【推荐3】Growing old is something that happens to all of us. But often, older people seem “invisible” in society. Many people see them as physically weak, helpless or unable to contribute anything.

Starting in 1990, the United Nations has made Oct 1 of every year the International Day of Older Persons. It is a day to fight this stereotype (刻板印象) and raise awareness of issues faced by older people in society.

How do you feel about getting old? I chatted with my grandma to find out her opinions. Born in 1927, my grandma Solveig King grew up in Sweden during the Great Depression of the 1930s and World War Ⅱ. Everything was rationed (定量配给). There were no outdoor lights and no running water. “But it was a very happy childhood: snow every winter and always sunshine in summer, enough food, but no luxuries,” she said. This explains where she got her habit of keeping old boxes and containers and never wasting any food. It’s a habit many people of her generation seem to have.

In 2015, I went to live with my grandma for a few months. We would sit together and read books, go to the swimming pool, watch some travel programs or documentaries on TV, do some gardening, try some crossword puzzles, and then do it all again the next day. It was quite fun!

Now 96 years old and in a wheelchair, Solveig can’t go swimming any more, but she still keeps up with her other hobbies. “I don’t feel ‘old’, just a little disabled! But I never wish I could do something I know I can’t do. I remember one of my favorite teachers saying: ‘That is just wasted mental energy!’ Nor do I ever wish to relive any part of my life. I am very happy with the road I have taken.”

As for getting older and wiser, Solveig thinks wisdom comes with experience and reasoning, but not everyone is willing to take notice of it. And she keeps a curious and adventurous mindset. “Soon, I’ll need to go live at a nursing home for two weeks while my family is away. I’m excited because I’ll get to learn all about old people!” she said.

【推荐2】Maria Belon was lying by the pool, reading a novel at the Orchid Resort Hotel in Khao Lak, Thailand. Her children, Lucas, Tomas and Simon, played in the water with their dad nearby.

Belon and her husband, Enrique Alvarez, had taken their children overseas for the Christmas holidays.

“We started to hear a horrible sound. I was looking around, thinking this was just in my mind. It felt like the earth was coming apart (分崩离析), but everything looked perfect,” Belon told The Mirror.

Moments later, however, the Belon-Alvarez family was hit by the fierce force of the Indian Ocean tsunami. Belon was separated from her husband and sons who were in the swimming pool. But as she held onto a palm (棕榈树), she saw her oldest son floating nearby. “When I saw Lucas, I thought. ‘Okay. I have an incredible reason to be alive,’ she said. ‘We were in the water struggling, and Lucas was screaming.’ I said to myself, ‘We need to be brave, we need to take care of each other, but we will not die.’” she said.

While Belon held on for her son, her injuries were slowly killing her. “I was dying. I could feel it happening to me. When I was up in the tree, bleeding very heavily with deep wounds. I could feel the dying process.” she told The Mirror.

Luckily, Belon and her eldest son were then rescued by a Thai man and taken to hospital. “The man wouldn’t allow me to die. He dragged me through the mud for a long time until he was sure I was safe,” she said.

After the tsunami struck the area, Enrique Alvarez lost his two youngest sons, who had been in his arms, after a wave tore them apart. He got washed and later grabbed onto a palm tree, feeling sad about the loss of his children. Minutes later, he heard a voice. “Papa! Mama! Lucas! Simon!” Thomas shouted, according to The Mirror.

The family reunited two days later. While Belon and her family survived the natural disaster, she insisted it was their fortune.

“There is no difference between me and thousands of mums who are under the sea. I feel pain and compassion for so many others who didn’t come back up or lost their loved ones.” she told The Mirror.

【推荐3】I loved sports and I dreamed of being a star athlete in high school. However, something happened on one winter morning when I was playing a basketball game for my rural league team.

I was having a pretty good game. But then I remembered falling and screaming for help. I didn’t know what was wrong with me. I looked at my leg and it seemed as if I broke it. I was taken to the hospital immediately in an ambulance and then was diagnosed with a dislocated patella (膝盖骨脱臼).

My patella was not put back into place for a few hours because the doctors needed to make sure nothing else was damaged. For a 16-year-old boy, it was a lot to take in. I kept asking different questions, like “How does this heal?” “Will I need surgery?”. I headed home later with some medicine to relieve my pain and an appointment to see a doctor.

Through my doctor’s visit, I learned that it was the way my own body was built that caused my patella to dislocate. A combination of things like the angles of my body, ligaments (韧带) that were too tight in some places and too loose in others, and the fact there was no groove (凹槽) for my patella to sit in. I needed a series of surgeries and 6-month physical treatment to recover. I kept going and eventually I went back to playing sports with a brace (支架) on.

Today, I am feeling much better and both of my knees have remained healthy. I have to continue to keep them strong, though, in order for the surgeries to continue working properly. I can’t say that my confidence is totally back because I will always have the fear of something happening. But I am ready to face difficulties or challenges in the future.