【推荐1】I'm Alice. When 1 was young, my mother made the same dish five nights a week because we were low on cash. She boiled potatoes, carrots, and sometimes, other vegetables on the kitchen stove. Only small amounts of the roast beef that she cooked once a week were added to the bowls. She called it stew(炖菜).

I would hear other children talk about hamburgers, fries, and milkshakes from fast food restaurants, which were expensive at the time. I wished we could eat like that once in a while, but my parents couldn't afford it.

But I look back and I think how blessed I was. My mom took the time to prepare the stew nearly every night. Her portions were right——focusing on the vegetables and not on the meat——and we weren't eating the fat and salt we would have had in take-out food.

I had a lot fewer head colds and flus than my classmates then. If 1 did get sick, I'd be home for a day or two, not a whole week like many of them. Though I became ill more often in my thirties, I have to admit I'd been eating lots of fast food, making up for not getting it as a child. But when I went back to prepare homemade meals without those extra fat and salt, I started to feel healthier.

Today I often find myself enjoying a bowl of my mother's stew. I realize how lucky I was to have a mother who would like to take the time to prepare the slew for her family five evenings a week. That stew was made with love and it has left me with a memory that will warm me forever.

【推荐3】I’d been asked to go to an editor's office with the old program “We have a story we think you'd be perfect for". Here was the topic: We want you to write about how middle-aged men have no friends. Seeing that, I couldn't help thinking, "Excuse me? I have plenty of friends," Then the editor told me there were all sorts of evidence out there to show how men, as they age, let their close friendships go, and that the fact can cause all sorts of problems and have a terrible impact on their health.

As I walked back to my desk in the newsroom — a distance of maybe 100 yards — I quickly took stock of my friend list. First of all, there was my friend Mark. Wait, how often do we actually hang out? Maybe four or five times a year? And then there was another best friend from high school, Rory, and...I actually could not remember the last time I'd seen him.

There were all those other good friends who seemed as if they're still in my life because we follow one another via social media, but as I ran down the list of those I considered real, true, lifelong friends, I realized that it had been years since I saw many of them, even decades for a few.

By the time I got back to my desk, I realized that I was indeed perfect for this story, not because I was unusual in any way, but because my story was very, very typical. And as I looked into what that means, I realized that in the long term, I was heading down a path that was very, very dangerous. And I knew I needed a change.

【推荐2】I’ve been in an 18-year love-hate relationship with a black walnut tree.

It’s a unique tree. In late September or early October, falling fruits as hard as baseballs threaten the skulls (头骨) of you, your children, your neighbors and those that live next door to them. Umbrellas in the yard are a must while dining in early August, and as for me, I wear my bike helmet while working in the garden.

The black walnut also releases a chemical substance through its roots as a competitive strategy. It’s poisonous to several common plants. There have been many new plant varieties that I brought home with hopes that maybe the black walnut would accept them, but they failed to grow well.

What does work are native plants that naturally grow in the area. Native plants are important to have around since they provide beneficial pollinators (传粉者) like birds, bees and butterflies with seeds and contribute to a healthy and biodiverse environment. Native plants for this area are generally easy to grow, so they experience less stress.

Have I thought of getting rid of this giant pain in my tiny backyard? Yes, however, getting rid of this tree standing at 50 feet with an 87-inch trunk is next to impossible. It’s also protected under the law. Rightfully so. Trees are important to the urban forest and for all of those that inhabit it.

Sometimes I think about my life without the black walnut. I can’t imagine a spring without the birds who arrive every year and loudly sing their songs before dawn. I’d miss falling asleep on lazy weekend afternoons as I look up into its leaves.

Every spring, I wonder what the season holds: What are the chances of being knocked unconscious while barbecuing? Like any good relationship, I’ll never be pleased. I’m stuck with this tree, so I’ll listen to its needs and give it the space it requires. In return, my walnut offers a habitat for wildlife and a reminder.

【推荐3】“I didn’t hear them call my name,” explained Shelley Hennig to Active Teens (AT) as she talked about that exciting moment on national television when she won the honor of Miss Teen USA 2004. “Are you ready?” is what she heard. Then she said, “I shook my head no, and then they said ‘yes’ and it was announced again.”

It was four days after that life changing moment for the seventeen-year-old high school student from Destrehan, Louisiana — she was still “on cloud nine” .

“I was so shocked! I never believed that it could actually really happen.” Present in the audience (观众) that day were: her mother and father, older brother, her friends, and her dance teacher.

Understanding why members of her family and her friends would be there, AT asked why her

dance teacher had traveled so far to see her compete (比赛). “She’s always been my role model. I’ve danced with her since I was six. She’s been through so many difficulties and came through them all. I’ve learned to get over bad life’s experiences and learned how to move on because of her.”

One of those bad life’s experiences for Shelley happened three years ago when her brother Brad was killed in a drunk driving accident. He was 18. She found writing helped her get through the rough days. She said, “I write a lot about my brother. I write a lot, a lot, a lot...”

As Miss Louisiana Teen, she traveled around the state speaking to teens (青少年) about the dangers of drinking and driving. In her role as Miss Teen USA, Sheiley will continue to speak to youth about safe driving, in addition to many other things to help the youth.

When AT asked Miss Teen USA if she had any advice for our readers, she said, “Don’t let anyone change you. Hang out with people that make you feel good about yourself. That way, it is easy to be yourself.”