Once upon a time, there was a tiger. His name was Kamau which means the quiet soldier. Kamau wondered, “Will I ever live up to my name?” Kamau is young and makes friends with everyone, but thinks low of himself. His leg disability makes it hard to walk. It makes him feel useless. But what he doesn’t know is that today will change it all.

One bright morning, Kamau spotted a bird in a tree, whose bright colors are so cheerful. She looked old. And he noticed one of her wings was cut. Kamau kept on walking towards the bird. “My name is Jelani,” she squawked as if she could read his mind. “I am Kamau,” he roared. “I know,” she said as if she had been watching over him his whole life. They spent a moment studying each other. At last, Kamau continued going past the tree.

“Do you know the meaning of your name?” she asked. Kamau stopped. The pain showed in his eyes. This is a question he has asked himself every day.

“My name means quiet soldier,” he said. Then he paused. “But I have been given the wrong name, for I am no warrior.”

“Do you know what my name means?” she asked. There was silence. “It means mighty. But as you can see, my body is not fit for it.” Then she looked up.

Kamau asked, “What are you looking at?”

“I am dreaming of flying free. Have you ever thought of running through the jungle, pride in your face?”

“We will never get that kind of life.” Kamau said angrily.

Jelani expected this. So, she explained why she didn’t care about it. “Sometimes, you have to let go of the things you don’t have and make do with what you have.”

“But even if I know this, I can’t be happy because I can’t do anything about my body. My mind knows it,” he said.

“I don’t know what you’ll be, but your mind tells you. It’s telling you that you’re useless, but if you ask your mind to stop, you will find your true self!” Jelani tells him.

Kamau realizes how lucky he was to have met Jelani. How fortunate he was to be able to change his mind.

Kamau finishes the story, making his sons think. It’s a year later and Kamau is a father. He hopes to teach his sons the same lesson that Jelani taught him. “Sons, we can’t always depend on physical abilities to show us who we are. First, think about what your mind can do to change your bad feelings into good ones.”

【推荐3】Frank Herbert’s science fiction Dune was the first coming-of-age story that helped me survive my lonely junior high school. At age 12, my life was the tiny, boring cycle of home, school and my parents’ store. Dune cracked it all open and led me to a universe that made my little world a lot more bearable. Unlike Holden Caulfield in The Catcher in the Rye who kept breaking windows, Dune’s main character, Paul Atreides, equipped me with a junior-high survival guide.

Paul is not a classic underdog. He’s the son of a king. He’s been trained since birth in war arts, politics and critical survival skills by a group of smart and experienced men with impossible-to-pronounce names. But when his world is turned upside down-when he leaves his home, loses his father and enters a physically and politically hostile environment-he doesn’t complain and cry. He adapts.

To this day, I still can recite his words against fear: “I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total destruction. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.”

The steady diet of literary fiction assigned by my teachers was escapist and the very act of reading (whatever the content) usually took me out of a given moment, but didn’t provide much advice on how to face my daily conflicts and painful insecurity.

Dune was escapist, too. However, it was expansive and literally redefined possibility for me who had been struggling along with eyes on the ground, just trying to make it through another day of boredom and hardship of being a teenage girl. Paul lifted my eyes up so I could see the stars.

【推荐3】The "world's loneliest elephant" has been resettled at a sanctuary （保护区）in Cambodia after receiving some assistance from iconic （偶像的）singer Cher, who has been advocating for Kaavan's resettlement along with her animal welfare group Free the Wild.

Kaavan, a 36-year-old, 9,000-pound elephant, was given the nickname after he was diagnosed as being emotionally and physically damaged while living in a zoo in Islamabad, Pakistan, for 35 years. During that time, Kaavan was mostly chained in his fence, and when his partner died in 2012, her body laid next to him for several days before it was removed. Vets have diagnosed Kaavan as being overweight, malnourished （营养不 良）and suffering from behavioral issues due to isolation.

Kaavan was tested for COVID-19 before his seven-hour journey, which was complete with 440 pounds of snacks. Amir Khalil, a vet who accompanied him on the flight and works with Four Paws, the animal rescue group that organized the move, described Kaavan as behaving like a "frequent flier,” saying that the elephant did not seem stressed and even slept while standing in his crate （大木箱）.

On Monday, Kaavan arrived in Cambodia and he made his way north by truck to his new home in the Oddar Meanchey province. Once he feels settled, he will be released from his temporary enclosure and allowed to roam the sanctuary, which houses about 600 Asian elephants. Animal rights groups and activists appealed for years to move Kaavan into better conditions.

Kaavan will require years of psychological and physical assistance, experts have said. Living in an enclosure with improper flooring caused his nails to crack and overgrow, and he developed a habit of shaking his head back and forth for hours, which vets attributed to boredom. The elephant has lost half a ton since his diet was changed to fruit and vegetables, Khalil said. He was previously eating about 550 pounds of pure sugarcane every day and some fruits and vegetables.

【推荐2】There are two days that set you on your path in life: the day you’re born, and the day you realize why you were born.

Growing up south of Chicago in Harvey, Illinois, most people just had their heads down trying to make it from point A to point B. I was the same way, just going with the flow. I played basketball in high school because I was good at it and because other people thought I should until I discovered my talent.

I give up basketball and started doing speeches. It wasn’t a popular decision but my grandfather told me to do what made me happy. I fell in love with comedy and performing. And when I discovered the passion, I realized why I was born.

I knew I had something to offer —I knew that not only am I powerful, but I can make a difference.

I realized a long time ago that my dream is not to be famous or rich. My talent is to entertain. But it’s more than that. I have the chance to reach people, to brighten days, to bring laughter and positive energy into lives and inspire. And I am grateful forit.

Acting putting myself out there and having doors closed on me time and time again has taught me a lot about myself. I have learned to trust what I have to offer the world over momentary doubt. I’ve learned to put my faith over my feelings. And I've grown a tough skin. More importantly, I have learned there is a long way towards our goals and that when we put our talents and passion to work, we determine our value.

Like a lot of places across the country, there’s poverty, crime, violence and unemployment in Harvey. And growing up there, a lot of people have tragically low expectations for life. But I know that with the right opportunity and with help along the way, everyone can find their passion and go after it. My life is proof.

【推荐3】Impressed by high-tech trains

One of the great things about living in China is how convenient it is to travel to different places, either within a city or across the whole country.

China is especially famous for its high-speed trains, which are among the most advanced(先进的) in the world.

Being from the UK, I’d never been on a bullet train(动车) before I came to China, as my country has no high-speed rail service.

And as a fan of technology, I was excited to take a high-seed train in China for myself.

The first time I took a bullet train was when I traveled from Beijing to Yueyang in Hunan province for Spring Festival.

After I passed through security(安检), I stepped onto the train, which looked like something from the future.

On UK trains, there isn’t much room to move about in your seat. This is why I was surprised by all the space that passengers on Chinese trains have, even in second class.

Once the journey began, it was strange to hear about five different movies being played through people’s phones and computers.

In the UK, most people don’t even answer phone calls on a train, as they don’t want to disturb(打扰) other passengers.

But at least I had a chance to practice my Chinese listening skills during that trains ride to Yueyang, I supposed.

Back home, trains are famous for being late or even canceled. And if a train does show up, it’s almost impossible to find a seat on it during rush hour.

Some stations don’t even have security, meaning you can just get on and off any train you like, and buy your ticket once you’re on there.

In China, however, things are a lot more efficient(高效的).

And because everyone has their own seat, there’s no need to rush once your train arrives.

Indeed, once your journey begins, you can just sit back and enjoy the beautiful views through the window.

I arrived in Yueyang safely and on time.

And as I left the station, I couldn’t help but think that this simple train journey summed up the talent, intelligence, hard work and efficiency of Chinese people.