【推荐1】As an adult, I realized that I had no skills, so I went to trade school. I entered a cabinetmaking (家具制造) program. I didn’t think I would be good at building furniture. I’m not handy. Nobody in my family is.

I had great teachers, but making furniture is hard. There are so many steps and something can go wrong at each one. I couldn’t even get organized. My toolbox always looked like a hurricane had gone through it.

I didn’t fully know what I was devoting myself to at the beginning, but I kept going to class. I tried to wrap my brain around the math. The projects forced me to solve new kinds of problems. My brain started to build new connections. Working in this new physical manner and giving it 100 percent of my effort had huge benefits for my mental health. I got over fear of embarrassment and asked for help at every opportunity.

I spent that year truly learning. True learning is a humbling (令人谦卑的) experience, especially for those of us who are learning a new set of skills. I could understand exactly what was wrong with the furniture I made, but I couldn’t fix my mistakes. And yet, I kept trying. And failing. And failing again. Until I learned to fail better.

You’re going to be bad at anything when you start out, but I was pretty bad right to the end. Even so, I finished the program — with honors, no less! My grades were helped by my good written work. Having to constantly push beyond my comfort zone has made me a more well-rounded person. Maybe most importantly, trade school gave me a more realistic idea of my strengths and limitations. I’m stronger than I thought!

【推荐2】I cried the first time I saw the Notre Dame（巴黎圣母院）years ago. I'd waited my entire life to see this great French architecture, and experienced it in its full glory on a bright sunny day. Last night, I again cried for the centuries-old church while watching it burn.

I hadn't expected to spend my evening that way. My friend and I were having dinner at a cafe a block or so away from the Notre Dame, choosing to skip going inside with the intention to go back the next day.

However, we heard that it caught fire, so we left the cafe and ran towards the church, following heavy smoke from it, and soon we joined a nearly silent crowd. Some were praying, some were crying, but most were staring in disbelief at the disaster happening before us. The fire continued to get worse. About 400 firefighters were working to control the fire. We could see their flashlights shining as they inspected the front from a balcony.

The Notre Dame is part of the heartbeat of Paris, I reflected on the experiences I've had there, from attending a bread market out front to admiring the beautiful windows and architecture inside. It is a spot that helps make Paris magical. And here we were, watching it burn down. It was too much to handle, but it was impossible to look away.

About 9：30 pm, the gathered crowd spontaneously（自发地）began to sing Hymns（圣歌）to the church. We sang along with the group, feeling at once less like tourists and more like members of them. I hadn't imagined all that before.

For hundreds of years, the Notre Dame has seen the most joyous and the most terrible moments in the lives of both France and her people. And when everyone was able to become one emotional force, it showed that even in her darkest hour, the Notre Dame was still there to bring us all together.

【推荐3】Apple, a 34-year-old doctor, had been on call at Atlanta Medical Center for more than two days, with only a few hours’ sleep. And now tiredness was clouding her eyes as she drove to a meeting in Kentucky, nearly seven hours away. She tried turning on her CB radio, which enthusiasts used to warn one another about road conditions, but the airwaves (广播频道) were silent. Soon Apple’s car started to weave.

A 41-year-old trucker named Woody Key found a car ahead, drifting (漂移) off the road. Key shouted into his CB microphone (麦克风), “Four-wheeler, are you all right?”

Apple woke up. She talked on her CB radio. “I’m tired, and I’m lucky I’m still alive driving this tired. Thanks!”

“Call me Woodpecker, my CB nickname (昵称),” the trucker said. “I’m going to Kentucky. And you?”

“Kentucky.”

“I’ll travel behind and help keep you awake. What’s your CB nickname?”

“Dr. Froot Loops,” she told him.

As they drove, they shared stories, and the time passed quickly. They parted near the Kentucky state line. She thanked him for keeping her awake and safe on the long, dark road.

Years later, Apple found several doctors checking a person brought in from an accident. His head was badly hurt. She put both hands on his head, hoping to calm him. “It’s not your time to die!” she said.

Then, he asked for her name.

“Dr. Sherry Apple,” she replied.

“No ... your CB nickname.”

“How did you guess I have a CB?”

“... I know your voice ...”

“My nickname is Dr. Froot Loops.”

“Oh … It’s me … Woodpecker!”

It was her truck driver! She said, “It’s not your time, Woodpecker!” Then Key was rushed into the operating room.    

The first days out of the operating room were very painful for Key. Often Apple would get home and find her phone ringing. Nurses, unable to calm Key, asked her to return. She always did.

About two months after his accident, Key was ready to leave the hospital. As he was leaving, he told Apple, “I don’t think I could have made it without you.” Apple’s eyes welled up. “And I wouldn’t have made it without you.”

【推荐2】There were smiling children all the way. Clearly they knew at what time the train passed their homes and they made it their business to stand along the railway, wave to complete strangers and cheer them up as they rushed towards Penang. Often whole families stood outside their homes and waved and smiled as if those on the trains were their favorite relatives. This is the simple village people of Malaysia. I was moved.

I had always traveled to Malaysia by plane or car, so this was the first time I was on a train. I did not particularly relish the long train journey and had brought along a dozen magazines to read and reread. I looked about the train. There was not one familiar face. I sighed and sat down to read my Economics.

It was not long before the train was across the Causeway and in Malaysia. Johore Baru was just another city like Singapore, so I was tired of looking at the crowds of people as they hurried past. As we went beyond the city, I watched the straight rows of rubber trees and miles and miles of green. Then the first village came into sight. Immediately I came alive; I decided to wave back.

From then on my journey became interesting. I threw my magazines into the wastebasket and decided to join in Malaysian life. Then everything came alive. The mountains seemed to speak to me. Even the trees were smiling. I stared at everything as if I was looking at it for the first time.

The day passed fast and I even forgot to have my lunch until I felt hungry. I looked at my watch and was surprised that it was 3:00 pm. Soon the train pulled up at Butterworth. I looked at the people all around me. They all looked beautiful. When my uncle arrived with a smile, I threw my arms around him to give him a warm hug. I had never done this before. He seemed surprised and then his weather-beaten face warmed up with a huge smile. We walked arm in arm to his car.

I looked forward to the return journey.

【推荐3】When people think of New York City, most of them probably picture the attractive lifestyles of the rich and famous or think of Broadway, Times Square and other tourist attractions. However, there is another side of New York City. The summer after the tenth grade, I went with my group on a mission trip to New York City for a week.

I had always known that poverty existed in major cities, but I had never seen it to a degree as high as we did there. We worked at several different locations with our small groups. One day, we served at a soup kitchen and what I saw astounded me. I couldn’t believe my eyes. We saw people from all walks of life. We met people who came there because they had no job, no home and no money.

Another day, we volunteered at a homeless shelter. We helped people there do some cleaning and spent time talking to them and listening to their stories. It was incredible to see how thankful they were to us for just spending a couple of hours talking to them.

Every person we met on that trip had a unique story. Whatever their stories were, there was a common thread we saw in them—hope and thanks. These were people who had nothing and yet they were so hopeful about their futures and they were thanking us.

My experience during that summer changed my life. I used to picture my future as containing a big house and a lot of money, but now I see my future as helping others. After college, I would really like to work for some sort of global aid organization that deals with the social issues, such as poverty and homelessness.