From Disappointment to Purpose
I'm known for my determination. If I want something, I 1 for it; I refuse to give up 2 I succeed. Over the years this attitude has worked well for me and helped me achieve my goals. For example, when I wanted to be on the dance team at school, I learned all the dances and practiced until I could hardly 3. And when I wanted money for a new computer, I washed cars, babysat, and walked dogs for all my neighbors.
4 this year everything changed. I had set my sights on a summer 5that I was determined to get at the Water Zone, because the employees there could go on the water rides after their work and get free food at the snack bar. It was the 6 job to have on hot summer vacations. So just as I had achieved every goal in the past, I set out to 7 the job. I completed the application in my neatest handwriting, carefully prepared for my interview, and gathered a pack of 8 letters. I was certain that nothing could keep me from my dream job.
But after my 9, the manager of the Water Zone told me that he could hire only those with experience in water safety. I was 10. I felt like a failure.
On the last weekend before school ended, my teacher, Mrs. Keller, asked me 11 I would be interested in the kids' summer day camp. I decided that I had nothing to 12, so I called the manager and 13 an interview. She was 14 by my babysitting experience and employed me. In less than a week, I had completely 15 about wanting to work at the water park. Each time I comforted a little boy who missed his mother or a little girl who needed to help tying her shoes, I felt I was doing something 16. I realized that I had discovered my life's 17: to work with children. I now have a new goal. I'm going to study to become an elementary school teacher.
Sometimes in life we don't get 18 what we want. Our dream guy or girl may not be interested in us. The coach may not select us for the team. A certain employer may not choose to hire us. It's natural to feel 19; I sure did. But I also learned an important lesson. Occasionally, when we don't get what we want, something even 20 is waiting for us around the corner!
The following is a Want ad for a 21st -century father.
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Wanted: A 21st -Century Father Who Can Wear Many Hats THE LOVING HAT |
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Responsibilities Include: |
Benefits: |
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Raising children, not yelling, taking mom out to romantic dinners, listening, “being there.” |
You'll be loved right back. |
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THE MONEY HAT |
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Responsibilities Include: |
Benefits: |
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Holding down a good job, making enough money to support family and pay for vacations. |
Who doesn't want a good job? Plus, vacations with the family. |
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THE FUN HAT |
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Responsibilities Include: |
Benefits: |
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Taking family to baseball games in summer, going sleigh riding in winter, being goofy, dancing. |
What good is life if you don't have any fun? Family outings become memories that last a lifetime. |
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THE HANDYMAN HAT |
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Responsibilities Include: |
Benefits: |
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Taking care of the house and yard. Must know basic carpentry, landscaping, plumbing, and electrical work. |
You'll get to have a really cool set of tools, including power tools. |
Starring Yi Yangqianxi and Lei Jiayin, new streaming series The Longest Day In Chang'an has been one of the biggest pleasant surprises for fans of TV dramas this summer. Its intense story and well-designed costumes and scenery have captured the attention of viewers, earning it high marks on review platforms.
The Chinese name of the drama is Chang'an 12 Shichen. Each episode covers half a shichen, or one hour of time, telling the story in "real time". The show takes place during the Shangyuan Festival in Chang'an, the capital of the Tang Dynasty and what is now Xi'an. The story follows Zhang Xiaojing, who has been sentenced to death. Before his execution(死刑), he is appointed by Li Bi, the young chief of the intelligence department, to stop a group of foreign terrorists called the Wolves Squad and protect Chang'an.
One of the main attractions of the show has been its recreation and presentation of the ancient city of Chang'an. To give viewers the feeling that they are traveling in the city, the show's director Cao Dun has been making use of single shot scenes that show off what the crowded market would have been like during the Lantern Festival in Chang'an. The cast(演员) has also been a major draw. They have been an irreplaceable part of the drama. These experienced actors are the foundation for the drama.
The drama takes license with history to introduce important plot elements, such as watch towers in the city that are manned by sharpshooters who can hit any target in their range. The production team even came up with a detailed secret communication system that these watch towers use to communicate with each other. Another innovation(革新) is the use on screen notes to explain terms that audiences would be unfamiliar with. Such as the term bu liang ren (Lit: not good person), which audiences may mistakenly think refers to a villain in the show. An explanation appears on screen to tell the audience that bu liang ren are specialists trained to catch bad guys. It's really helpful.
Have you ever wondered how other people start their day? Morning routines are usually private, witnessed only by family members if they're awake, and yet these routines are very important for setting a productive tone for the rest of the day. Especially when mornings are cold and dark, there is something fascinating about discovering how others get out of bed each day.
This is the intriguing concept behind a website called My Morning Routine (MMR). Founded in 2012 by Michael Xander and Benjamin Spall, MMR has interviewed more than 218 people about their early-morning habits, always asking the same basic set of questions. Every Wednesday an inspiring routine story is published online.
MMR has a statistics page that was started after 133 morning routine interviews were completed. It's now updated every week. The statistics illustrate the common denominators across all interviews. Here are some of the key findings.
Coffee is king among the participants, with water coming in a far-off second as their favorite drink in the morning, and nearly everybody hates email. Do you answer email first in the morning or leave it until later in the day? Of all the questions they ask the participants, this is the one that never fails to stir up an emotive response. So why do we read about other people's morning routines? Well, first of all, it's fun. Perhaps your first impression is like mine—skeptical that such a thing how could possibly be interesting. It is, quite literally, catching a glimpse of a part of people's lives we don't normally see.
Second, I think many people harbor a secret desire to improve their morning routines, to get better at starting the day off right. The idea behind MMR is to influence readers to make adjustments to their own routines and to take bits and pieces of other' successful routines and incorporate them into their own.
While doing some grocery shopping one day, I realized I had spent close to 30 minutes just in the produce section, meticulously(细致地，一丝不苟地) choosing the best-looking apples, bananas that were ripe but not spotted and ears of corn with perfectly neat rows of kernels(谷粒). However, I bet I'm not the only one that rejects the slightest imperfections in fruits and vegetables.
I've also seen how my pursuit of perfect produce has influenced my children. When I pack their lunches, I make sure I include fleshy tomatoes, crisp blueberries, and cucumbers without any scratches. But one day when my daughter refused to eat a pear that was turning slightly brown, I knew I had to change my way. I realized I was unconsciously teaching my children to accept society's standards of perfection and that these perceptions could have a disastrous impact on our environment.
In the US, up to 40 percent of food is wasted every year. Most of this waste ends up in landfills that creates dangerous greenhouse gases. Around 20 percent of food waste is produced directly at the farm, for the so-called "ugly" food may not meet certain standards set by grocery stores, though the food is still perfectly consumable.
On a recent night in San Francisco, I attended a dinner party to raise awareness about this growing problem. It was the brainchild of food waste activist Josh Treuhaft, which was an intimate gathering of 16 people dinning on a table made from recycle wood. The chef, Pesha Perlsweig, prepared a six-course meal with food, which was purchased from Imperfect Produce that specifically sells "ugly" fruit and vegetables. The organic twisted carrots or knobbly sweet potatoes can be bought at this market for 30 to 50 percent of the price.
I was blown away by Perlsweig's creative, delicious dishes made from the "ugly" food. Before each dish, Persweig offered guests tips on how we can reduce our food waste. For example, if you cut off the end of a limp carrot and place it in water, it will become firm again.
After the evening's dinner, I became inspired to rethink the way I shopped for and consumed food, and to accept the imperfect. Though looking ugly, the food contains no less nutrition than normal food. Furthermore, it's cheap at the price. My actions inspired my daughter to think differently as well. One morning, while she was helping prepare her school lunch, I noticed her choosing a handful of cherry tomatoes with slight flaws. "They're special," she said.
I'm hoping that these small changes in our perception can make a big difference to our world.
In the animal kingdom, weakness can bring about aggression in other animal. This sometimes happens with humans also. But I have found that my weakness brings out the kindness in people. I see it every day when people hold doors for me, pour cream into my coffee, or help me to put on my coat. And I have discovered that it makes them happy.
From my wheelchair experience, I see the best in people, but sometimes I feel sad because those who appear independent miss the kindness I see daily. They don't get to see this soft side of others. Often, we try every way possible to avoid showing our weakness, which includes a lot of pretending. But only when we stop pretending we're brave or strong do we allow people to show the kindness that's in them.
Last month, when I was driving home on a busy highway, I began to feel unwell and drove more slowly than usual. People behind me began to get impatient and angry, with some speeding up alongside me, horning (按喇叭) or even shouting at me. At that moment，I decided to do something I had never done in twenty-four years of driving. I put on the car flashlights and drove on at a really low speed.
No more angry shouts and no more horns!
When I put on my flashlights, I was saying to the other drivers, "I have a problem here. I am weak and doing the best I can." And everyone understood. Several times, I saw drivers who wanted to pass. They couldn't get around me because of the stream of passing traffic. But instead of getting impatient and angry, they waited, knowing the driver in front of them was in some way weak.
Sometimes situations call for us to act strong and brave even when we don't feel that way. But those are few and far between. More often, it would be better if we don't pretend we feel strong when we feel weak or pretend that we are brave when we are scared.
