In our neighborhood, there is a yard sale every Saturday morning. For my daughter and me, it has become part of our _______ routine (惯例). But last week, an unexpected experience changed the way I thought of yard sales. I started noticing that behind the things on the tables, there were often _______.

One day, as we walked into a stranger’s yard as always, I greeted the old gentleman siting behind his tables in the _______ way: “Morning! Beautiful day for a yard sale!” He _______ us back.

And then, I noticed what he was selling—plates, mugs (马克杯), toys,...almost _______ on sale was with a dachshund (猎肠犬) face.

“You really like your _______!” I said.

“Yes,” the seller replied. “We kept him for a long time _______ my wife died. Then I sent him away.”

The “gate” slowly and carefully _______ and his story came out. His only child died eight years ago and sadly, his wife passed away last winter. He’s been keeping himself busy by cleaning out the house.

I gradually got embarrassed because I had _______ thought of yard sales as something sad. In the past, the fun and challenge of going to a sale, ________ someone else’s things, and seeing how cheaply you could get them was the whole point of yard sales. I had never thought of the fact that some things appeared on a yard sale table probably for some special ________.

Meeting this sad man helps me to ________ that things are not just things. They all have stories that want to be ________ when there is no one left in their family to hear them again. ________, these realizations (领悟) have made me love yard sales even more.

I put the dachshund toy from the gentleman in my car, reminding myself to be ________ as we look forward to the next yard sale and the stories we may hear. The more stories I hear, the better I come to understand life.

It was 1:20 in the morning on July 15, 2021. I had just gone to bed after celebrating my 31st birthday. I live in Sinzig, a town in western Germany about half a mile from the banks of the Ahr River, and it had been raining heavily that week. There were flood warnings for some of the nearby areas, but not where I was.

I’d placed sandbags outside my garden door and prepared clothing on tables and the sofa just in case water would to get in. Before my friends left, they laughed at me for doing that.

Soon, I was woken up by the sound of rushing water. When I got out of the bed, I was shocked to feel cold water already up to my knees and rising fast. When I stepped into the hall, I saw the water coming from the garden door, and almost everything was rushed away. Now I had to get out fast!

With the water up to my waist (腰部), I started to wade (蹚水) to the door that leads upstairs to the rest of the house. All around me things were breaking. Finally I made it to that door and tried to pull it open, but every time I opened it a bit, it was shut by the water again. So I used a knife I found to make a gap (间隙) that was wide enough for me to pass through. Then, I rushed outside. I found the river had flooded the neighborhood and realized that if I had woken up just a few minutes later, I would have died.

This experience made me thankful and decided to live each day to its fullest. I came very close to drowning (溺水的) that day. I always remember what my mother told me: “Christian, don’t remember the day when you lost everything. Remember the day you survived (幸存).”

According to a new research this year, kids and teenagers who volunteer aren’t just helping their community. They might also be helping themselves. It is said that doing volunteering through school or community groups will do good to the health of kids and teens.

What the survey shows

Experts did a survey among the parents of about 50,000 kids aged 6 to 17 in the United States and found that kids who took part in community service were 34% more likely to be in very good physical health than those who didn’t. And those who volunteered were 66% more likely to be doing well in general. Kids aged 12 and older who volunteered were 2.5% less likely to have anxiety (焦虑) than those who didn’t.

What the result suggests

The result may have something useful to do with youth mental (精神的) health. In recent years, depression (抑郁) and anxiety are becoming more popular among young people. For example, more than 40% of high school students are reported experiencing feelings of sadness or hopelessness in 2023. One possible way to deal with this may be doing volunteering in the community.

Why volunteering works

Other researches have also found the connections between volunteering and well-being among kids and teenagers. Serving the community seems to help people feel a sense of purpose. In this way, they feel connected to those around them, and it makes them happier and healthier.

However, experts also point out that it’s not possible to say for sure that volunteering makes better mental and physical health. It could be that when kids and teenagers take part in volunteering work, they get out of themselves and relax for a while, which has some active influence to both the mental and physical health.