with a box next to her.

    She was singing songs about love and her sweet voice5me a bit. Then I stood there watching her playing, thinking that it must take6to perform on her own in front of hundreds of people she didn't know.

    She might have felt my7for she occasionally looked in my direction.

    By now I was telling myself that I could at least tell her how good she sounded. I walked8and put some money in her box and she expressed her thanks with a smile on her face.

    I asked her9, “Why are you playing the piano in the middle of this crowded place?”

    She explained to me that she sees so many10people in the world that she is trying to relieve the pain by11motivational music.

    Instead of continuing my way home, I said to her, “I have been going through a12time lately, but you've made me13again.”

    “I'm happy that I could be14to you,” she replied. “Why are you so sad?”

    I told her my story and said, “I'm not so15about what to do….”

    “You see, here's the16,” she responded. “When you were walking, your head was down.” She looked me in the eyes and went on, “Don't look defeated, because17comes in different ways and if your head is down you might never see it. You should18more… lift your head up.”

    I was really19by what she said! I did hold my head up and soon got through the difficult time.

    So20in trouble, just face it bravely and you are sure to overcome your difficulty sooner or later.

    People in the world sometimes are affected by natural disasters. When Hurricane Harvey hit Texas, Reader's Digest wrote about impressive rescues. The spirit of serving can be incredibly 1. Here is a story from Annalysa Longworth, a survivor of Hurricane Maria, in her own 2 .

    “The total 36 hours of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico was 3 the scariest event we've ever gone through. Our house sits on the north-west coast of Rinc6n. In the 4 , over 100 mph winds changed direction causing a great amount of water flooding our 5 . The only place left dry and safe was our kitchen floor, where we were 6 to ride out the rest of the storm. It has been 50 days since the 7 , and we are still without power and water. During our regular afternoon showers, we are glad to 8 rainwater but are quickly reminded of the people living without roofs, and how 9 it must be for them. Our emotions are consistently in a state of 10.

    Recently, our good friends told us about a video interview they were doing with Watts of Love, a solar light company. The company generously gave us a headlamp for our personal 11 and a box with 50 headlamps to distribute throughout our town. Rincón was completely blacked out, so making a simple walk through a parking lot to our car is 12 . We used to rush to get things done before 13 , but now I continue daily chores in the dark. What 14 our lives most was being able to share this gift with others. We 15 the lamps house by house to the people in the mountains who needed them most, as even batteries and candles are 16there. Even though 17 have come slowly, people have been out of work and can't afford to 18 their electric bill. I'11 always be 19 to Watts of Love for allowing us to pay it forward and be witnesses to the smiles that 20 can bring. ”

    Learning experiences happen to us throughout our lives. Not long ago, I had one that I would like to 1.

    I was going to Marblehead with my sailboat team. The team was racing down the highway at 85 mph 2 we realized we were 3. Luckily, we saw a rest area ahead. I had a brand new $20 bill. I was so 4 because I had never had that kind of cash before. But spending it on5 seemed like throwing it away. We all rushed into the pizza line.6 I got a pizza and a drink, and walked to my table. About halfway through the meal, I 7 I had not actually handed any money to the cashier. I had just 8 out, and nobody had noticed. I felt terrible.

    My conscience（良心） opened its mouth and swallowed me in one big bite. I couldn't 9 over it. I just couldn't go back to the cashier and 10for my stolen pizza. I was so upset that I 11to give myself the pleasure of an ice cream in 12 that someone would say, "Hey, Jeff, why don't you use the change 13 the pizza instead of that nice, new $20 bill?" I was not so 14of my cash now.

    For the next two years, whenever I was 15 of the "pizza incident", I would say to myself, "Don't think about it...."

    I have learned two things from this 16. Maybe I was a fool for 17 in to my conscience, and being too stupid to appreciate a 18 pizza. But the real lesson is that even if you get away from what you have done, your conscience will 19 up with you.

    This reflects the saying, "A coward（懦夫） dies a thousand deaths; a hero dies one." I was a coward and have felt terrible about that incident at least a thousand times. If I had been a "20" and gone back to pay for the pizza, I would have felt a little uncomfortable about it only once, or maybe twice.

    Once there was a farmer in Africa named Hafiz who was happy and content.

    One day a(n)1 man came to him and told him about the glory of diamonds and the 2 that goes along with them. The wise man said, "If you had a diamond the size of your thumb, you could have your own city. If you had a diamond the size of your fist, you could probably own your own3." With that said, he went away. That night the farmer couldn't 4. He was unhappy and he was 5.

    The next morning he sold off his farm, took care of his family and went 6diamonds. He looked all over Africa and couldn't find any. He looked all through Europe and couldn't find any. When he got to Spain, he was emotionally,7and financially broke. He got so8that he threw himself into Barcelona River and committed suicide.

    Back home, the person who had9his farm was watering the camels at a10that ran through the farm. Across the stream, the rays of the morning sun hit a stone and made it11like a rainbow. He picked up the stone and12it in the living room.

    That afternoon the wise man came and saw the stone sparkling. He asked, "Is Hafiz13?" The new owner said, " No, why do you ask?" The wise man said, "Because that is a diamond. I recognize one14I see one." The man said, "No, that's just a stone I15from the stream. Come, I'll show you. There are many more." They went and picked some samples and sent them for16. Sure enough, the stones were diamonds. They found that the farm was indeed17with diamonds.

    When our18is right, we realize that we are all walking on acres and acres of diamonds. Opportunity is always under our feet. We don't have to go anywhere. All we need to do is19it. When people don't know how to recognize opportunity, they complain of20 when it knocks. The same opportunity never knocks twice. The next one may be better or worse, but it is never the same one.