【推荐1】I was scared when a loud noise in my apartment woke me in the middle of the night. I rushed to turn my bedroom light and discovered it was a cat.

Here’s the thing — I do not have a cat. And this was not the first time this particular cat had demanded my attention.

I immediately calmed down and realized my error — I had left a window open. I approached to entertain my house guest by giving her some treats and scratches under her collar.

Like so many others, I shifted from working in an office to working from home (居家办公). Living alone can be separate from outside at the best of times. It was around the one-month mark of the lockdown (封锁) when I heard a mow outside my window. Siting outside on the grass was a long-haired, golden-colored cat. I opened the window, and this beautiful eat jumped into my home. Her short visit brightened my day.

A few days later, I heard a familiar meow. I saw a name tag on her collar: Mika. On this second visit, I also noticed Mika was cross-eyed, which only made her more lovely.

Over the next few weeks, Mika would stop by occasionally. Sometimes, she only stayed for a few minutes; other times, she would wander around my apartment much longer. Each visit brightened me. Mika even helped me connect with some new neighbors, who asked if Mika was my cat. Apparently, Mika visited them as well.

While the lockdown has been awful, I suspect (怀疑) I might not have ever met Mika if it had not happened. But perhaps she came by at this time because she sensed a need for connect my part.

While dogs are said to be man’s best friend, a good cat can be everyone’s best friend.

【推荐2】Jim found himself exhausted during a trip. When he came home, he went to see a doctor. “The reason why I was fatigued (精疲力竭),” Jim says, “was that my kidneys were gone.”

Jim, 69, a former Air Force pilot, immediately started dialysis (透析) three times a week. A person of his age on dialysis usually lives only about four years. Transplants are a long-shot alternative. The National Kidney Foundation estimates that 13 people die every day while waiting for a donor with the right blood and tissue types.

Jim’s wife, nephew and four family friends offered but weren’t a match. Jim was so discouraged that he was even considering not attending a reunion of some Air Force buddies (铁哥们). But his wife encouraged him to reunite with his old friends, among whom was one he hadn’t seen for nearly 50 years: Doug Coffman. The two had met. When they both were learning Vietnamese before they went overseas.

Doug, then 70, felt a strong bond with his band of brothers, even though he hadn’t seen some of them for decades. Their connection went beyond the battlefield in ways most, soldiers never experience.

Doug had received help from his friends when he was in trouble, so he felt like it was a time that he could pay that ahead by donating a kidney to Jim. Fortunately, series of testing revealed not only that Doug’s tissue type matched Jim^’s but also that he had the kidneys of a 35-year-old.

The transplant was a success. “It’s pretty miraculous to be able to take an organ out of one person’s body—a living organ—put it in another person’s body, and have it work.” Doug says. “And there’s nothing finer than knowing I’ve helped another person live a better life.”

【推荐3】One evening, when I asked my 17-year-old son, Ray, for help with dinner, his response took me by surprise. “What’s a colander (漏勺)?” he asked.

I could only blame myself. In the family, nobody’s hands went in the sauce except my own. But as I explained with a touch of panic that a colander is the thing with holes in it, I wondered what else I hadn’t prepared Ray for. Suddenly it hit me: He’d be leaving the house in a year to attend college. No way was I going to send a spoiled prince into the world.

As parents,while we focus on our children’s character,we are also raising someone’s future roommate, husband, or father. I’d raise a boy who would never ask the woman in his life, “What’s for dinner?” So, I came up with a plan to offer Ray a private home economics course. Gladly, he didn’t say no.

For two hours, three days a week, Ray was all mine. One day, as his tomato sauce reduced on the stove, he washed and seasoned a chicken for roasting. Then he rolled out the piecrust and filled it with apples, all while listening to my explanation on the importance of preheating an oven.

One day we covered Advanced Laundry, in which I taught him never to mix a red sweatshirt with white. I knew that he would rather have been shooting hoops in the driveway than learning to mend socks with his mother - he tried to beg off sewing lessons - but it couldn’t be denied that he was learning, and more than just housekeeping. “I appreciate what you do as a mom,” he told me one day.

Ray now understands the finer points of cooking, and more importantly, he realizes there s nothing masculine (男子气概的) about being helpless. Not only can he make his own dinner, but also he can make a big meal for his family. That’s what I call a man.

【推荐1】Harvey Sutton spent nearly seven months hiking with his parents, walking the thousands of kilometers that make up the complete Appalachian Trail. Harvey, or “little man”, was just 4 years old when he started, and celebrated his 5th birthday on the trail.

The Appalachian Trail, which many people call simply the “AT”, is a 3,530-kilometer hiking trail that runs through the forests of the Appalachian Mountains and passes through 14 states in all. Hiking the Appalachian Trail is tough, and only one out of every four hikers completes all the sections of the trail. The people who hike it must carry everything they need with them, including tents, sleeping bags and other supplies, along with food and water.

Harvey’s parents, Josh and Cassie Sutton, have been hiking with Harvey since he was two years old. They prepared him for hiking the AT by starting out with lots of shorter walks and hikes. It took Harvey and his family 209 days to complete the entire AT. Every day the family would wake up around 5:30 in the morning. They would have breakfast and pack up their tents and sleeping bags before setting off through the woods. In general, the family hiked about 16 kilometers a day before stopping to set up camp again.

During his days on the AT, Harvey liked to use his imagination. This helped him walk more quickly and have fun while he hiked. He played games with his mom and dad and other hikers. Karl Sakas hiked with the Suttons through seven states. Mr. Sakas said Harvey didn’t seem to get tired. When other hikers were worn out at the end of the day, Harvey was still eager for a game.

Completing the AT taught Harvey and his parents how to work as a team and how to take on challenges together. Harvey has now turned 5 and has started kindergarten. But at some point in the future, he says, “I want to hike the AT again!”