In 1989, fresh out of high school, I had the difficult task of choosing a career path before college started in three months. In those days in Pakistan, there were limited choices: becoming a doctor or an engineer, or entering the financial world after getting a business degree. I wasn’t interested in engineering, so that I was left with medicine or business. I couldn’t decide.

My uncle suggested that I do a work placement(实习) to experience it for a month in an international company followed by a month in a hospital. After that, I could make a decision. It seemed like a good idea.

I was accepted for a month’s placement at a foreign bank in Karachi. I got a feel of how the world of finance functioned, made new friends, and generally enjoyed the mostly easy­going work surroundings.

The month passed rapidly, and soon I began working at a leading hospital in Karachi. The experience couldn’t have been more different. The hospital had a stressful environment. The days started early (at 7 am, compared to 9 am at the bank), and were filled with endless duties. And the night calls! This was crazy, working all day, through the night, and again the next day.

I began thinking about my two experiences. The bank had offered a more relaxing atmosphere, better working hours and less stress. The hospital was full of excitement, but studying and training were difficult. It seemed that the business choice was going to win out.

Near the end of my month at the hospital, I was driving home after an especially busy night call. In front of me was a public bus, with college students sitting on the top. As the driver weaved through (穿梭) traffic, I could see the boys shaking from side to side.

Suddenly, a boy fell off the back of the bus.

The next day, when I went to the hospital to see the boy, all his family got up, with grateful smiles on their faces.

Sue was 83 years old and lived by the ocean shore in a big beautiful house. She wished her son Steve would visit her, even if for only a day. Of course, the young man had a family of his own now, a darling little daughter Eva, and a business to take care of. Steve got on video calls with Sue every other day. However, Sue thought of her son and granddaughter, wishing she was with them. One day, Sue heard sounds from the neighboring house. Sue looked through the window and was delighted to see that she had new neighbors.

One morning, when Sue woke up and walked along the shore, she heard the sounds of water being splashed and the sound of children laughing wildly. She followed the sound and was concerned on finding the twins from the neighboring house standing, knee deep in ocean water. Something didn’t feel right. “Why would anyone leave their kids unattended on the shore?” Sue thought. She grabbed the kids’ hands and walked them to their home. As Sue opened the door, she found the young mother lying unconscious on the kitchen floor. Sue didn’t waste a second in calling 911.

The first responders managed to revive (恢复) her consciousness on the spot. “My boys! Ralph! Ray!” the woman cried out to her kids as the ambulance took her away. Sue said, “Don’t worry. Everything will be alright. I’ll take care of your sweet boys.” She kept her promise and looked after the kids like a grandmother. She took Ralph and Ray in and let them sleep in the bedroom that was specially made for her granddaughter Eva.

It was during these days that she knew that the boys’ father died of illness. Sue knew that the neighbor, Selina, had been trying to make ends meet by selling sweaters and socks that she knit. Looking at Selina’s children eat and drink with such joy, she realized how much she longed to see her little Eva. By the time Selina came home from the hospital, the kids had already started calling Sue “Grandma”.

Selina was very moved and struggled to find the words to thank her elderly neighbor.

One Thanksgiving, when Sue and the Selinas were talking, Sue’s door was knocked.

“What dance will we be performing for the competition this year?” a student from my high school dance team asked eagerly. I hesitated, knowing that our team was not as skilled or experienced as the others in the competition. “I was thinking,” I said, “maybe we would skip the competition and focus on improving our technique for our end-of-year performance.” “NO!” the team protested. “We’ve got to compete!” “It’s a tradition!”

Indeed, trophies and medals lined the shelves of the dance studio from the past successes of previous teams. But a change in school policies, with an emphasis on academics, had reduced our dance team to a small group of twelve dancers who struggled to execute even the simplest of dance moves. “I’ll have to think about it,” I said, hoping they would understand the difficulty of our situation. But their enthusiasm only grew, and they begged and pleaded every day to participate in the competition. To protect their pride, I couldn’t tell them they weren’t good enough. But I wasn’t a miracle worker. And so I hesitated about this dilemma.

Finally, one day, I stepped into the dance studio. “Look at the clock!” I demanded. “We’ve wasted two full minutes because some of you don’t have your choreography (编舞) memorized. If we are entering the competition…” The rest of my sentence was lost in cheers of delight and applause. “From now on,” I continued when the noise subsided, “you will find the day’s practice plan on the board. You will work harder than you’ve ever worked before, focusing on improving your technique, stamina, and flexibility. And if one of these rules is broken, we will not compete.”

I was certain they would fail to keep this contract, and no one would be embarrassed. But the dancers remained focused, following the rules strictly. Each day witnessed their diligence: practicing their turns, leaps, and extensions, learning new dance styles, and rehearsing their routine. Their progress was so remarkable that even I began to believe in their dream.

When the competition day finally arrived, the team felt ready and confident to take on the world! Their eyes, however, opened wide when they saw the other teams with their impressive choreography, skillful movements, and stunning costumes.

Then came the turn for my team.

After all the teams had performed, we waited for the results.