1 . Do you find yourself pulling away from others, especially if you’ve experienced a deep disappointment? Maybe the most ______ thing most of us can do is to be with people when we don’t feel like being around anybody.

A man who lost his wife to cancer found himself wanting to be ______ . He dropped out of his community and ______ all of the activities he and his wife were used to for year. He ______ socializing at work and returned ______ home to an empty house after work. He turned down ______ from friends and co-workers.

His friends became ______ . One came by to visit and invite him over for supper the next evening. The two old friends sat in comfortable chairs by a ______ . The visitor extended the dinner invitation and ______ him to come, “You may need to ______ others to share your pain.”

The man responded that he felt better ______ staying with other people. “And ______ ,” he said, “it’s just too difficult to get out anymore.”

They sat in ______ for a while, watching the wood burn in the fireplace. Then the visitor did a(n) ______ thing. He took tongs (火钳) by the fireplace, reached into the fire, pulled out a ______ coal and laid down by itself on the earth. “That’s you,” he said.

The man sat in silence, ______ the red-hot ember. Neither man looked ______ as the once hot coal gradually transformed into a black lump. After some moments, the man said, “I get the ______ , my friend. I’ll be over tomorrow evening.”

We cannot ______ in any healthy way by ourselves. The leaf needs the branch. The branch needs the trunk. The trunk needs the roots. And the roots need the rest of the tree. We are ______ . And in that connection life and vitality (活力) are found.

2 . Utah is the second most wasteful states in the US. Everyone always complains about how much construction there is all the time— on campus you can’t walk ten steps without running into another pit— but no one seems to be doing anything about it. Every year the city has a surplus of money and they spent it on unneeded road construction. Instead, this money should be spent on developing Utah’s solar energy capabilities (能力).

People may think that solar power technology isn’t advanced enough to sustain (维持) an entire state year-round. However, Utah is one of the six states in the country getting more than enough sunlight to run completely on solar power every year according to Solar Nation. For reference, one might look at places similar to the Hotel at Oberlin in Ohio, a hotel remodeled in the summer of 2016 to run completely on solar power. Anywhere west of Ohio has no excuse for not using solar energy.

Many think it would be bad for the economy to switch to solar power because electrical workers would lose their jobs. But this isn’t necessarily true. They could transfer to solar companies. Considering how many panels (电池板，面板) would need to be built and installed (安装) and maintained, there’s plenty of work for electrical workers. Solar panel installation may be expensive at first, but as it stands currently, solar panels are expected to pay for themselves within 11 years of installation, saving solar panel owners up to $700 in electric bills per house in the first year.

Moreover, we, the humans of planet Earth, would never run out of solar energy. The sun will exist long after humanity goes. And while solar panels may be expensive, they cost the Earth much less than using coal and natural gas.

It’s bad enough that Utah is the most wasteful when it comes to the use of water. And the city is killing its citizens with air pollution. But when we have the physical capability of making changes that will ultimately save the environment and deepen our pocketbooks (财力、钱袋子), and we don’t make those changes, we’re actually lazy rather than being cautious.

3 . On one day my grandma died, I went for a walk to clear my mind. The small purse I carried with me was a gift from her. The bag only weighted several pounds but it felt like I was dragging heavy luggage.

As I was walking, I spotted Mary who gave me an excited hug. She asked how I was. “How are you” is a question that can turn meaningless or meaningful, depending on how you answer it. I considered going the meaningless route. Then I remembered that she is a friend from church. We once celebrated an activity together. Maybe I could lean on her for some comfort. I explained that my grandma died and I was feeling in bad shape emotionally.

Mary expressed kind regards. Then she asked the question everyone asks when you tell them someone died, “Were you two close?” It’s the main standard that determines the appropriate size someone’s sadness can take. The answer to this question depends on how someone defines closeness. I tend to feel close to people I can have heart-to-heart with. I nodded to Mary and said, “Yeah, we were.”

She nodded back, playing her role in the cultural script (剧本)we all know. Mary gathered information about the funeral arrangements, and then we parted. Seeing her was a catalyst (催化剂) to my quickly getting in touch with my sorrow. I cried loudly on the street directly.

Later that night I texted my friend Roger to tell him what had happened. I expected a text back with sympathy. Instead, the phone rang. Soon he was asking me what my favorite song was. While I hesitated, he started singing the hymn, “It Is Well With My Soul.” He finished it and prayed for me over the phone. It really made me exhilarated. I felt that a heavy burden was removed. But I cried again because of the spiritual synchronization(同步). I didn’t share stories of my grandmother or try to explain my complicated emotions over the phone.

Then I realized that courtesy (客套话) is generally good practice, but it can’t compare to personalized, thoughtful communication. And that kind of pat statement really has no place if you want to make a real connection.

8 . Searra, an eight-year-old brain cancer patient, was a “regular” in the Radiation Department. With my office located near the ________, I could hear Searra, also called CC, coming. Several steps behind, CC’s grandmother, also called Mommie, would follow as she tried ________ CC.

I had prepared toys and coloring materials for her in my office. When she walked into the ________, it was time to socialize with us and to see what she could color for ________ before her treatment.

I was surprised by the love CC had for Mommie. ________   I asked her about home life, or how she was feeling, every reply referred to her time ________ with Mommie, the funny stories they ________ and how much she loved her. When CC was first ________ with radiation treatment, the therapists (治疗专家) told her they’d give her a quarter each day if she promised to keep her ________ still on the treatment table. So on the last day of 6-week treatment, the therapists ________ what big toy she was going to buy with all her ________. CC replied, “Oh, I am not going to buy a toy. I’m going to buy something for Mommie ________ all the nice things she does for me.”

CC taught me about what is really important in life. She ________ showed that loving others is the best gift you can give another. Certainly, CC had an excuse to complain or be   ________ at the world for a childhood totally ________ from other children’s in her class. I have never heard her ________ about her hairless head, swollen (肿胀的) body or ________ energy level, which keeps her from playing outside.

CC reminds me not to ________ the love people give us for granted and to look beyond the superficiality (表面情况) that is often found in daily life. I am ________ to be more thankful for what I have today and not to complain what is behind me or what lies ahead. CC, just like many other cancer patients, is a true ________,   so let’s make the best of what we have today.

10 . When you travel, it’s inevitable (不可避免的) that things will go wrong. It doesn’t matter how _________ you are for the trip—accidents happen on the road, at hotels or _________ in the middle of the ocean. Often, it’s what happens next that _________ the most. No matter what happens, it can be a _________ turn in the journey or a bad thing.

During a recent long international trip, my youngest daughter’s airsickness struck again. We were _________ our choices after landing in San Francisco for an overnight layover (中途停留).

When we stood in the middle of the terminal (航站楼), not only _________ how to get to our hotel, but also discussing whether or not we should just turn around and go home, a pilot _________ us.

He quietly asked me if my 4-year-old was the passenger who had gotten _________ on the flight. I nodded, half afraid someone was going to tell us we now weren’t _________ to fly with her.

Instead, he __________ down to her level, opened up his bag and took out a pair of wings. While the captain was ________ her the wings, he kindly asked my young daughter how she was feeling. Like most young kids, sometimes she’s ________ about talking to strangers, but not this time. They __________ for 60 seconds, but in those 60 seconds, she went from feeling bad and __________ to walk around the airport to jogging to the airport hotel with a smile on her face.

As the captain walked away, she __________ and said, “He cared about me.” My daughter is still young, but she is old enough to feel __________ when a pilot wants to check in on her. In that moment, the pilot was exactly the right one to make her feel better about flying. He __________ our day by taking two minutes out of his.

It’s often the __________ stories that make the headlines, but small, heart-warming moments are still happening all around us. I’m __________ to all in the travel industry—and beyond—that take those few minutes to make a world of ________.