【推荐1】When I was 13, I lost my sight. Since then, I had learned to get about with a walking stick, but had to stay at home because my parents thought I would get lost or robbed, even get hit by a car.

I, however, believed I could regain my way if I lost it. A neighbor told me that a public library was offering a free course designed for the blind. That's an important opportunity for me to kill two birds with one stone: I could practice my getting — about skills on my way to learning practical technology. My parents settled for it.

But how would I plan my course? I knew that the blind singer Ray Charles, get around without a walking stick by counting steps. But I couldn't seem to do that the way he had. I developed the power of my imagination, catching the layout（布局）of places I visited and taking note of landmarks in my mind. Every time I visited a place, the mental map I'd drawn would turn up and helped me with the direction. But that doesn't mean I didn't lose my way in the process of acquiring this skill. I'd have to swallow（吞下）my pride to ask kind strangers for help.

On those days I lost my way, I'd go to bed feeling down. But my desires to beat blindness and further my education were usually enough to get me out of bed the next day and try again. Today, I'm a published reporter and audio producer.

Yes, I've lost my way at times and found it again. And when people ask me,

"Aren't you afraid to be out on your own?” the answer to me is clear： I'd rather risk and find happiness than stick to safety and be painful.

Now, impressed by my progress, my father told my mother, "Our boy can see!".

【推荐2】If a single word can describe our daily life during those first three years, it is “scrounge”(讨要). Every waking moment we were concentrating on how the hell we would be able to save up enough coins to do whatever it was we had to do. Even the simplest decision must be inspected by the ever alert budget committee of your mind.

“Hey, Oliver, let’s go to see Becket tonight.”

“Listen, it’s three bucks.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean a buck fifty for you and a buck fifty for me.”

“Does that mean yes or no?”

“Neither. It just means three bucks.”

Our honeymoon was spent on a yacht and with twenty-one children. That is, I sailed from 7 o’clock in the morning till whenever my passengers had enough, and Jenny was a children’s counselor. It was a place called the Pequod Boat Club in Dennis Port——an establishment that included a large hotel, a marina and several dozen houses for rent. In one of the tinier bungalows (平房), I have nailed an imaginary plaque (匾牌): “Oliver and Jenny slept here”. I think it’s a tribute (致敬) to us both that after a long day of being kind to our customers, for we were largely dependent on their tips for our income, Jenny and I were nonetheless kind to each other: I simply say “kind”, because I lack the vocabulary to describe what loving and being loved by Jennifer Cavilleri is like. Sorry, I mean Jennifer Barrett.

Before leaving for the Cape, we found a cheap apartment in North Cambridge, which was, as Jenny described it, “in the state of disrepair”. It had originally been a two-family structure, now changed into four apartments, overpriced even at its “cheap” rental. But what the hell can graduate students do? It’s a seller’s market.

【推荐3】In my memory, my dad always encouraged me to be my best self, explore the world, and believe in those who cared and loved me, which helped to make me who I am today. Besides, I’ve grown up with a pretty good model that my father always was.

One year, my father nearly lost his life. He was twenty-seven years old then. For several months, he’d been suffering from stomach pains. My dad was a former track star, so he knew how to handle pain. Convinced it was nothing serious, he just made a face until it was over whenever it flared up. My mom and dad were visiting his parents in Englewood, New Jersey when extreme pain struck my dad again. However, that time, the pain didn’t fade away although my father tried to take control of it. Meanwhile, my dad developed a high fever. My grandparents rushed him to a nearby hospital. The doctors in the emergency room were confused about his condition. My dad’s symptoms seemed consistent with appendicitis (阑尾炎), but the pain wasn’t localized to the lower part of his stomach, where the appendix (阑尾) is located. While they were debating what to do, a 33-year-old surgeon named Dr. Ibrahim, spoke up, “It must be an appendix.” Dr. Ibrahim guessed it was a rare condition and insisted that my dad should receive an operation immediately, although others were against his decision.

Dr. Ibrahim turned out to be very correct. My dad was wheeled into surgery and his appendix was removed just before it could burst and cause a deadly infection. At last, he got rid of danger.

What if my father hadn’t been in Englewood that day? What if young Dr. Ibrahim hadn’t considered? He was in the right place at the right time, and it saved his life. Now I am a father of two children. Like my father I will never forget Dr. Ibrahim.