I was never very neat, while my roommate Kate was extremely organized. Each of her objects had its place, but mine always hid somewhere. She even labeled (贴标签) everything. I always looked for everything. Over time, Kate got neater and I got messier. 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!” Deafened, I saw my shoes flying at me. I jumped to my feet and started yelling. She yelled 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, sobbing. Obviously, that was something she should not go through alone. All of a sudden, a warm feeling of sympathy rose up in my heart.

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

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

Once I spoke at a high school. After the speech, I was asked to see a special student. An illness had kept the boy Home, but he had expressed an interest in meeting me, and it would mean a great deal to him. I agreed. He was Matthew. When he was born, the doctor told his parents that he would not live to see five, then they were told he would not make it to ten. Now he was thirteen. He wanted to meet me because I was a gold-medal weight lifter, and I knew about overcoming obstacles (障碍) and going for my dreams.

I spent over an hour talking to Matthew. Never once did he complain (抱怨). He spoke about winning and succeeding and going for his dreams. He knew what he was talking about. He just talked about his hopes for the future, and how one day he wanted to lift weight with me.

When we finished talking, I went to my briefcase and pulled out the first gold medal I won and put it around his neck. I told him he was more of a winner and knew more about success and overcoming obstacles than I ever would. He looked at it for a moment, then took it off and handed it back to me. He said, “You are a champion (冠军). You earned that medal. Someday when I get to the Olympics and win my own medal, I will show it to you.”

Last summer I got the news that Matthew had died and a letter Matthew had written me a few days before:

My mom said I should send you a thank-you letter for the picture you sent me. The doctors tell me that I don’t have long to live any more. But I still smile as much as I can.

I told you some day I was going to the Olympics and win a gold medal. But I know now I’ll never make it. But I know I’m a champion, and God knows that too. When I get to Heaven, God will give me my medal and when you get there, I will show it to you.

Thank you for loving me.

Your friend

Matthew

Eight endangered giraffes trapped on a shrinking island in the middle of a flooding lake are dangerous enough, but the water was crowded with crocodiles. Racing into action were conservationists, government officials, and local community members of Ruko Community Wildlife Conservancy in Kenya to try and construct a “giraffe-raft (救生艇)” in order to ferry them across the lake to safety on higher ground.

Longicharo Island in Lake Baringo wasn’t always an island, but rather a peninsula (半岛) that split apart after years of intense flooding. The giraffes arrived in 2011, brought by park guarders who believed it was a danger-free place. They kept them fed and healthy, traveling the river by boat. Finally, with more flooding on the horizon, authorities agreed that, with the island continuing to shrink, the threat of losing the valuable animals was too great. One of the tallest and widest of their species, building the giraffe-raft required imagination and planning. It would have to be a strong and balanced one.

For several months, the workers familiarized the giraffes with the rescue craft on land until recently when the team calmed Asiwa, an adult female, and covered her eyes to make the trip successfully. Gizmodo had an email exchange with David O’Connor, President of Save Giraffes Now, the non-profit that participated in the daring rescue. He described the special pen (围栏) that was designed specifically for the occasion. “It floats on the top of a series of empty drums and there were specially-built sides that kept Asiwa from jumping out,” he explained.

Asiwa, has always been a priority for the team on the ground, as she was the most vulnerable. It is a relief for all involved to have got her safely across to the mainland and we are sure she is enjoying the space in her new home! Asiwa is now on dry land and awaits the other giraffes that will join her on a special 4, 400-acre reservation with high, secure fencing that should keep them safe from predators.