【推荐2】At thirteen, I was diagnosed (诊断) with kind of attention disorder. It made school difficult for me. When everyone else in the class was focusing on tasks, I could not.

In my first literature class, Mrs. Smith asked us to read a story and then write on it, all within 45 minutes. I raised my hand right away and said, “Mrs. Smith, you see, the doctor said I have attention problems. I might not be able to do it.”

She glanced down at me through her glasses, “You are not different from your classmates, young man.” I tried, but I didn’t finish the reading when the bell rang. I had to take it home.

In the quietness of my bedroom, the story suddenly all became clear to me. It was about a blind person, Louis Braile. He lived in a time when the blind couldn’t get much education. But Louis didn’t give up. Instead, he invented a reading system of raised dots (点), which opened up a whole new world of knowledge to the blind.

Wasn’t I the “blind” in my class, being made to learn like the “sighted” students? My thoughts spilled out and my pen started to dance. I completed the task within 40 minutes. Indeed, I was not different from others; I just needed a quieter place. If Louis could find his way out of his problem, why should I ever give up?

I didn’t expect anything when I handed in my paper to Mrs. Smith, so it was quite a surprise when it came back to me the next day — with an “A” on it. At the bottom of the paper were these words, “See what you can do when you keep trying?”

【推荐3】I have three kids and a great husband and I’m enjoying a career that I find challenging and fun．To the outside world，this feels like“Success．”But there is still a voice in my heart asking if this is who I truly am．Only in silence do I hear the self and wonder who that person might be．

So I booked a trip to find out．I travelled，for the first time，without my husband or kids．I went to Iceland with a friend，who shares an appreciation for wilderness and silence．

For six days，we were immersed(沉浸)in wild，raw scenery and real weather—a11 kinds of weather．Climbing a mountain against rain and returning to a tent for a simple meal reminds you how little you actually need．And how strong it feels to be uncomfortable sometimes．

I found silence in Iceland，and time to consider the me outside of career and the me out—side of kids as I shared stories with strangers．

When I stopped talking and just 1istened，I became more generous．I 1earned that choosing to be generous can create more space，more food and more warmth．

But I didn’t really gain any better appreciation of what I want from life or my job．I suspect the anxiety that drove me to seek silence in Iceland was losing sight of my ability to choose gratitude and joy，and to be present in the challenges I set in my career and my family．

I came home to noise，rush and love；with no less confusion on who I want to be． I know the answer isn’t waiting out there on the top of a mountain in Iceland．The answer is in front of me with every step on my own 1ife’s path，and in every choice I make．

【推荐1】Late last year, I needed to transport some furniture from our house to my son’s flat in central London. I should have paid a man to do it, but foolishly confident in my driving ability, I decided to hire a lorry and drive it myself.

Moving the lorry backward in my yard, I crashed into a small shed, causing permanent damage. Fortunately, I owned the shed. I loaded up with the furniture and set out. By now it was rush hour. My nerves broke down, as I drove the huge lorry through the streets nervously.

At last I arrived at Charlotte Street and found an available parking space. I moved the lorry into it only to notice three people at a pavement cafe waving to me. I got out, trembling violently, like one who had just finished a stormy Atlantic crossing. “You’ve hit the car parked behind you,” they said. I examined the car. There were white scratches on its front face. It bore a disabled sign. So, now I was a bad driver and a bad man. Under the severe look of the three, I left an apologetic note on the damaged car’s windscreen, giving my phone number.

I unloaded the furniture, dripping the sweat, wanting only to escape from the monster. I drove it back to its base at Edgware. On arrival, the boss told me I must fill it up with petrol before returning it. “Just charge me,” I cried, still shaking with fear. He stared at me with understanding. No doubt he’d witnessed others in this state before. “How about I drive you to a petrol station, you fill up, and I drive it back?” he asked.

He danced the great lorry through the traffic so carefully that it would have shamed me if I had not been so grateful.

【推荐2】Ken Burns has been making movies for more than 30 years. His documentaries (纪录片) are nonfiction records of history. In his films, Ken shares American history by allowing ordinary men and women to tell their own stories. The National Parks: America’s Best Idea is a documentary that shows nature at its best. Ken’s film tells the story of the people who fought to protect the land for future generations to use and enjoy.

For Ken, there are direct connections between people who lived long ago and people living today. It is his job as a filmmaker and observer of history to make those connections clear for viewers of his films.

It all began for Ken in Brooklyn, New York, where he was born on July 29, 1953. Because of his father’s work, the family moved often before Ken was 10. When he was 11 years old, Ken’s mother died of an illness. The family was living in Michigan at the time, and Ken and his dad spent many nights watching old John Ford films together. He was touched by the power that movries could have and was determined to learn the craft.

After high school, Ken chose to attend Hampshire College in Massachusetts, to study film. His professors frowned on the Hollywood style of moviemaking and encouraged him to make documentaries.

In 1990, Ken released The Civil War, an 11-hour series that was shown on publie television.

The film used more than 16, 000 historical photographs and many noted actors. Ken brought the images to life by slowly panning the camera over a photograph as an actor read a personal letter written by the subject of the picture. Music played in the background. This teehnique became known as the Ken Burns Effect: the feeling of bringing the viewer back in time and conneeting him or her with the past.

The Ciyil War won more than 40 major film, music, and television awards. But Ken does not make movies for fame or fortune. He has turned down many offers to work as a Hollywood movie director on multimillion-dollar films. “The past lives that people lived, their stories, the everyday things are what really touch my heart,” Ken says.

【推荐3】I was born and raised in Minnesota, the USA, but as an adult I have mostly lived in Europe and Africa. I teach cross-cultural management at the International Business School near Paris. For the last 15 years, I’ve studied how people in different parts of the world build trust, communicate, and make decisions especially in the workplace.

While traveling in Tokyo recently with a colleague, I gave a short talk to a group of 20 managers. At the end, I asked whether there were any questions or comments. No hands went up, so I went to sit down. My colleague whispered to me, “I think there actually were some comments, Erin. Do you mind if I fry?” I agreed, but I guessed it a waste of breath. He asked the group again. “Any comments or questions?”

Still, no one raised a hand, but this time he looked very carefully at each person in the silent audience. Gesturing to one of them, he said, “Do you have something to add?” To my amazement, she responded “Yes, thank you.” and asked me a very interesting question. My colleague repeated this several times, looking directly at the audience and asking for more questions or comments.

After the session, I asked my colleague, “How do you know that those people had questions?” He hesitated, not sure how to explain it, and then said, “it has to do with how bright their eyes are.”

He continued, “In Japan, we don’t make as much direct eye contact as you do in the West. So when you asked if there were any comments, most people were not looking directly at you. But a few people in the group were looking right at you, and their eyes were bright. That indicates that they would be happy to have you call on them.”

I thought to myself I would never have learned from my upbringing in Minnesota. Since then, I try to focus on understanding behavior in other cultures I encounter, and keep finding the bright eyes in the room.