【推荐1】When I was a foreign teacher in China, every day I taught English to my students and they taught me about China. One day the topic turned to saying “I love you”. I was shocked to learn that no one of my students had said this to their mothers, nor had their mothers said it to them. “Does your mom love you?” “Of course,” they answered.

“How do you know?” was my logical question. They answered that their moms cooked and always told them what they were doing wrong to show their caring. I was surprised. “So mom’s cooking and criticizing read out as ‘I love you’? Then how do you say ‘I love you’ to her?” They agreed that getting good grades, followed by good jobs would be how they showed their love.

I come from a country where most people are expressive enough, so I repeated these questions in classes over time. Gradually, I began to get different response. Some of them had exchanged those feelings with their moms.

One of my favorite stories of change came from a girl. When she came home from university, her mother met her at the door and hugged (拥抱) her. This had never happened before, but her mom said, “Now that you have gone, I have more time to myself. I noticed that in some places mothers and children hug each other and I decided it was a good idea and that I would begin hugging you.”

In my family we all say “I love you” a lot. While it is true that we often say the words without having great depth (深度) of feelings at that moment, it is almost like a blessing (祝福语) we give each other. Those three little words carry a world of meaning, even when said as a greeting, but most especially if they are the last words we say to or hear from those we love.

“I have some good news for you! ”My husband’s promising words on the phone stopped me from setting the table for dinner.

“What?” I barely waited for him to finish. I really waited for him to finish. I really expected some good news. I was so tired. My infant opened his eyes at 2:30 in the morning and kept crying. I could self-diagnose: sleep debt.

“We’ll have a dinner next Thursday.” His words brought hope and happiness to my tired soul. This event would take place in a music building. The more I heard, the more my heart longed for the evening. I hung up and called my parents to ask about babysitting. Five minutes later, the baby was arranged well. Then reality took over. I felt very upset. What would wear? Post-pregnancy pounds left few options. I had neither the time, money, nor the energy to stop for a new dress. Three days before the dinner, I built up enough courage to open the closet door and find something to wear. First, I tried a blue dress but it was too tight. Then, I held my breath, and tried a green one. I couldn’t believe it. It almost fit! Then, I dug through my drawer for something with the words “tummy control (收腹)”.

When that Thursday came, I walked down the stairs wearing my green dress, high heels and jewelry, and my two-year-old son asked in amazement, “Mommy, are you a fairy?” Those words wouldn’t leave until we got in the car. My husband leaned over and said, “Husband and wife, not mommy and daddy.”

At the dinner, there were cloth napkins. Waiters in white shirts and bow ties served us. My husband said, “Thanks for your hard work. You are as beautiful as ever. Sometimes you just need some time that belongs to yourself.” I was moved to tears. I always complained that no one understood me, but actually, my husband knew everything and helped me out.

【推荐2】I started out with animals as a volunteer in a safari park. For me, it’s about both providing care and supporting their conservation in the wild, which is what led me to Laos in South East Asia, setting up a sanctuary for Sun and Moon bears. They are facing a tough time - they are caught in the wild, and then sold to bear bile (熊胆) farms where they are treated inhumanely.

It was full-steam ahead right from the start. Before I’d even boarded the plane to Laos, Matt, a friend from charity Free The Bears, had called me saying they had rescued a tiny female Sun bear. They named it Mary.

She was found in a tiny cage on the back of a truck that was filled with rubbish. When I met Mary for the first time, she was scared and weak, but after a few days in a caring environment with the right nutrition she quickly found her feet.

It wasn’t all easy work. I remember taking her for a walk one day and she shot off up a tree far beyond our reach just as we were heading back to our nursery centre. She loves honey, but she was so intelligent (and stubborn) that she wouldn’t just come for it. I ended up having to trick her with a game, and finally managed to get her low enough to grab her.

I have countless memories like that which will always make me laugh. But it’s still mentally exhausting to know that more than 10,000 bears are kept in cages across Asia. So I can’t describe the feeling of great joy when we get them into our centre. Seeing them take their first steps on grass after knowing nothing but bars and concrete is what it’s all about. They deserve to have the life they were intended for.

【推荐2】How to Survive in the Woods

Getting lost in the woods can be a scary situation. Whether you’ve got lost on a hike, your car broke down on a wilderness road, or any other reason, surviving in the woods is difficult.     1     Here are some tips on how to get out of the woods.

Don’t panic. Panicking can cause you to make poor decisions and affect your judgment. If you’re going to get out of the woods, you need to have a clear head.     2    

Avoid using too much energy.     3     Try not to sweat or use too much energy by doing things like running around and screaming for help if you’re by yourself. Save as much energy as you can for doing things like building shelter, fire, and searching for water.

    4     If you become lost in the woods for whatever reason, people will look for you at your last known location. Trying to find your way out can make you more lost and make it harder for anybody to find you. Stay in one location for a better chance at being rescued.

Signal your location with smoke signals. Build a fire and add a bunch of green leaves or pine needles to create a lot of smoke. Take a large branch with green leaves on it and cover the fire for 3-4 seconds to stop the smoke from escaping.     5     Repeat the process to form a line of clouds of smoke in the sky.

【推荐3】When Aiden and Lebron asked me to accompany them on a camping trip to the mountains, I pictured a cozy wooden house with a warm fire and hot cocoa. Imagine how my comfortable image became a nightmare of survival training when they showed up with a truck filled with camping supplies—tents, rolled-up sleeping bags, and canteens!

Lebron, super organized, rushed me to join him to escape the city rush. Good weather though —cotton-candy clouds dotted the deep blue sky.

The trail at first seemed more like a road through the trees than a hiking path. Then it got narrow and steep, making me focus and stay quiet. We went higher, above the tree line, seeing the trail winding up to the mountain top.

“It looks closer than it is,” Lebron said, reading my facial cues. “This is the most difficult part of the trail. Loose rocks and tree roots make it dangerous, and we have no shade.”

Finally, we reached the summit. My legs aching, I dropped my pack and groaned (呻吟).“No time to rest,” Lebron said, looking up at the sky. “The weather here changes quickly, and that cool air means a storm is coming. We need to set up camp.”

He was serious about the storm. While Aiden and Lebron set up camp, I tried to help, but the storm arrived fierce and quick. We took cover inside the tent near a huge rock as thunder roared.

Lebron, sensing that I was scared, reached in his backpack for some peanut butter. Slowly, he spread the peanut butter and said, “This is just a typical summer storm—they’re short-lived, but intense,” Lebron continued, “The campsite might get a bit muddy, but what’s the fun in camping if you can’t get dirty! At least the rain will keep the bears away,” he said with a smile.

The storm passed swiftly, revealing a breathtaking view. I won’t lie — I longed for a hot shower and a soft bed, but as I gazed upward at the Milky Way, I knew this was an adventure I would never forget.