5 . I grew up on a dairy farm. The particular life location to which I got assigned—“stuck” is a better word if you’ve ever been there — was a small family-owned-and-operated outfit.

I remember the Christmas when our main hired hand dropped out of the work rotation. Sixteen and the oldest of the kids left at home, I was called on to fill in. Halfway through the first day, I realized I had never noticed exactly how much that worker did. For five days I either milked or slept, fed calves (牛犊) or slept. I have to admit this gave me a deep appreciation of how hard my parents worked day in and day out for 30 years, and that understanding solidified my determination to do whatever it took to not stay on that dairy farm my whole life.

Eventually, my determination paid off. I got into college. Now, I no longer have to worry about my father’s voice yelling, “Stace, come out here! We need help!” To be honest, I’m grateful. But at the same time, I also don’t have a compelling reason to be up in time to see the beauty of a sunrise. Nor do I have the opportunity to dance with my sister in the dairy barn, work side-by-side with my dad and hear the old stories.

Now, there are whole stretches of days when I don’t feel any pressing need to even go outside. And I can go months without petting an animal or watching in amazement at their keen sense of the environment around them. Instead, I have neighbors within shouting distance but who feel like they live a planet away.

Eighteen years I lived my life on that dairy, not really knowing there were people who didn’t get up and go out and work together to get the same overwhelming tasks done day after day. Sometimes I wish I had never found out there were.

6 . Sweating may not be your favorite thing to do, but it is necessary.     1    . Here are four research-backed reasons why this salt-based fluid can benefit you.

Sweat is known to cool the skin, bringing toxins (毒素) to the surface and giving the skin a healthy glow. Research shows that sweating can increase and maintain skin hydration. However, leaving sweat on the skin for too long can cause skin diseases such as acne.     2    .

When you’re hot, your heart beats faster to cool the body, releasing endorphins that cause feelings of joy.     3    . In a 2015 study, people who smelled “happy sweat” displayed tendencies associated with happiness. However, those exposed to fear-induced sweat showed characteristics of terror.

When sitting in a sauna (桑拿浴室), your body temperature rises, so your body works overtime to cool itself down by sweating. And you’ll be better off for it. A 20-year Finnish study found that people who sweated it out regularly in a sauna had a lower rate of sudden cardiac (心脏的) deaths.

If you sweat heavily during exercise, that’s usually a positive sign. Athletes tend to sweat sooner and more than inactive people. Their bodies have learned to cool down more efficiently during physical activity. A PLOSONE study supports this, showing that long-distance runners not only got sweatier sooner, but also activated more sweat glands, resulting in more sweat than their non-active counterparts.

A couple of years ago, I had the pleasure of teaching a young couple to dive (潜水) in Thailand on one of my favorite reefs (礁). The weather conditions were perfect, with mild currents and excellent sight of the beautiful ocean and the bright, vivid corals. Even with their masks on, I could see the smiles on my students’ faces.

The dive couldn’t have gone better. However, things changed as we made our way back to the boat. As we swam back along the reef, I noticed the current (水流) changing. As it did, huge quantities of trash and plastic began to flood the area. I saw small reef fish swimming amongst the straws, plastic bags and other bits of rubbish. I noticed that some of the fish were pecking away (啄) at the plastic. By the time we got back onboard the boat, there were bits of plastic floating all around us. It looked more like a trash site than the ocean.

When I got home, the first thing I did was to go online and research plastic pollution in the ocean. I was surprised to find out that over the past decade, divers and beach lovers have seen a lot of changes in the oceans. Even very remote locations were suddenly filled with plastic and other chemicals. Plastics were entering our oceans at an alarming rate—up to 12 million tons each year. This huge amount of plastic was wreaking havoc (破坏) not only on the environment, but also on the marine animals that lived in the ocean, such as sea turtles and sea birds. Some of them were sadly mistaking the pieces of plastic for food. Pollution has brought our oceans to the point of disaster, and unless we make a great change, then our oceans and all of its living things, will be at risk.

Since that unforgettable plastic-polluted dive, I have become an ocean supporter and spend my days trying to get the message out there about just how harmful ocean pollution is, not only to marine life, but also to mankind.

Then the idea came to me: I could appeal to my fellow divers to take action.

I decided to take it a step further to try and stop those companies producing single-use plastics.

8 . Family-Friendly Activities

Canyoning (峡谷漂流) New Zealand

Location: Queenstown

When: Sunday, October 1,2023-Tuesday, April 30,2024

Price: $499 (2 adults & 2 kids)

What: Get your family out and about in beautiful nature with Canyoning New Zealand! This half-day product delivers so much adventure and excitement all rolled into one guided canyoning adventure.

Queenstown Ice Arena

Location: Queenstown Gardens

When: Friday, September 1,2023-Sunday, March 31,2024

Price: $65(2 adults & 2 kids, or 1 adult & 3 kids)

What: Cool down this summer with an afternoon at the Queenstown Ice Arena. Book a family ice skating pass for only S65. This deal includes skates and helmets (头盔).

Family Ziplining Deal

Location:45 Camp Street, Queenstown

When: Sunday, October 1,2023-Wednesday, January 31,2024

Price: Family of 4 (2 adults & 2 kids)-$499(RRP $536) or Family of 5 (2 adults & 3 kids)-$599 (RRPS645)

What: Join a grand and fun adventure through the forest canopy (树荫) high above Queenstown, featuring impressive views across the remarkable mountain range and Lake Whakatipu.

Super School Holidays

Location: Sky Tower, Auckland

When: October 1-16,2023

Price: $365 (2 adults & 1 kid)

What: To celebrate the release of the cinema, DC League of Super Pets, Sky Tower is calling on all superheroes for a super school holiday adventure. It takes you on a super adventure around the Sky Tower.