4 . During the holiday season in 2022, Felicia Hall was battling depression. “I was unhappy, overeating fast food at night and not really caring for myself. I wasn’t physically ___________, but always felt tired,” she says.

It wasn’t until New Year that Hall wanted to make a ___________. A friend recommended Daily Burn, a workout program, and she ___________ to sign up. “I registered, though not believing I can keep on. I even set a ___________ on the phone to cancel it before the free trial ended,” says Hall. “Within two weeks, I did not ___________. So I deleted the note.”

The ___________ gained from Daily Burn also got her running. “I love the sound of ___________ my feet on the ground, knowing my body is ___________ of doing that,” she says. Hall also ___________ her late-night fast-food sessions and started cooking healthy meals.

After five months, Hall lost 20 pounds — and gained a new ______________ to exercise, and to life. She consistently ______________ the Daily Burn community group for support. And she ______________ started teaching group fitness classes in her hometown. ______________, she learned the power of positive thought and self-belief. “To be physically able to exercise and continue to ______________ with it — it’s an amazing gift,” she says. “People not experiencing it aren’t ______________ what something like this can do for a person. It’s not just physical — it’s mental. It’s everything.”

5 . Growing up, I always heard people say work hard pays. I never really understood these words until I reached the age where my parents stopped giving me my monthly allowance and asked me to look for a job.

New Year is a season of good news for merrymakers and entrepreneurial characters. My childhood friend was one of the latter. Mike and I were two sides of the same coin. I was an introvert and a bookworm, while Mike was outgoing and a merrymaker. His added advantage over me was that he came from a family of entrepreneurs. Therefore, while I saw the festive season as another time to enjoy, he saw it as a perfect time to make money. Ironically, I needed this side of him, given my present predicament (困境).

Mike was not of the “work hard pays” school of thought but the “work smart” school. When I told him about my predicament, he saw a business partner. He told me about his business idea — making and selling festive decorations. Having noticed my disbelieving look, he told me he had researched and realized that only one shop sold festive decorations with exorbitant (过高的) price, which meant that there was room for competition. However, I reminded him starting a business, let alone competing with an established enterprise, required capital. He told me, “Not really. All we had to do was make some decorations ourselves.” Upon that, we made some special designs and hit the ground running.

News about our selling decorations spread like wildfire. Mike’s decision to publish brochures advertising our products was a genius marketing trick. Within three days, we had sold about 50 sets of decorations, and as they say, the rest is history.

My parents’ decision to stop my monthly allowance served to teach me the value of work. However, it was my entrepreneurial adventure with Mike that taught me that working smart is better than working hard.

7 . Jim Dwyer was once in the United States Air Force. Although he is retired, he is still _________ his country. This time it’s through _________ meals to those who truly need it.

Every Thursday, Dwyer starts his day at Meals on Wheels in Westminster, _________ eight hot plates and sending the nutritious meals to older adults.

“It’s _________ to help those in need because it offers us inner joy. You know it’s just the ability to help people that are _________ and not able to get out on their own. It’s something I get _________ from. And who knows? Maybe someday I might need this service too,” said Dwyer.

Dwyer was _________ to join Meals on Wheels when he _________ to make sure his elderly parents had hot meals to eat. “I saw on TV here in Westminster that they were looking for _________ for Meals on Wheels, and I said I could do that,” said Dwyer.

His __________ to work for his fellow Americans, as he did in the military, is __________. It is true that the meals bring __________ to those getting a plate.

“Jim is great. He has been one of our __________ volunteers for a long time,” said Darla Olson of Meals on Wheels.

As the saying goes, “It’s never too late to learn.” __________, Dwyer’s story tells us that it is also never too late to make __________ efforts to work for the good of the community.

Grandma got Grandpa out of bed and helped him to the kitchen for breakfast. After his meal, she led him to his armchair in the living room where he would rest while she cleaned the dishes. Ever so often, she would check to see if he needed anything.

This was their daily routine after Grandpa’s latest stroke. Although once a very active man, his severely damaged left arm, difficulty walking and slurred (含糊不清的) speech now kept him housebound. For nearly a year he hadn’t been to church or to visit family.

Grandpa filled his hours with television. He watched the news and game shows while Grandma went about her day. They made a promise — he was not to leave his chair or his bed without her assistance.

“If you fell and I threw my back out trying to help you, who would take care of us?” Grandma would ask him. She was resolved they should take care of themselves and live independently. The Brooklyn brownstone had been their first home and held wonderful memories. They weren’t ready to leave it behind anytime soon.

Immigrants from Ireland, they had met and married in America. Grandma was friendly, outgoing and unselfish; Grandpa was reserved, a man devoted to his family, but he wasn’t big on giving gifts. While he wouldn’t think twice about giving Grandma the shirt off his back, he had the belief that if you treated your wife well throughout the year, presents weren’t necessary; so he rarely purchased gifts for her.

It was a cold, gray February morning, a typical winter’s day in New York. As always, Grandma walked Grandpa to his chair. “I’m going to take a shower now.” She handed him the television remote. “If you need anything, I’ll be back in a little while.”

After her shower, she glanced towards the back of Grandpa’s recliner (躺椅) but noticed that his cane was not leaning in its usual spot. Sensing something unusual, she went into the room. He was gone. The closet door stood open and his hat and overcoat were missing. Fear ran down her spine. Grandma threw a coat over her bathrobe and ran outside.

Desperately, she scanned the street in both directions.

Just then, Grandpa came around the corner.

9 . After an 11-year career, Philadelphia-based barber Brennon Jones decided to give back to his community. Without a ______ of his own, Jones offered ______ haircuts to the homeless on sidewalks and street corners. With a “daily mission of giving back and spreading love,” Jones ______ as many as 20 haircuts a day, and ______ traveled to homeless hot spots like Camden, New Jersey.

One day in April 2017, a man named Sean Johnson ______ Jones while he was out cutting hair and asked him what he ______ to do during the cold winter. Jones replied that he would ______ have to put off Haircuts For Homeless (HC4H). A few months later Jones received a call from Johnson ______ him to meet at his newly redecorated barbershop. He ______ him the keys and said, “If you like it, it’s yours.”

Completely ______ by the stranger’s kindness, Jones named his newly opened shop Phenomenon Perfection.

Believing that “the greatest joy in life is being able to ______ others,” Jones will continue to host haircuts for the homeless during weekly “Makeover Mondays” where ______ can also enjoy a free meal. “To us it’s just a haircut, ______ to them it’s so much more. It’s a sense of self-esteem,” says Jones.

The homeless community is often overlooked, but now there’s hope for them. Brennon Jones might have been like an angel to the homeless, but Sean Johnson ended up being an angel ______. With his ______ gift, Jones can now continue to help those who need help the most.

10 . Derek Veal found an old suitcase filled with photos, some more than 100 years old, when he explored his grandfather’s old house in Georgia. It belonged to his great-grandmother, who had Alzheimer’s (老年痴呆症) and lived in a nursing home. Veal and his grandfather went to visit her with the photos, hoping she could tell them more about the photos. What happened next changed Veal’s life.

“Everything came back to her when she saw these pictures,” Veal said. “She recognized her sisters, her aunts, her grandparents... It was the first time I had ever seen someone’s excitement from an old photo returning to them.”

The experience made Veal aware of the power of old photos to hold precious and long-forgotten memories and restore a sense of identity. It never left him. Two years ago, when he came across old family photos for sale at a thrift store (旧货店), he decided to pick one picture and try to track down the family. Soon, he was inspired to buy more photos and started a Facebook group called Old Photo Project to aid in finding their families.

Veal is not alone in this hobby. David Gutenmacher, 26, lives in Queens, New York, and started his project, Museum of Lost Memories, in late 2020. He has already had over 300,000 followers on Instagram and over 750,000 on TikTok. “Some of my posts have gone viral and twice a person or family was tracked down in a matter of minutes!” Gutenmacher said. These lost pictures can bring the memories back to the families they belong to.

What makes this hobby so unique is not only how it gives people the chance to help others, but it also brings these enthusiasts a sense of purpose. “I feel like this is my calling,” said Gutenmacher. “The more I return memories, the more it feels like I’m supposed to be doing this.”