【推荐1】I wanted to be a journalist. But my parents reminded me that math makes money, so off to engineering school I went In my post-university young-adult life, I've managed to become ^traditionally successful."   As a female engineer, I worked for a big oil company and owned a home. My life was laid out in front of me. and I didn't like what I saw.

So, I did what any respectable 24-year-old would do and left my life behind. I said goodbye to my boyfriend and pulled out my suitcase. I threw myself alone into the world with the grace and beauty of a baby deer taking its first steps with skateboards under its feet. I bloodied my knees mountain biking through the red rocks of Utah. I spent four days struggling through Yellowstone with 50 pounds on my back. Two Peruvian women along my Andean journey taught me how to roast coffee and helped me practice Spanish. It wasn't Vienna's cultural museums; it was a sunny piece of grass beside the Danube river with someone from my hostel （青年旅社） who quickly became a friend. It wasn't Yellowstone's Old Faithful geyser （间歇喷泉）launching into the air; it was charging through Montana's ordinary landscape playing music so loud that the car windows shook. The truth is, I didn't actually need to be abroad to have almost any of my favorite experiences. They were just small everyday moments that happened to happen abroad, leading me to realize that the true value of my flight tickets were not the landmarks, but rather becoming an active participant in my own life.

I now spend less time online shopping and more time lying alone on the floor listening to an album cover — to — cover. I ask my friends how they're doing. Sometimes I surprise them with flowers to see them smile. I tell everyone to have a good day.

【推荐2】Deisha walked up and down as she waited backstage. This would be her most important piano performance yet. At ten years old, she was the youngest performer at the concert. She had practiced playing her song more than 30 times that week. When she closed her eyes at night, the music played over and over again in her head.

Now that the day had arrived, Deisha was not sure she was ready. She smoothed her hair and picked a piece of lint (绒毛) from the new dress that her mother had bought for her. She noticed that her hands were shaking. How could she play the notes of the song if her hands were shaking? She tried to concentrate on steadying (稳住) them, but they only shook more.

Deisha's piano teacher, Ms Neal, walked up to speak to her. “I have something for you,” she said, putting a smooth black stone into Deisha's hand. “It's a special stone. There's no other one like it in the world. You've practiced so much; you don't need anything else.”

The stage lights reflected off the rock. “Thank you,” Deisha said.

When Deisha's name was called, she rubbed (搓) the stone, stepped onto the stage, and played better than ever. After her performance, she noticed that Ms Neal had a whole bag of black stones. “Why did you say this one was so special?” she asked. Her teacher answered, “Because, like your talent, it belongs only to you.”