I was headed out the door the other day with my two sons. We were going to drive to the local grocery (杂货) store to pick up a few things that we had run out of during the week. I shut the door quickly because my dogs were already barking at being left behind in the house. We headed down the hill but when I reached into my pocket for the car keys, they weren’t there. Shaking my head, I walked back up the hill and saw my keys still dangling from the hook (挂钩) where I always hang them.

This, of course, isn’t the only time I have forgotten something recently. In fact, it seems to be happening more and more. There isn’t a week that goes by that I don’t forget something and then remember it later in the day or misplace something and have to go looking for it. The medical professionals all reassure (使……安心) me that this is a normal part of getting older. They say not to worry about it and to take it with a smile. I am doing my best to do so.

I don’t mind misplacing my keys as long as I can keep remembering the important things in life. I don’t mind forgetting what I came into a room for as long as I can remember what I am in this life for. I don’t mind being a bit absent-minded as long as I am being loving-hearted.

May you always remember the important things in life: You were created in love. You were created to love. You are called to kindness and made for joy. You can make a difference in this world with every choice you make.

【推荐2】Have you ever been sad because of failure? Please remember, for quite often achieving what you set out to do is not the most important thing.

A boy decided to dig a deep hole behind his house. As he was working, a couple of older boys stopped by to watch. “What are you doing?” asked one of the visitors. “Want to dig a hole all the way through the earth!” the boy answered excitedly. The older boys began to laugh, telling him that digging a hole all the way through the earth was impossible. After a while, the boy picked up a jar. He showed it to the visitors. It was full of all kinds of stones and insects. Then he said calmly and confidently, “Maybe I can’t finish digging all the way through the earth, but look at what I’ve found during this period!”

The boy’s goal was far too difficult, but it did cause him to go on. And that is what a goal is for---to cause us to move in the direction we have chosen, in other words, to cause us to keep working!

Not every goal will be fully achieved. Not every job will end up with success. Not every dream will come true. But when you fall short of your aim, maybe you can say, “Yes, but look at what I’ve found along the way! There are so many wonderful things having come into my life because I tried to do something!” It is in the digging that life is lived. It is the unexpected joy on the journey that really makes sense.

【推荐3】I was sitting at my desk when another graduate student in my lab approached me. “Can you help?” he begged. His experiment wasn’t working and he desperately needed help. I was a fifth year PhD student, the senior member of the lab at the time. As I had many times before, I gave in and said yes.

I had a hard time saying no to such requests. I was new to the United States for graduate school. I found it difficult to make new friends and discover afterwork activities I enjoyed. So I spent a huge chunk of my time in the lab, with my labmates serving as my primary source of social connection. I feared that if I brushed them off, I’d lose their favor.

After I graduated and started a job in industry, I continued to carry the same attitude with me, and it continued to cost me. It wasn’t until my wife gave birth to our first child that I realized how thin I had stretched myself and how misguided my priorities(重要的事) were. While she lay in a hospital bed in the early stages of labor(分娩阵痛), I sat nearby, busy in correcting a work report on my laptop for my colleague. Hours later, after hearing my daughter’s first cry and watching her tiny fingers grab tightly onto mine, it dawned on me that I should have been fully present during my daughter’s birth.

From then on, I determined to spare more time for my family by reducing my work tasks and carefully considering each request for help. I still enjoyed cooperating with others, but I dealt with mutually(共同地) beneficial tasks first, rather than accepting everything that came my way.

I noticed many benefits, and few disadvantages. My daily work schedule was not so crowded. I no longer worked overtime, and I was able to improve my work performance by focusing more on important tasks. I was also pleased to discover that “Sorry, I’d love to help but I have a deadline coming up” is an acceptable response to a request for assistance. Most colleagues seem to understand.

It’s hard to say “no” to those you work with. But I’ve learned that sometimes that’s the best way to avoid too much workload and lead a freer and happier life.

【推荐1】I’d been asked to go to an editor's office with the old program “We have a story we think you'd be perfect for". Here was the topic: We want you to write about how middle-aged men have no friends. Seeing that, I couldn't help thinking, "Excuse me? I have plenty of friends," Then the editor told me there were all sorts of evidence out there to show how men, as they age, let their close friendships go, and that the fact can cause all sorts of problems and have a terrible impact on their health.

As I walked back to my desk in the newsroom — a distance of maybe 100 yards — I quickly took stock of my friend list. First of all, there was my friend Mark. Wait, how often do we actually hang out? Maybe four or five times a year? And then there was another best friend from high school, Rory, and...I actually could not remember the last time I'd seen him.

There were all those other good friends who seemed as if they're still in my life because we follow one another via social media, but as I ran down the list of those I considered real, true, lifelong friends, I realized that it had been years since I saw many of them, even decades for a few.

By the time I got back to my desk, I realized that I was indeed perfect for this story, not because I was unusual in any way, but because my story was very, very typical. And as I looked into what that means, I realized that in the long term, I was heading down a path that was very, very dangerous. And I knew I needed a change.

【推荐2】Gelje Sherpa was leading a Chinese climber up Mount Qomolangma when he spotted a Malaysian climber in need of help, and the two men then abandoned the summit (顶峰) in order to rescue the Malaysian climber. They were in the “death zone”, an area near the summit of Mount Qomolangma where temperatures are extremely low and where there isn’t enough oxygen to breathe.

The Malaysian climber had “nothing” and was on the brink (边缘) of death. Gelje recalled that no one was helping him, no friends, no oxygen, no Sherpas with him and no guides. Stopping at an altitude where the body was rapidly deteriorating (恶化) and where many deaths occur was quite dangerous for him. However, other climbers and guides just focused on the summit, so that they didn’t notice the Malaysian climber’s state.

According to Nepali officials, 12 people have died, and five are missing on Qomolangma as the spring climbing season comes to an end. Gelje, the Sherpa, said there were a few likely reasons why this season has been so deadly. The weather has been poor and extremely cold, and some climbers lack experience or sufficient training for such a high altitude.

Gelje was guiding a Chinese climber to the summit when he made the decision that they would abandon their journey to save the Malaysian climber.

It was nearly an impossible task: Gelje had to secure the climber to his back and carry him down 600 meters for about six hours before another guide joined the rescue. They then took turns carrying the climber, wrapped in a sleeping mat, sometimes having to drag him through the snow, before reaching a helicopter that carried them down to base camp.

The rescue, which took place on May 18, 2023, was massively challenging. Gelje has previously carried out more than 55 rescues during his work as a guide, some very long operations, but he said the rescue was the hardest in his life.

【推荐3】Oindrila Basu from India, 25, is a key member of a global forestry organization. Back in her youth, she had to be taught the importance of nature. She used to destroy nests of the bulbul bird just for fun. Once, her mother caught her and forced her to find the eggs and replace the nest. With a heavy heart, the girl realized she had done something terrible.

This is just one way that Basu’s parents shaped her understanding and appreciation of nature. Living in the countryside, she spent her youth studying ants before a rain, watching sunbirds drink bottlebrush nectar, counting fireflies and watching seedlings grow. Then her parents decided to move to a nearby city with better educational opportunities and she stopped having firsthand experiences with nature.

As she struggled to choose a college major, her mother suggested a career in forestry. That’s when her journey began and she fell in love with forestry. Away from the crowded concrete cities, in the lap of the Himalayas, she got her bachelor’s degree in forestry from Kumaun University, India. When she went on to study for a master’s in forestry from the Forest Research Institute, India, she finally got introduced to a like-minded group of people, devoted to the same cause-the International Forestry Students’ Association（IFSA）.

IFSA is a global organization connecting students to exchange knowledge and participate in forestry activities. The youth joining IFSA are encouraged to undertake its mission-to enrich forest education and spread a love of nature through events and intercultural exchanges.

After six months of exciting international conferences and workshops, Basu, found her home-a family that loved forests as much as she did. She felt rejuvenated（重生的）; her passion had a direction. Now she wanted to do more.

Now with the IFSA, Basu recalled her experience of joining, “On purpose or by chance we chose forestry, or rather, forestry chose us”.

【推荐1】I was driving home the other day on a sunny afternoon. It was such a beautiful day that I felt very happy. My good mood (心情) ended, however, when I suddenly heard a piece of news on the radio about a rich famous man who had broken the law. I shook my head as I came to a red traffic light.

As I stopped I noticed four leather-jacketed motorbikers. They were standing in the middle of the road with two on either side of the light. They looked dangerous, but as I got closer I noticed each one was holding their helmet (头盔) in their hands. I rolled down my window as one approached my car. “We are the Brother of the Wheel,” he said. “We are collecting money for Christmas Toy Drive for needy children.” As I pulled a dollar out of my wallet I looked past his beard and into his eyes. They shined with kindness that came right from his heart. I dropped the money in his helmet and waved to the other three men as I drove off. My good                           mood had returned. And I remembered once again never to judge (判断) people by their appearance (外表).

Our society often judges books by their covers. Perhaps one day we will realize that actions (行为) are much more important than appearance.

【推荐3】In the tiny village of Angelica, New York, the post office is more than a place to get mail or send packages. There you’ll find the heart of this lovely community. It’s where villagers meet and greet friends．

When Angelica’s post office was threatened with being closed in the 1980s, a villager, Pat, came up with a plan to save it. “At Christmas time I would hear on the news about towns named Snow or Bethlehem having celebrations,” says Pat,“Why couldn’t we do the same thing with Angelica？”

Pat, who is an artist, created a postal cancellation (邮戳)design featuring an Angelica angel. She drew her angels in a traditional fashion and submitted her suggestion to the U.S. Postal Service. Once approved, the drawing was carved into a cancellation stamp that could be used for one day only. The postmistress (女邮局局长) then had another idea to make the day even more special calling the post office Angel Station.

The large increase in mail amount saved Angelica’s post office from being closed and keeps the doors open today.

Now it’s tradition that on the first Friday in December, people come to Angelica to mail their Christmas cards. Each year the amount of mail going through the Angelica Post Office increases during late November and early December. Stamp collectors from around the world have accepted the Angel Station cancellation, some sending mail from as far away as France.

Because the stamp is destroyed each season, Pat draws a new angel that conveys season’s greetings from Angel Station every year. Post offices may close in other parts of the country, but this tiny one continues.