Sadie looked out of the window and sighed (叹气) as she thought about another long, boring day of summer. She wondered what all of her friends from school were doing on their summer vacations. It had to be a lot better than looking out of a window. Sadie thought about the fun she had last summer when she and her best friend Allison went to the beach. They built sandcastles, played beach volleyball, and even tried surfing. But they wouldn’t be going to the beach together this summer because Allison had moved to a different city far away from Sadie’s.

Suddenly, Sadie had an idea. She could call her friend Wendy, who always had funny ideas. Maybe they could ride their bikes together around the park. Sadie raced to the living room, picked up the phone, and called Wendy. She sighed more deeply as the phone rang and rang. Then Sadie seated herself on the sofa, picked up the television remote, and put it down again. She didn’t really want to watch television, so she went to her room and found the list of phone numbers of her good friends from school. In the living room, she called almost each of them, but no one was at home.

After hanging up the phone, Sadie wandered into the kitchen and sat down at the table, watching her mom do the cleaning. “Mom, I don’t have anyone to hang out with because my friends from school aren’t home and Allison moved away,” said Sadie. “Honey, there are many things you can do by yourself, like playing your guitar or having a walk in the garden. You could even finish that story about our camping trip,” said Mom.

“I don’t want to do those things by myself. I want to play with a friend.” “Sometimes, it is nice to do things by yourself,” said Mom. “I like seeing my friends, but I also like doing things alone like taking a walk by myself or finding a quiet spot to read. Why not have a try?”

Sadie thought about her mom’s words and returned to her room.

3 . For more than a century, the Mississippi Delta has been a popular destination for immigrants. Recently, I was assigned to learn more about one immigrant group: the Chinese in Greenville, a small city along the Mississippi River. There I met Raymond Wong. whose family has long been part of the community.

The first wave of Chinese immigrants came to the Mississippi Delta soon after the Civil War, and the pace picked up by the early 1900s. The Chinese initially came to pick cotton, but they quickly started opening grocery stores, mostly in the African-American communities where they lived.

“On my street alone, there were no less than four grocery stores. I’m talking about a minor street,” Wong recalls. “I was raised in a grocery store. All my family — six of us — lived in a couple of rooms at the back of our store. As soon as I could calculate money I had to work in the store.”

In 1968, Wong’s father opened a Chinese restaurant, one of the first in the town. “The restaurant existed for 40 years.” Wong says. Wong remembers a time of big excitement when his family finally could afford to buy a house in a white neighborhood. Then suddenly, that conversation stopped.

“When people found out that we were moving in, they started throwing bottles in the driveway,” Wong says. “We ended up building a house directly behind the grocery.”

And the future? It’s probably not in the Delta. Wong remembers the question his son raised when he was still in high school: “Dad, do you want me to take over the store when you retire?” Wong’s response was immediate: “No. I want you to live better than me.” That’s the story of the typical Delta Chinese.

4 . The last attempt of Ken Campbell to run could date back to high school. When his wife, Susan, injured her foot, she needed support to rejoin her running group, so Campbell went along to keep her company in the recovery. “We were just walking at the beginning,” he says, “I was heavy, and weighed over 90kg.” But as the weeks and months passed, the weight fell away, Susan recovered and Campbell’s abilities grew. At the age of 63, he ran 50 km, and at 70, he completed a 100 km ultramarathon (超长距离马拉松赛跑).

So how does someone with no experience of running become an ultradistance runner in his 60s and 70s? Susan had run marathons (马拉松比赛) before her injury, but for Campbell, the turning point came when Susan’s Fleet Feet running group started training near their home.

Campbell went out to visit Susan’s group, and “the paths were a terrible mess. It had been raining, and I was slipping, sliding and falling. But I thought, well, I like this a lot.” What he liked above all was the feeling of “being wrapped by the path, being hugged by the closeness of the plants and the nearness of the river”.

Running the 100 km ultramarathon took Campbell 16 hours. When Campbell crossed the finish line, Susan handed him a 100 km sticker to display on the back of his truck. “It is a public statement that you are part of this community,” he says. “Wherever we park, I see a line of vehicles with their various stickers and I feel that we are a community.”

Campbell suffered from arthritis before he started running, and was “waiting for knee replacement”, but for now, he no longer needs an operation. It can put an end to the running—but the “sense of wellbeing and achievement will carry me on forever,” he says, “If I can’t run, I will walk.”

5 . In the old-fashioned town of Willowbrook, two friends named Emma and Liam shared an intimate bond. They were inseparable and spent every moment together, laughing, exploring, and creating unforgettable memories.

One cold winter morning, as the first snowflakes gently fell from the sky, Emma woke up with a stuffy nose and a sore throat. She tried to brave it and get ready for school, but her body felt weak and achy. Unwillingly, she called Liam to let him know she couldn’t make it to school that day.

Liam was concerned when he heard the tiredness in Emma’s voice. “Don’t worry, Em. I’ll take care of everything at school for you,” he assured her. Feeling grateful for Liam’s understanding, Emma forced a smile and replied, “Thank you, Liam. You’re the best friend anyone could ask for.”

After school, Liam hurried to Emma’s house, carrying a meal he had prepared for her. He knocked on the door, and Emma’s mother welcomed him with a warm smile. “Oh, Liam, you’re such a thoughtful friend,” she said.

“I brought some soup and tea for Emma. I hope it will make her feel better,” Liam replied, some concern in his eyes. Entering Emma’s room, Liam found her curled up under a blanket, looking pale but relieved to see him. “Hey, I brought some comfort food to cheer you up,” he said, setting the food on her bedside table.

Emma’s eyes lit up, and she smiled weakly. “You didn’t have to, but thank you. This means the world to me,” she whispered. Sitting by her side, Liam kept her company, chatting softly and making her laugh despite her illness. The warmth of their friendship enveloped the room, bringing a feeling of comfort to Emma’s tired soul.

As Emma regained her strength, she realized just how lucky she was to have a friend like Liam. His unwavering presence and kindness had made her recovery easier and brighter. Their friendship grew stronger with each passing day, and from that moment on, they knew they would be there for each other through thick and thin.

6 . Sadie looked out of the window and sighed (叹气) as she thought about another long, boring day of summer. She wondered what all of her friends from school were doing on their summer vacations. It had to be a lot better than looking out of a window. Sadie thought about the fun she had last summer when she and her best friend Allison went to the beach. They built sandcastles, played beach volleyball, and even tried surfing. But they wouldn’t be going to the beach together this summer because Allison had moved to a different city far away from Sadie’s.

Suddenly, Sadie had an idea. She could call her friend Wendy, who always had funny ideas. Maybe they could ride their bikes together around the park. Sadie raced to the living room, picked up the phone, and called Wendy. She sighed more deeply as the phone rang and rang. Then Sadie seated herself on the sofa, picked up the television remote, and put it down again. She didn’t really want to watch television, so she went to her room and found the list of phone numbers of her good friends from school. In the living room, she called almost each of them, but no one was at home.

After hanging up the phone, Sadie wandered into the kitchen and sat down at the table, watching her mom do the cleaning. “Mom, I don’t have anyone to hang out with because my friends from school aren’t home and Allison moved away,” said Sadie. “Honey, there are many things you can do by yourself, like playing your guitar or having a walk in the garden. You could even finish that story about our camping trip,” said Mom.

“I don’t want to do those things by myself. I want to play with a friend.” “Sometimes, it is nice to do things by yourself,” said Mom. “I like seeing my friends, but I also like doing things alone like taking a walk by myself or finding a quiet spot to read. Why not have a try?”

Sadie thought about her mom’s words and returned to her room.

8 . I was never very neat, while my roommate Kate was extremely organized. Each of her things had its place, but mine always hid somewhere. She even labeled everything. I always looked for everything. Over time, Kate got neater and I got messier (更脏乱的). She would push my dirty clothing over, and I would lay my books on her tidy desk. We both got tired of each other.

War broke out one evening. Kate came into the room. Soon, I heard her screaming, “Take your shoes away! Why under my bed!” Then, I saw my shoes flying at me. I jumped to my feet and started shouting. She shouted back louder.

The room was filled with anger. We could not have stayed together for a single minute but for a phone call. Kate answered it. From her end of the conversation, I could tell right away her grandma was seriously ill. When she hung up, she quickly crawled (爬) under her covers, crying. Obviously, she could not go through that alone. All of a sudden, a warm feeling of sympathy (同情) rose up in my heart.

Slowly, I collected the pencils, took back the books, made my bed, cleaned the socks and the floor, even on her side. I was so buried in my work that I even didn’t notice Kate had sat up. She was watching, her tears dried with her expression of disbelief. Then, she reached out her hands to hold mine. I looked up into her eyes. she smiled at me, “Thanks.”

Kate and I stayed roommates for the rest of the year. We didn’t always agree, but we learned how to live together: giving in, cleaning up and holding on.