1 . It was 4:30 pm. As I was packing up, I noticed my colleague had left his laptop bag in the office. So I decided to bring it to him. It took me about 15 minutes to get to his house, where I _____ the bag and got right back on the road.

Suddenly a snowstorm came and within minutes I was in a whiteout. I stopped because I was afraid of driving into a farmer’s field, or worse. I kept the car _____ to stay warm and called 911.They told me to sit tight and wait things out for the night.

Those seconds after the call were _____. Breathe, I told myself. Panicking won’t help.

I texted my colleague, joking about my good deed ending in _____. He suggested I share a satellite view of my _____ on my social media. And I did so, praying that anyone who knew the residents of the nearby farms could get me rescued.

Waiting in the car, I doubted whether _____ would be able to come. Soon enough, though, I got a message from someone who was going to put me in touch with them.

At 8 pm, I saw a tall figure in a yellow raincoat striding toward me in the dark, carrying a flashlight. I’d never been more _____ to see someone in my life. It was André Bouvier, who’d walked about 550 yards to come get me, fighting the wind and snow each step of the way.

He turned around and started to trudge through the snow, sure of the direction. I drove behind him, feeling my heart begin to beat more _____. When we reached his house, I burst into tears, all my fears turning into relief and _____.

The experience has been a game changer for me. I now ______ challenges with a sense of calm I’d not known before. But best of all, it brought André into my life.

2 . On the morning of my first marathon, I woke up before my alarm and ate a classic runner’s breakfast. I had slept eight hours. My unreliable left knee wasn’t bothering me. I was _________.

Then my girlfriend, Louisa, knocked on the door, asking whether I had checked my email. Race officials sent an email at 5 a. m. announcing The Twin Cities Marathon in Minneapolis and St. Paul had been _________ due to record high temperatures.

While I understood why the race organizers didn’t want to put runners at _________, I also knew that I had trained in the baking and humid Washington D. C. all summer. If I could start earlier than planned and finish around noon, I’d miss the worst _________ of the day.

I went to the starting line and saw many runners despite the cancellation. I joined a group of local runners who knew the route. While running, I was overfilled with _________ to still see neighbors who gathered outside their houses _________ out bottles of water as they watched runners go by. The runners and supporters made the race feel like a real marathon, during which the shared goal of reaching the finishing line and the affirmations from the crowds made me believe I could run the _________ race.

The last one mile of the route was downhill. By that point in the race, my legs felt like jelly. But from the top of the hill, I could see dozens of supporters cheering runners home, which _________ me to move on. When my smart watch finally ticked to “26.2” miles, I called out “I’m done” to Louisa, who had been giving a much needed _________ along the way. I let out a dry sob and gave Louisa a hug. After months of training, the unexpected emotion felt like a total release.

My first marathon was canceled, but I ran 26.2 miles   __________.

3 . Yes Day

My friends and I were having breakfast at a Mexican holiday resort (旅游胜地) while enjoying the cool sea breeze. It promised to be another ______ day, as we embraced the break from our busy routine.

We were looking over the list of the resort’s activities. After we ______to convince (说服) each other of what would be best to do, I said, “Let’s have a YES DAY and say yes to EVERY activity, even if it’s not in our comfort zone. Let’s ______ and enjoy ourselves in unexpected ways.”

I hate ______ , but the zipline over the resort was at the top of our list. I was scared when I climbed into position. I wanted to back out, but my friends cheered me on. So, I jumped off the platform and screamed the whole way down. But I was glad I ______ it. Besides the ______, I also appreciated the amazing views. Thankfully, I didn’t say no, otherwise I would have missed this wonderful experience.

My friend Katie, who didn’t want to do karaoke, also had to face her _____ of being the center of attention. We danced and sang, laughing all night long. We were _____ brave enough to attend a wedding party and danced on a glass topper over a swimming pool.

We still talk about our magical Yes Day! When we see the photos from that magical time, we are so happy. In fact, we may miss so much if we only ______ what we are comfortable doing. I believe we all______ Yes Days.