【推荐1】“Runners, to your mark, Get set…” Bang! And I was off, along with a bunch of other teenage cross-country runners from high schools across the county. The day was like any other fair-weather autumn day in Maryland. But the race that day felt unique from the get-go. For one thing, I liked the course. It was my team’s home course, one I was used to running during practices. It took runners along an area of land that included open fields, hills and even winding dirt paths through a small forest. It was a beautiful 5-kilometer course. This particular race was our team’s invite, and I was proud to be sharing the course with competitors from other schools. It also meant a lot―more than normal that my parents were there to cheer me on.

With so much to expect that day, I was ready to run! And I didn’t want to be stuck with the pack of other runners, as is typical at the beginning of most cross-country races. So when the gun sounded, I took off running, leaving everyone else in the dust.

The first part of our course followed the outside edge of a large open field before disappearing into the forest. Within seconds of the start, I was far ahead of everyone, and all of the fans could see it. It felt magnificent.

But that feeling didn’t last long. Little did I know my coach was laughing to himself, thinking, “Gabe is done for!” And I was. My body was telling me to slow down. My pride, however, said “No! Not until you’re out of sight of the spectators!” I was in agony, but I kept up my pace until I reached the forest. Once in among the trees. I slowed way down.

I enjoyed most races, even while pushing myself, but this one was not enjoyable in the least. I finished the race, but in nowhere near the time I could have if I’d paced myself well from the beginning. Every time I reflect on that cross-country season, I’m reminded of something: Pride is no substitute for pace.

【推荐3】Lilyma Khan recalls that she desired to be a chef for as long as she can remember. When she was around three years old, she’d watch her father cook for the entire neighbourhood, and the simple dishes would comfort and nourish (滋养) everyone in their area of Taimoor Nagar, New Delhi.

But it turned out that these evenings, filled with food, laughter, and warmth, were limited — at the age of 5, she lost her father, and then her mother within the following six months.

When she was around 11 years old, she was rescued by an NGO. It was here that she received an education for the first time. At the age of 13, she went to another NGO called Kilkari Rainbow Home. There, she got opportunity to give wings to her dreams. After finishing Grade 12, she was able to work at a restaurant thanks to the Creative Services Support Group (CSSG).

“Anand Kapoor, who runs the CSSG, visited our NGO one day. He asked us all about our ambitions, and I expressed my desire to become a chef. He got me a job as a staff cook at an Italian restaurant in Lodhi Road, New Delhi,” recalled Lilyma.

Chef Sadeev Pasricha, who has trained Lilyma, has known her for eight years. He says, “She amazes me with everything that she does. She is very clever and works well under pressure. She is a quick learner and works very hard, for almost 12 hours a day,” says Sadeev.

Today, Lilyma also leads a team of 35 people at Dear Donna. With pride in her voice, she says that she stays at her own house today, and has purchased land in Noida and Ghaziabad.

“It’s very easy to take a wrong turn and fall into bad company. Have courage to move ahead in life. From being hungry all the time, I am now able to feed many. You too can achieve your dreams,” says Lilyma.

【推荐2】James Warren was walking in his Denver neighborhood when something gave him pause. “A woman was waiting for the bus, sitting in the dirt. And I was like,’ Oh man, that’s terrible.’ That’s not dignified at all. We need to be doing better by our fellow city members,” Warren told a reporter. “And so, I thought, ‘I could do something about that, and I could build a bench.’” That moment led him on a mission to help his community.

Warren found some scrap wood (废木料), thanks to construction sites in his neighborhood with piles of discarded wood. And, because his dad builds houses, he grew up around tools-he knew he had the basic skills needed to build a bench.

He built one at the beginning of the year and put it back at that bus stop where he first got the idea. Since then, he’s built eight custom benches and has placed them at bus stops around the area.

Each bench looks different, since he’s using scrap wood for all of them. Each one takes a few hours to build, and Warren hand-delivers them to bus stops without sitting areas. While each bench is unique, Warren makes sure to carve the same message on all of them: “Be Kind.”

“Sometimes it can feel really difficult to make a change in the world around us. But the truth is, anyone can be kind and make a difference in the world. And that difference matters a lot,” he said.

He’s heard from many people in the community — those who use the benches and those who have been inspired by them. “What’s been really cool is seeing other people online building their own benches or even just taking chairs they were going to throw out and putting them by bus stops instead of letting them go to landfill,” Warren said.

Warren said he hopes the benches continue to inspire-and perhaps expand to other cities.

【推荐3】Dad’s car pulled into the driveway. I ran to the door. Dad smiled as if he had a secret. “It feels cold to us, but it’s warm and attractive to see a frog. Are you coming?” he asked. I agreed with excitement and then put on my raincoat.

“Hey, look at this one,” Dad shined his light on a green frog the size of his thumb. The frog jumped, its four legs sticking straight out. I found my first frog on a driveway. A bright-green one with shiny skin. I wondered what it would feel like. I could see the frog breathing.

I could imagine a car running over it. I said, “Dad, can you move this one?” “You do it,” Dad said. I looked at the frog. I didn’t want to touch it. But I didn’t want it to get squashed (压扁的). I reached down. It jumped through my fingers. I tried again. Cupping one hand around the frog, I picked it up with the other hand. Its skin felt cold and soft. The frog moved. I walked to the grass and held out my hand. The frog climbed up my wrist. I laughed. Then I gently placed the frog onto the grass.

We walked a couple of blocks. We found lots of frogs-brown ones, green ones and spotted ones. I got better at finding them. If they were on the road, we moved them when traffic was clear. I actually started to like picking them up.

I was ready to go home. Then I saw something moving near a stone wall. Something bigger than a frog. Dad and I shined our lights and crouched. “Is it a lizard (蜥蜴)?” I asked. “No, it’s a salamander,” Dad said. “Hey, I just realized something,” I said. “The animals out tonight—frogs and salamanders—are amphibians (两栖动物). We’d learned about amphibians in school.” “Great observation,” Dad said.