All her life, Carole-Ann Warburton kept a little hope shining at the back of her mind. Her dream was to work in a bookshop.

Warburton has always loved books. As a child, any spare sixpence went on Enid Blyton’s Mary Mouse. Every Saturday morning, she and her parents would “do a gentle shop, then go to the library   in Ashby-de-la-Zouch.   However   many   books   we   got   out,   we   read.” At   university   in Cambridge, she began to buy books—a habit that, in adult life, resulted in a large collection.

In 2010, she retired after having worked for 40 years in an administrative post. She sold her house, bought a shop and, a few weeks after her 65th birthday, The Book Rest opened. Warburton had   8,000   to   9,000   books   with   which   to   fill   it.   But   although   she   dreamed   of working   in   a bookshop,   she   hadn’t   thought   of selling   her   own   books.   “That   took   a   bit   of psychological talking-to,” she says.

Her first sale was hard. “It feels, when a special book goes out, as if some little part of me has been taken away. And then I make common sense come back to me and say: ‘Let someone else learn from it. ’ It’s a growing up, if you like, an acceptance.”

This year, The Book Rest celebrates its 12th   anniversary. While the shop makes neither profit nor loss, it brings other rewards, including friendship. “There are lots of people who stick their head round the door and say: ‘Are you all right, Carole-Ann?’”

If the days are quiet, no matter. “I am so happy standing here in the middle of a pile of books. I can walk around the shop, pick up a book and sit down and read it. I would like to keep doing this until I no longer can. It’s a wonderful feeling. ”

So while Warburton’s dream came true, what about those of others? “All the dreams are in the books,” she says. “They are all there waiting to be picked up.”

I looked at David and showed him to a chair. How could I help him? There are problems psychology doesn't have the answer to, and which no words can describe. Sometimes the best thing one can do is to listen openly and sympathetically.

The first two times we met David didn't say a word. He sat there, only looking up to look at the children’s drawings on the wall behind me. I suggested we play a game of chess. He nodded. After that he played chess with me every Wednesday afternoon - in complete silence and without looking at me. It's not easy to cheat in chess, but I admit I made sure David won once or twice.

Usually, he arrived earlier than agreed, took the chess board and pieces from the shelf and began setting them up before I even got a chance to sit down. It seemed as if he enjoyed my company. But why did he never look at me?

At Phoenix Bikes, a bicycle shop, students are learning to repair bikes. Phoenix Bikes sells bikes to the public at their business in Arlington, Virginia. But it also teaches teenagers how to repair bikes.

Most students at Phoenix Bikes start in its after-school “earn-a-bike program”, at middle and high schools in and around Arlington County. Once a week over a 12-week period, students learn repair skills. They learn how to use tools, fix flat tires, correct the wheels, and change gears (齿轮). The first lesson includes splitting the bike, and by doing this, they learn all the parts of a bike.

In the first few weeks, they work in small groups to repair a bike given to the shop. The bikes often have missing or damaged parts. The finished bike is then given to a person in need from the community (社区). In the last four weeks of the program, students come to the shop to work on one of the given bikes which they can then take home at no cost.

Anthony is a student at nearby Wakefield High School. He just completed his bike. He said it was not in good shape at first but was the kind of bike he was looking for and could be made into something better. He said it had no light, no front tire, and was without a chain, which controls the gears. He said he joined the program to get better at working with his hands and fixing things.

Phoenix Bikes is teaching 300 to 400 young people this year. Phoenix communications coordinator Gage said the classes are fun and let students learn with their hands after sitting in the classroom all day at school. He added that bikes are interesting for teenagers especially because they are a means of transportation and freedom. Learning how to fix a bike can also be a fun challenge, he said.