It began a year ago, around Christmas. Every time I drove down our street, I noticed an old man sitting in his front yard. He was usually smoking or drinking, and looking rather unhappy.
One day, while I was driving past him with my 1, I decided to wave at him with a lot of excitement. 2, when he noticed me waving at him, he looked a bit surprised. Then, I saw his hand go up and he waved back.
"3 did you wave at him?" my daughter asked.
I told her it's just an act of kindness that doesn't 4 anything. It gives both him and me a feeling of joy. My daughter replied that she felt a bit uncomfortable to wave to a stranger, but next time she would try it as well.
We lived close to the old man, 5 we saw him rather often. Whenever we drove by, both of us would start waving at him and, pretty soon, the old man started 6 at everyone who passed by his house.
One time, my daughter's friend came to visit and she told my daughter that she saw this strange old man near our home wave at her very 7. She mentioned that she waved back, although she didn't know him, and it felt really good.
As soon as my daughter heard this, she told her friend the 8 of how all the waving began. Her friend answered: "Tell your mom that's really cool!"
Other friends gave similar 9. This taught my daughter that an act of kindness can be natural and 10, if you really want to do it. It showed us how giving happiness can do good to both the giver and the receiver.
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We asked five people, "What's your secret dream?" |
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| "Actually, I've always wanted to be an actor. I haven't had many formal training, but I've been in a couple of college plays. So my dream is to study acting. " —Jill Richardson Vancouver, Canada | | "Well, Carlos and I have gone sailing a few times with friends, and we've had a lot of fun. So our dream is to buy our own sailboat. But we haven't saved enough money!" —Sonia and Carlos Silva Brasilia, Brazil |
| | "My dream? To go surfing. I've never tried it before, but my brother goes surfing all the time! He's even surfed in Hawaii. " —Raquel Garza Monterrey, Mexico | | "Well, my parents have never travelled outside of Japan, so I want to take them to Australia. I've been there many times, so I know all the best places to go!" —Hiro Tanaka Osaka, Japan |
Have you ever wanted to see the Great Wall of China, or win an Oscar for Best Director, or swim with dolphins? If so, you are not alone. We all have things we want to do or achieve. These are part of our "bucket lists".
A bucket is a list of things that someone wants to experience in his or her lifetimes. These things can be big or small. Have you ever thought about what is on your bucket list? Lindsay, 15, created her bucket list when she was 14. She has given her list serious thought. "I've always wanted to travel into space," she says. "I don't really want to be an astronaut, but I do want to go to space as a tourist. I want to see the Earth from above. " Other things on her list include being on TV, seeing her favorite band in concert, learning how to speak Portuguese (葡萄牙语), and living in a foreign country. "I've always wanted to live in Brazil. As part of my bucket list, I want to attend Carnival (狂欢节) in the capital of Brazil," she says.
Jose, 16, recently created a list of things he wants to achieve. It changes sometimes—he adds and takes away things because he wants to keep the number of the things at seven. One thing has stayed at number one, he wants to visit a movie set (影视基地). He would like to see the Harry Potter or The Hobbit movie sets. Other things on the list include being on TV, meeting his favorite sports star, living in a foreign country, skateboarding down a mountain, attending the World Cup, and backpacking across Europe. He would like to spend two months visiting Eastern Europe with his best friend Adam. "Maybe after I graduate from college," says Jose.
Carrie, 14, also has a bucket list. She first created it when she was 12. She would like to live in a foreign country for at least two years. She also wants to learn as many foreign language as possible. But the number one thing on her list is to see her favorite band in concert. She also wants to go on a trip and to visit a movie set. Her favorite movies are the Hunger Games and Star Wars. Carrie is confident she will do most or all of the things on her bucket list. "I'm only 14," she says, "I have my whole life ahead of me!"
