Failing Successfully

    Two years ago I took part in a speech competition. It was a hard time for me when the judge1 the winners. At last, the moment of truth came. I got the worst.2  not being placed in the competition, I really wanted to 3  again. I realized that finding the right topic was the most important part of the whole 4 . It needs to be motivational and inspirational to the 5 . So I reworked my speech for the following year,6  a different topic and spending countless hours 7  the speech, line by line, word by word to make it 8 better.

The next year I participated in the 9  again. As was expected, my speech 10 down well and I was hoping to do that a bit better this year.11 , my wish didn't come true. The competition was so fierce that again I didn't 12 it.

    I was deeply disappointed, since I couldn't accept the fact that I had 13  twice in something that I had worked so hard on. However, I knew that losing is 14  and part of life. One of the judges said to me that my speech was quite good,15  it needed to be better if I wanted to go any further. He advised me to struggle to16 something like some of the empty gestures. He said that I would surely succeed some day.

    While I didn't earn 17 in the competition, I did gain a new viewpoint. I discovered that I could fail successfully. I think I'll 18  to work hard and enter the next competition. Now, whenever I'm faced with a defeat, I 19  myself of what a famous person said, "The path was worn and slippery. My foot slipped from under me, knocking the other out of the way, but I recovered and said to myself that it's a slip and not a20 ."

    I had never known a Christmas when we could ask for a special gift and actually expect to get it. The Great Depression (大萧条) of the 1930s really1 our farming community of Belleville, Michigan. Then came 1940; I was 7 years old and my brother, David, was 8. That year my father got a(n)2 job, and David and I were asked to choose the one 3we most wanted to get that year. I 4 a teddy bear. David asked for a bicycle.

    5, Christmas morning arrived. There under the tree, with a big red bow around his neck, was my teddy bear. David's6 , however, was not there. I7 how my parents could make my wish come true but not my brother's.

    “I8something,” my father said, as he went into the other room. When he came back he was9a bicycle.

    On David's face was a look of both delight and10. The bike was secondhand, which David didn't11, but it was a girls' bike. Boys did not ride girls' bikes. Personally, I wouldn't have 12if it had come with pink bows on it – it was still a bicycle.

    David and I had been learning to ride on bicycles13from friends in the neighborhood. I was not as14a rider as he was, but I could15to get from point A to point B.

    David was very16, letting me ride his new wheels often. He even17out a way to tie our Radio Flyer wagon to the bike so he could pull me and other kids up and down our road.

    Now we could18 places that were once beyond convenient walking distance. That winter we took many long rides down the snowy back roads, with me on the handlebars or19behind in the wagon. That bicycle was the Christmas present and truly gave us an exciting new 20.

    A beautiful September evening, my 11-year-old grandson, Josh, and his team were warming up for their first football game of the season.

    At six, the 1called the captains forward, said something and 2 his whistle. The two teams 3 separately. I was 4 .The other team was,  5, ten inches taller than our players. It didn't take long for their 6 advantage to show. They took a 7-0 lead very 7 .At the half, the score stood at 34 to 6. Josh 8 minimal play time. In the second half, they used Josh more often. The score climbed to 40 to 6.

    Once again, the other team began their 9 down the field. Their quarterback threw the ball. The receiver caught it and 10 the goal. There was only one man in his 11 —Josh. Josh dove and 12 that boy's legs with all his strength. The receiver dragged Josh a couple of yards and 13 fell down.

    On the next play, their quarterback shot through an opening and rushed to the goal, but there was Josh again. Josh took him off his feet and 14 another goal. They scored on the last play, but it wasn't Josh's 15 .The game ended with a score of 48 to 6.

    On the way home. I wanted to 16 Josh, but he turned to me with a 17 smile. “Grandpa, that was a 18game.”

    “But you lost, 48 to 6!”

    “I know, but I did good.”

    The boy understood the 19 better than I did. They didn't win, but he did his best. I was proud of him. More 20, he was proud of himself.

    Last December, just a week before Christmas, I went to a local KMart store to pick up my layaway(预付定金购物). Upon reaching the counter, I 1 the clerk my layaway receipts and told her I was there to pay off the balance and take the  2 home with me. She grabbed my receipts, and kept messing with the computer 3 something was wrong. I felt a little uneasy. I was4 her to tell me my layaway had been misplaced or something of the sort.

5, after about ten minutes, she said. "Oh, that's why I can't find it in our 6. You should have 7a phone call a few days ago that your layaway was paid off by a(n) 8 Santa. "I couldn't believe what I was hearing! This kind of story only happens in the 9. Why was my family 10 to receive such a blessing?

    Immediately I asked the cashier if there was a 11 that I could leave something for the Santa 12 his random act of kindness, but she said that the individual wanted to 13 completely unknown. It definitely 14 my heart. However. I felt 15. I kept thinking that perhaps some family out there was not going to have a Christmas because they really couldn't 16to pick up their layaway.

    I decided to pay it 17, so I used the money I had for the balance on my account to purchase some 18 and on my way out, I gladly 19 them off inside a huge toy donation box. Since I had received such a nice, heart warming gesture from someone, I wanted to keep the 20 going. And it felt nice to receive and to be able to give right back.

    I was driving on the freeway when I noticed heavy clouds roll in. A storm was coming. Glancing at the boxes of 1in the back seat, 1 smiled to myself. The rain began beating 2against my car window, making driving impossible. I 3onto the shoulder of the road and stopped. The rain 4me of Hurricane (飓风) Katrina.

    Hurricane Katrina struck when I was nine years old. I had 5it would strike us in Houston. It missed us, 6other cities were not so lucky. I remembered watching the 7. A reporter stood inside the Houston Astrodome (体育馆), 8people. Many wore dirty and 9 clothes, and some had no shoes on their feet. I noticed a little boy behind the reporter 10an old teddy bear. Watching him, I knew I had to do 11.

    The next day, my friends 12me at our volunteer club and we came up with a plan. We wanted to 13toys and give them to the kids at the Astrodome, which would bring some 14into the lives of these families. We 15the word to our schools and other organizations. Three days later, the donation bins were overflowing with new toys! When we 16the Astrodome with our gifts, children 17toward us from all directions, smiles lighting up their faces.

    BZZZZ. My cell phone brought me back to the present. To my joy, the storm had 18. "Hector. We have more 19of yesterday's tornado." "Well, I've brought clothes I'd like to donate to them. The 20 delayed me, but I'll be there soon!" I eased my car into the suddenly busy traffic. It felt good to know that I was making a difference 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.