I love Fridays. And so I celebrate Fridays.

After dropping my son off at school I head to Starbucks to pick up a coffee treat or another. Then instead of driving straight home I take a long route through the most beautiful roads I can find. I see footballs being passed on lawns, hamburgers being thrown on grill(烤架), and parties everywhere swinging into action. 【小题1】

The other day I came out from the doctor’s office happy over a positive prognosis(预断). Seeing the signs of spring around me-flowers, birds, sunshine, I was suddenly ready to celebrate. 【小题2】

My mind rebelled. “What are you doing? It’s Tuesday! Coffee treats are reserved for Fridays!” 【小题3】 Why should Fridays be any more special than any other day of the week? Why waste six days while waiting to celebrate the seventh? Minutes later I was walking back to my car with a big smile on my face and a coffee in my hand.

A small victory, to be sure, but it’s also an accurate example of how many of us live our lives. We’re waiting for conditions to be right before we allow ourselves to enjoy our time here on earth. Maybe when we finally graduate from college and get a job, it will be time to celebrate, or perhaps when our babies are old enough to be in school all day. We’ll celebrate when the car is paid off, or enjoy life when we’re finally able to retire. 【小题4】 What if we moved a little of that “Friday feeling” into our rainy-day Mondays, our dull Tuesday and our mid-week Wednesdays? 【小题5】

All I needed to do to earn the two dollars was to clean her house for a few hours after school. It was a beautiful house with things that were common in her neighborhood, absent in mine.

Working for her brought me a sense of pride, not only because I could immerse myself in little luxuries like movies and candy, but also because I contributed half of my earnings to my mother, ensuring they were used for necessities. I was not like the children in folktales: burdensome mouths to feed, problems so severe that they were abandoned to the forest. I had a status that doing routine chores in my house did not provide — and it earned me a slow smile and confirmations that I was adult-like, not childlike.

Little by little, I got better at cleaning her house — good enough to be given more to do. After struggling to move the piano, my limbs ached terribly. Despite wanting to decline or voice my discomfort, I feared losing my job and the independence and respect it afforded me. She began to offer me her clothes, for a price. Impressed by these worn things, which looked simply elegant to a little girl who had only two dresses to wear to school, I bought a few.

Still, I had trouble summoning up (鼓起) the courage to object to the increasing demands she made. Despite feeling overwhelmed, I hesitated to voice my concerns, knowing my mother would urge me to quit. However, one day while alone in the kitchen with my father, I expressed my disappointment. In any case, he put down his cup of coffee and said, “Whatever the work is, do it well — not for the boss but for yourself. You make the job; it doesn’t make you. You are not the work you do; you are the person you are.”

I have worked for all sorts of people since then, geniuses and fools, quick-witted and dull, big-hearted and narrow. I’ve had many kinds of jobs, but since that conversation with my father, I have never considered the level of labor to be the measure of myself, and I have never placed the security of a job above my self-worth and family value.

Traveling is what makes your life complete. You may often complain that there is too much work and no time to travel. 【小题1】 There are hundreds of reasons why you should travel. Here are only 4 of them:

There is no tomorrow, take a break now.

Be spontaneous and travel whenever you feel like leaving your daily routine. Waiting for certain time of the year so that you could spoil yourself is wrong.

Your company won’t bankrupt or disappear if you leave it for a week or two.

There are plenty of people who can substitute you and do your job while you are away. 【小题2】 Here the point is to plan a week ahead. If you work hard you can play hard. Always remember that the quality of your work will improve if you have a good rest and let yourself relax and recharge with energy and positive emotions

You cannot be a good employee if you are unhappy and tense.

Your family suffers, too. When your mind is free you can perform at 200 percent. 【小题3】 You lose balance and harmony if you experience too much stress, perform a lot of demanding routine and constantly take responsibilities. Take care of yourself. Make sure that your well-being does not suffer.

【小题4】

We all want to excel in our profession. We want to be in charge even at home. We like to be appreciated by the community. Being such a person requires several important qualities. To gain the required qualities you must have a multi-dimensional personality. The more new activities you practice, the more chances you can become a better leader. 【小题5】