I never thought I would be a “runner”. I was the girl who 1 slowest in the PE class. A few years ago, I was walking with a group of 2  in the Race for the Cure, a 5km race designed to 3 money for the fight against breast cancer(癌), 4  one lady caught my 5 .

    She was one of the weakest-looking women I've ever seen. She must have been close to seventy years old, 6  a T-shirt with the word “Survivor”. She was so small that it seemed as if she could even be 7  by a strong wind. But, she was running. And she was 8  me and my group of friends. She ran slowly, but 9  —as if each step pushed her cancer further into her past. Right at that moment, I10  that in the next Race for the Cure, I'd be running along with her.

    A week later, I found myself in the 11 , running on the treadmill(跑步机). Three minutes after I started, my face was bright red. I felt like my lungs were going to burst. I 12  slow down to a walk. I thought of the 13  at the race. I kept it up. I was able to go a little 14  each time. Three and a half minutes. Four minutes. Five.

    A year later, I was 15  at the Race for the Cure, but this time, I 16  with the runners. When the race started, the other runners passed me by. I ran forward. I wondered if I'd be 17  to do it. But then, I remembered the brave woman. I ran as fast as I could until I finally crossed that finish line. I had just 18  my first race! I 19  down at my legs, amazed. They had done something I'd never thought 20 . I have never felt stronger than at that moment. And, I knew that I wanted to do it again.

    Last Friday night I was leaving Joe's art class and heading to Roscoe for dinner with friends. Instead of taking the highway, I1to drive down Roscoe's little main street. Roscoe s is a fairly 2town, though it does have a traditional main street. I3 that people there had already put up their holiday 4There were few cars in the street so I look ray time driving5and enjoying each light. Yes, it was the first week of November and6 not close to Thanksgiving Day, but they were still pretty.

    The next day, I walked into a kid's store to 7chiffon (雪纺绸) flowers for a hat I was knitting (编织). An employee came out of the back room8some beautiful holiday decorations. She saw me and9explained that she wasn't really decorating for Thanksgiving for fear that I would10her. There was just a weekend event that 11some holiday cheer, but afterward all the decorations would be taken down. Her12confirmed the fact that holiday decorations were clearly important13her. I knew she was just following the decorating14Put it up—take it down-put it up again.

    After a deep 15about the two events, 1 have decided that this year I'm just going to16what I see. It doesn't matter what holiday it is or if it's up or down at the “correct” time.17ifs pretty, ifs going to make me delighted. Sometimes, I think we make ourselves a little 18 trying to follow rules that are not really important, or trying to be 19 or not to stand out in the neighborhood. This year I'm going to see the holiday decorations wherever they are and whenever they are and just be20.

    At the age of sixteen, I went on my first volunteer project with Dad in West Virginia. The family 1 was living in a trailer (拖车) that was in 2 condition. A crew had been working on it for two weeks, but one problem after another3.

    We decided the only4 was to build a new 5. The family was6 Tuesday that week, we began to7the bedrooms for the family's three boys. Josh, Eric and Ryan8 toys and other gadgets (小玩意) that children usually9 we were astonished when Josh responded, “ I just warn a 10”.

    The boys had 11slept in a bed! They were accustomed to plastic mats. That night we decided that beds would be the perfect12. As we 13 the frames of the beds together, Erie ran into the house to watch us. Too dirty to enter his room, he observed with wide-eyed 14 from the doorway.

    As my Dad 15 one of the pillows into a pillowcase (枕套), Erie asked, “What is that?” Dad told him it was a pillow. “What do you do with it?” Eric continued to ask. “16 you sleep, you put your head on it” I answered softly. Tears came to my eyes as I 17 Eric the pillow. “Oh…that's18” he said, hugging it tightly .

    Now, when my sister or I start to ask for something that seems very19 Dad gently asks,” Do you have a 20?” We know exactly what he means.

    I always preferred to take on（承担）more than I should when I was a young man. At times, it was to prove to myself that I could 1 it. At other times, it was to please someone and gain 2 for my efforts. This sometimes led to 3 or frustration（挫败）.

    When I was an IT manager after college graduation I was 4 to work with a wealth customer and be a go-between（中间人）for my company. I took on the assignment 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 to 7 the customer and try to meet his unreasonable requirements rather than stick to what we had 8 offered in the contract. As you can imagine, this led to a lot of unexpected 9 and arguing with some of the staff（职员）who 10 to do anything outside their scope（范围）of work. I remember walking into my office one morning, opening my laptop and 11 the blank screen for long, thinking to myself: What should I do? That was a(n) 12 time in my life and then I finally had to give up my first job and 13 that company sadly.

    Perhaps, I thought then, I could find the 14 that didn't involve dealing with difficult people and difficult situations. But later I realized: Is this15 in our modern world? No, it is impossible. Now, I know, I shouldn't run away from the 16 I faced in life. I had to learn how to deal with them. I 17 not persevering（坚持）in my job. We should train ourselves to look at things from a 18 point of view, because that is far better than being 19 in the bad circle depression. I've come to 20 that when faced with difficulties, I should not give up, but preserve.

    When the dirty orange cat turned up in the prison yard, I was one of the first to go out there and pet it. I hadn't1a cat or a dog in over 20 years. It was graceful to feel him and know that I was2the life of another creature. I believe that caring for something or someone3is what makes us human.

    Over the next few days, I watched other prisoners4to the cat. They stood around talking and taking5petting the cat. These were guys you wouldn't usually find talking to each other. Several times I saw an officer in the group—not forcing people away,6just watching and seeming to7it.

    Bowls of milk and water appeared, along with bread,8placed under the edge of the dustbin to9the seagulls(海鸥)from getting it. The cat was obviously in pretty bad10. One prisoner brought out his small11, and trimmed(修剪)for him.

    People said, "That cat came to the right place. He's getting12like a king." This was true. But as I watched, I was also thinking about what the13was doing for us.

    There's a lot of talk about what's14with prisons in America. We need more15or treatment of various kinds. Some even talk about making prisons more kind, but I think what we really need is a chance to16kindness ourselves. Not receive it, but17it.

    They've taken him away now—18to a comfortable home—but it did my heart good to see the effect he had19me and the men here. He didn't have a PhD, he wasn't a psychologist, but by simply saying, "I need some help here," he did something important for us. He needed us, and we need to be20. I believe we all do.

My dad is easy-going and has a gift for chatting. He 1 a fast food restaurant called Queenie's Weenies, which is specialized in hot dogs. I work with my dad at the 2 on weekends.

One Saturday, we went 3 . As we got into the checkout line, I 4 something: our cashier (收银员) was very 5 ! She 6 no smiles, no greetings and no small talk. Her "anger aura (光环)" was obvious and kind of 7 to me. When we 8 to check out, I was thinking that we should just pay for our things and leave quickly. My dad had a different 9 . When it was our turn, he started 10 her.

Dad said, "Hi, how are you today? This is my son. I have a restaurant, and we 11 together. It's called Queenie's Weenies. Drop by my restaurant sometime and I will 12 you to my hot dogs. I'm good at cooking them." By the time we 13 checking out, the cashier was smiling. She said, "Thanks, umm… I hope you and your son have a very nice day."

Back in the car, Dad said to me, "The cashier was obviously 14 today. It happens to everyone. Smile 15 or give a few kind words, which is all it takes to make one a little more delighted."