【推荐2】If you walk into Larkin Street Laundry around closing time, you might get an extra-special greeting. Every night, an 8-year-old golden retriever (猎犬) named Cody helps Stephanie’s dad close up the laundromat (自助洗衣店). Cody takes his job very seriously; While Stephanie’s dad cleans and puts everything away, Cody takes a nap on top of the washing machines.

Luckily, Stephanie’s dad doesn’t mind that Cody isn’t the best worker. “My dad owns the laundromat and has always taken our dogs there with him when he closes up at the end of the day,” Stephanie told The Dodo. “Our old dog loved to sit in the chairs to watch customers and people pass by, but Cody is more flexible than him.” “After we tried to get him to just sit on the chairs, be figured out a way to climb from the chair to the smaller washers and then to the bigger ones,” she added. “He’s a little lazier than our old dog, so he’d rather lay down and wait for pets and treats.”

Cody has become the main attraction at the laundromat, providing the perfect distraction for customers waiting for their clothes to finish drying. This arrangement works out for the independent Cody, who loves attention but prefers people come to him. And from his high—up advantage point, Cody can keep watch on everything going on at the laundromat. “I think helikes how he can see everyone at eye level when he’s on top of the washers,” Stephanie said. “I have a theory he likes to feel like a king up there.”

After years of laundromat service, Cody has become famous in local— and even the subject of a few big activities, But the good boy doesn’t let fame distract him. After all, he has a job to do, and those washers aren’t going to sit on themselves.

【推荐1】Mike Wimmer of Salisbury, North Carolina, has always been a brilliant student with an interest in technology. He got his first iPad when he was just 18 months old and immediately wanted to know how it worked.

He became known as “the math and science guy” at school, and he taught himself computer programming and robotics through trial and error and watching videos online. The 12-year-old has even started his own tech startup called Reflect Social. He hopes to use his technological know-how to help others.

A year ago, Mike was attending Concord Academy High School while he earned credits through the dual-enrollment(双重注册)program at Rowan-Cabarrus Community College.

When COVID-19 started, he was too young to volunteer to do something for it, so he decided to take a few more college classes since he had extra time on his hands. In just a year, he managed to complete a two-year associate’s program with a 4. 0 GPA while also finishing high school with an amazing 5. 45 GPA. On May 21, 2021, he graduated from community college when he was 12. One week later, he walked with his high school class and graduated as valedictorian (致告别词的学生 代表)! His mom, Melissa Wimmer, said they are proud of their son, though they're not necessarily surprised. He’s always been keeping learning and achieving his dreams. He’s already received job offers and invitations to apply to top colleges to take his education even further. He might also work to expand his tech startup.

Mike has plenty of great options for his future, but he takes time to do kid games, too. He loves to play basketball and build LEGO masterpieces. “A lot of people think I’ve given up my childhood or somehow lost it, ” he explained, “but I say to them that I’m no different than any other child. I have fun in fact. ”

【推荐2】The morning that Devanshi Mavani reached the top of Kilimanjaro, the conditions were bitter. She had set off, like most hikers, the night before to time her arrival at the summit (山顶) with the sunrise. Immediately, heavy snow began to fall. “Normally people see Kenya on the other side. When we got to the summit, we saw nothing,” she says. “It was like a ski slope (斜坡). But I was crying with happiness.”

Just 17 months earlier, this trip had seemed impossible. In May 2017, Mavani was diagnosed with type I diabetes (糖尿病). She says, “I felt so low, thinking, ‘What am I going to do now in life, stuck with this?’”

The news put in jeopardy all Mavani’s hopes of travelling. She retired the year before and her son eventually flew the nest. “I felt free. It was my chance. I thought, ‘Hooray, I can enjoy life.’” But her diagnosis made Mavani scared to leave the house. Her elder sister came to help, but Mavani “couldn’t walk to the local park” without feeling unwell. Very slowly, Mavani built herself up from walking around the block to taking gentle gym classes. It was there that she met Hazel, who invited her to a talk about climbing Kilimanjaro.

When Mavani returned home that evening, she told her husband that it was something she really wanted to do. “The hike was the following year, when I was turning 60. He said, ‘You’ve got time.’ It was the best thing I did. It took my focus away from worrying about my disease to something completely different. How am I going to get fit again? How am I going to cope with this huge hike so far outside my comfort zone?”

During the seven-day trek, Mavani had to inject (注射) herself five to eight times a day. “It was -16℃ outside; I had to take off all my clothes, lying on a snowy rock. I overcame all that,” she says. “I thought, I don’t fear the diabetes. If I can do this, I can do anything.”

Mavani recently completed the West Highland Way and the Cotswolds Way, and has booked a trip to Machu Picchu in Peru.