The past summer in Antarctica, Elaine had spent long hours inside the plain, practical buildings of the MeMurdo research station. Her job was to look after the fire-fighting equipment and fire alarms of this remote outpost. But on her days off, Elaine loved to go skiing and explore the ice and caves beyond the station.

With winter coming, she’d be heading home soon. But before she left there was one more thing Elaine wanted to do. She was determined to see a penguin (企鹅) — up close. She’d heard interesting tales from the biologists, about how penguins played and took care of one another, how they were curious and often approached people. She had spotted a few, but only from far away. But that night after dinner, someone said there was a lone penguin on the ice on the far side of the station. Elaine rushed out, hoping to get a closer look.

Now she was filled with excitement.... and cold. The day had been sunny and warm (for Antarctica, meaning around 20°F or-6℃, still below freezing). But a sudden storm could drop the temperature by 50°in just a few minutes. The glacier’s (冰川) huge pressure created crevasses (冰裂缝) — deep blue holes in the ice beneath the snowy surface, If someone dropped into the crevasse, nobody would ever find him.

A frosty wind blew, and she reached up to cover her bare ear. Oh no, where was her hat? Elaine had left her backpack — with her warm coal, hat, and emergency radio — back at MeMurdo! Normally, she carried that orange pack everywhere. But hearing about the penguin, she’d rushed out without her backpack and she was out on the ice alone.

Maybe the cold had slowed down her brain, but Elaine didn’t consider the danger. All she could think of was the penguin. Watching the penguin coming closer, she spied a flash of yellow. It was an emperor penguin! Elaine followed the bird farther out on the ice, away from the base.

Soon the penguin stood right in front of her.

Suddenly, a strong wind knocked her off. She was lying on a thin skin of ice above a deep hole.

At the end of the fifth grade, there was a burst of excitement in the classroom. The school year was almost over, and we would be moving on to a new school for the sixth grade. All the girls made autograph books (签名册) and collected signatures.

As I signed my classmates’ books, I noticed their moms had written in them, too. Such sweet thoughts were expressed, “I couldn’t be prouder of you. Can’t wait to see how you like junior high!” “You’re graduating. Congratulations! We love you and know you have a bright future!” ...

I asked my mother to sign mine, too. She was busy, but she said she’d sign it. Several days later, when I asked about it, she told me she just forgot. Anyway, she handed it back to me later. I was anxious to see what encouraging words she had written. And this is what I found on the page:

When a thing is first begun,

Never leave it till it’s done.

Be the labor great or small,

Do it well or not at all.

Mom

My heart sank. That was it? I was disappointed that there were no words of pride or encouragement. It was just a stupid poem-another indication to me that if I couldn’t be perfect, I wasn’t good enough.

I held back my tears, not expressing my disappointment.

That page in that handmade book bothered me for years,

I battled perfectionism and low self-respect and never felt good enough for most of my life. Many times, I gave up on things after I barely got started. All I could hear was "You’re not good enough."

When my mother was in her eighties and in a nursing home, I gave her a book to fill out so we could know more about her. It had hints (暗示) at the top of each page and then blank space to respond. I wanted her to write down her memories and a lifetime of experiences, so I. along with her grandchildren, would have some precious sections of her life.

In the beginning, she was very excited.

One day I went to the nursing home to see her, only to find her sleeping, with the book lying beside her.

For years, Jessie, a 15-year-old senior high school girl, has been a holiday fixed visitor in a kindergarten in Los Angèles County. As an experíenced volunteer in a severely poor neighborhood, Jessie knew those young students had it rough——some were homeless, many were in foster care(家庭寄养), and the others were crammed into garages or single rooms with eight to ten family members. So she made up her mind to visit them with gifts every holiday season.

     It was hard for Jessie to do this on a little girl's part-time job salary, but every holiday from Thanksgiving to the Christmas break, Jessie managed to bring the kids some little gifts of holiday magic——a pack of crayons(蜡笔), pencils, toys and so on. No matter how small the gifts are, Levinson’s students were always grateful. And there was a good chance that it would outshine whatever their families could afford to give them. Despite being surrounded by wealthy neighborhoods, their community was so poor that when it rained, kids came to school wearing trash bags. Some didn’t brush their teeth because they didn’t own a toothbrush. But Jessie never despised(轻视) them and were always devoted to improving their conditions.

That day was the day before Thanksgiving, she brought gifts to the kindergarten again, and the children’s excited expressions were the same as before. The children eagerly shared happy stories with her and showcased their latest achievements, such as height and various plants they planted. Looking at the happy smiling faces of the children, she hesitated several times before speaking. She didn't have the courage to tell them that she was going to study in a far country, which they had never heard of before. This was the exam and admission she had put in countless days and nights to pass, but at this moment she hesitated and didn't know how to say it. She couldn't even imagine how disappointed and sad they would be since she could not come here again, at least 3 years. Thinking of these, her heart became very heavy.

A little girl noticed her worried expression and asked,“Do you have any worries?”

To her surprise, the children listened attentively.

Chase counted his new year gifts one more time as he put a robot-shaped eraser into each envelope. “Twenty, twenty-one, twenty-two.”

“Do you have one for everyone in your class?” Mom asked.

“Yep!” Chase said. “I’m ready for the party tomorrow!”

When Chase got to school the next day, he saw a new girl in his classroom. She stood near Ms. Robins and looked around shyly.

“This is Eva,” said Ms. Robins. “Will someone volunteer to show her around today? “Chase raised his hand since he liked showing the new kids around and helping them feel welcome.

“Thanks, Chase, “Ms. Robins said. “Now let’s get down to our work.”

That’s when Chase realized he didn’t have a new year gift for Eva. No one else would have one either. Chase pictured his classmates’ desks covered with gifts while Eva’s desk was empty. He felt sad about that.

At a break, he was careful not to mention the party as he showed Eva around the playground. At lunchtime, he walked Eva to the lunchroom, still worried about what would happen at the party. Eva had brought a packed lunch. so Chase showed her where she was supposed to sit and introduced her to some of the kids at her table.

While eating, Chase suddenly remembered that kids often included candy hearts with the new year gifts they exchanged. This won’t be a New Year’s Day for Eva with no gifts. But as he sat down at his table, an idea flooded into his head. He whispered it to the kids around him. Soon everyone at the table was nodding and whispering.

When they were back in the classroom after lunch, Chase told Ms. Robins about their plan. Ms. Robins smiled. “That’s very thoughtful, “she said. “Let’s go for it.”

It was math time, so Chase invited Eva to study with him. He made sure Eva sat with her back to the room so she wouldn’t notice.

Meanwhile, her new classmates were busying working on something.

“Here’s your new year gift, Eva. It’s from everyone,” said Chase.

It is hard not to desire victory with all your efforts when the world seems so competitive, especially if you’re a boy growing up with those values. A boy called Edward grew up in a similar environment where winning was all that was valued, and he longed to succeed. He was good at running, so he called everyone in the nearby villages for a race. A large group of people from around came to see this exciting event!

Edward had been training hard for this race. He ran among the strongest boys from around the villages, and the young boy came out victorious! The crowd went wild with excitement as they cheerfully held banners (横幅) praising him. The boy loved the attention. It made him feel happy and energetic.

There were two types of races-short distances and long distances. The boy was unbeatable in both the races he competed in. The crowd loved him even more after the second victory; they clapped with excitement. The boy felt very proud of his achievements.

But among the crowd was a wise older man who did not seem as impressed with the boy’s performances as the rest. Just as the boy thought the races for the day were over, the old man shouted from the crowd, “There is one more race left, the most important one.” The boy was surprised by the additional race, but he was, confident he could win any race.

The old man brought two new competitors for the boy, a blind man and a weak old lady. “What type of race is this? I can easily win them,” the boy said. “The most important one,” repeated the old man. So, the boy ran the race as he knew he would win this time, too. When the boy crossed the finish line, the blind man was still at the start, and the old lady had just started to move. The boy was successful, and he raised his hands with great joy after his victory.