2 . It was another day of class. As the students practiced parkour (跑酷), a mother and her child walked past. “What are they doing, mum?” the child asked. “They are putting themselves in danger and it is something I will never want you to do,” the mother replied.

I drew back with worry and painful acceptance. What has happened to the natural love of movement in humans, and what will happen to the future generations when technology and convenience are controlling our daily lives?

We recently had a Parkour for Everyone workshop at Bishan. I remember very clearly when Fagan was giving instructions to a group, a young child ran up to a tall pillar (柱子) and started to climb it till a high height with a 2-metre drop. Of course, Fagan called him back due to safety concerns. But deep down, I knew a lot of us were smiling within. Such natural bravery is admired and in my opinion, is a must for achieving success in life.

Parkour is starting to get popular, but many parents do not understand it. Even I hesitate when I tell them I am a parkour coach. I can see their wonder, fear, or dislike. I get tired of explaining its life-changing benefits. Actually, there is a deeper meaning behind why parkour is practised. There is a huge surge of physical and emotional freedom that comes along with its practice.

Fortunately, times are changing. If the parents who do not like this art are positively changed by it, there will be no more doubt in the power that parkour can bring to man. My hope is that the day will come when it is common for parents to put aside electronic products and spend time moving and playing with their children in the open field. Children will grow in imagination and confidence, learning more about the spirit of play.

3 . When the phone finally stopped ringing and the house lay still with grief, I filled my home with the sweet smell of peach pie to mask the scent of worry that still lingered.

The weekend after Dad’s diagnosis (诊断), Mom had sent the same text to each concerned relative and friend: Jay was diagnosed with Pick’s disease. We are going back to the doctor for more information. Then Mom put down the phone, rubbed her forehead, and suggested that we go for a drive. On the interstate, we passed a board with clear red letters: “Fredericksburg peaches, the best fruit you can find in Central Texas.” Mom went to negotiate with the stand owner.

Now in our kitchen, the sweet smell of peach juice drifted into the living room and pulled Dad away from the football game on TV.

“Oh! You got peaches?” He eyed the fruit with childish glee (欢快).

“Here,” I handed him a knife. “We’re making peach pie.”

I showed him how to peel the skin off. As I made pie dough, he asked questions: How long does it take to bake? Are you adding sugar? How many peaches? What should I do with the seeds? Showing him how to slice and measure and mix in a calm, firm voice, I suddenly felt grown up.

The summer had reversed our roles; now, I was the adult. I stayed home all summer and cooked his dinner, washed his T-shirts and helped him make phone calls. I stayed up late thinking about him and monitored him like an anxious caretaker.

The same day, before the afternoon drive and peach pie, I had held my tears as I read the diagnosis for Pick’s disease: four to ten years, depending on how fast the damaged proteins overpower Dad’s brain. I decided then that I would be grateful for just four more years with Dad, enough for him to see me become an adult for real.

4 . When I was young, my grandma would watch me and my brother after school. Sometimes she would drive us a town away to a fast food restaurant with a playground. Every fast food restaurant almost looked the same. It was almost a habit for us. We would stand in line and wait to order. After getting our food, we found a nice shaded table outside to eat our food. It was so nice, and there was a cool summer. I loved the taste of the warm chicken nuggets(块) and the delicious hamburger. My brother and I liked to play on the playground.

“Finish all your nuggets first and then you can play.” She always smiled while saying that. My brother always managed to finish his food before me, but he was always nice enough to wait for me. Looking over the table, I saw my grandma eating her slices of fish, wearing her sunglasses.

As we left, I would stare at the playground and watch us drive away from the playground. My grandma was driving and said, “Don’t worry. We will be back again next week” and I knew we would be. During this time, I was a kid in an elementary school who did not have a care in the world, having a fun-filled childhood. As I’ve grown, I am no longer seven years old playing at the playground of a fast food restaurant. I am 18 years old, in college courses, living on my own. I am also the same happy person with a fun-filled life who loves her family. Looking back, I am happy to have had these beautiful childhood memories to hold onto.

5 . Grieve Her Mum Through Cooking

Grief and mourning can be expressed in many ways.     1    . She found comfort through cooking her mother’s recipes in a planner and in turn, learned about her mother. Her attitude to life was mirrored in her cooking.

Along with the love of food and family, her mother, and her grandmother before her, had passed down a carved wooden spoon. It was given from one to the next.     2    . She inherited this spoon and the passion her mother had.

After her mother’s death, Debbie also found the planner containing these detailed dinner party plans and recipes. Her mother was not gone.     3    . And Debbie has learned a lot about her since she began cooking her food.

    4    . In trying to make out her mother’s notes, Debbie has bonded again with her father in shared grief and understanding. Asking Dad who is who, what is what and learning and understanding, Debbie has been able to see a new side of her mother.

Everything Debbie is cooking is inherited, as is the joy and sense of achievement she feels. When she began cooking with her mother as a kid, she was in charge of turning the toast, to stop it catching. Now she is holding the spoon, adding the spices and still looking up from the stove to her mum.     5    .

6 . Desperate to help his 96-year-old mother to speak her mother tongue again, Keith McDermott made an appeal on social media and was met with a flood of kind responses. The old lady, Ray, was moved to tears after talking on the phone with one of the enthusiastic respondents in Welsh.

Ray moved to America after meeting her husband when she was only 18, hence waving goodbye to her life in Wales. She continued to speak Welsh with her mum-keeping a little bit of home. But she lost her beloved mum four decades ago and hadn't spoken Welsh ever since.

Despite suffering from short-term memory loss and sometimes not remembering what she has done recently, Ray's childhood memories in Wales remain clear. “She wants to return but I know, given her age, such long-distance travel is out of the question.” said Keith, “Once she mentioned ‘I wish I could speak Welsh again but I suppose I never will.’ It was then that I thought I should make her wish happen.”

So Keith, 70, posted on social media in the New York Welsh area asking for any Welsh speakers that could speak Welsh with his mum. And he was touched, as well as a little shocked, to receive over 30 responses within half an hour. Keith thanked everyone and eventually asked Melisa to give his mum a phone call. “Speaking with Melisa, her (Ray's) Welsh was a little rusty. A few more Welsh conversations and I think she'd be fluent again,” added Keith.

“When you have a parent in their nineties, you will find you two have something in common: you're both old, so I am very sympathetic to my mother's feelings of loneliness and isolation (孤立). I'm feeling it myself.” Keith hopes to set up more Welsh phone conversations for his mum and Melisa has promised to send Ray some short stories in Welsh to remind her of her life in Wales.

8 . There are so many ways to make new friends such as joining a sports team, taking part in community activities, or traveling. And there is no doubt that a friend in need is a friend indeed because he can help you out when you are in trouble or encourage you when you are frustrated (沮丧). Personally, joining a sports team will be my first choice.

The primary reason for this is that everyone in a sports team has the same interest, which is the most fundamental (基础的) character for friends. Because of it, they will become your potential friends so that the chance to be true friends is very high. In addition, the same interest can give you a lot of topics to talk about with your friends in daily conversation.

Another factor that should be taken into consideration is the memory. After you fight for a goal with your partners, it will leave you a good experience, which is necessary for a long-lasting friendship. I used to be a player in the basketball team of my high school. Even though it was five years ago, I can remember all the exciting moments when we fought for the championship as if they happened yesterday. And although we went to different universities, we get together so many times. 

In addition, trust is also an important aspect. As we know, keeping trust is the most important thing in the team because it can make you be together all the time. Furthermore, you can share happiness and sadness with reliable friends and they will make you feel life is beautiful and that the future is bright.

Join a sports team, and your new friends are waiting for you.