My husband Frank and I lived a frugal (节俭的) life, carrying lunch to work, having no vacations, and staying in. But when it came to our fifteenth wedding anniversary, we decided to “splurge (挥霍)” this one time.

At last, we walked into a beautiful Italian restaurant for a nice dinner. We ordered wonderful food and even a glass of wine each. Halfway through our very delicious dinner, Frank and I noticed the two diners next to us seemed to be looking for something under their table and all around. The elegantly dressed woman appeared to be in her late seventies, and her much younger male companion looked like her son. The woman kept touching her ear.

I asked whether she had lost an earring. The woman shook her head and looked worried. “My hearing aid,” she said. “My son finally convinced me to buy it this week, it is so expensive.” She then added that her son’s eyesight was better than hers but he couldn’t find it, either.

No waiters seemed to be helpful, as they were very busy. And the other diners seemed unaware of the woman’s trouble. Frank stood up immediately. “Let me try,” he offered. “Maybe a fresh pair of eyes will find it.” The woman said that it was very small and had the same color as the floor, adding she didn’t want to bother Frank. “That’s okay, I’ll try.” Frank said. Then he bent down and moved a few inches at a time, with his eyes and hands sweeping back and forth.

The woman sat down slowly. Her son kept his eyes focused while Frank’s feet moved back and forth under the table. Meanwhile, I stood by their table, running my hand over the tablecloth, shifting the plates, etc.

“Thanks,” the woman said. “But I’m afraid it’s lost forever. Your dinner’s getting cold. Please don’t worry.” I saw tears forming in her eyes. Soon, her son sank back into his chair, too. But Frank kept looking until one of them thanked him again, and he finally gave up and sat down to eat. Ten minutes later, as we finished our dinner, the mother and son were drinking coffee, silent “I’ll take one more look.” Frank said.

Then, he lowered himself back to the floor.

Her son shook Frank’s hand and said, How can I thank you? ”

Katie was six years old. She was part of a big family. She lived with her mom, dad and three older brothers. Her older brothers all played sports. They rode their bikes around town. Katie wanted to be just like them when she got bigger.

One summer day, the boys all decided to go swimming at the neighborhood pool. Katie wanted to go, too.

“But we’re riding our bikes.” said Tom. He was the oldest.

“You’re too slow because you still have training wheels,” added Mike, the next oldest.

“Boys, I want you to take Katie swimming with you,” said Dad. “It will be fun.”

The third brother, David, sighed. “Fine,” he said. “But you’ll have to peddle fast.”

All four children put on the helmets and got on their bikes. The boys rode fast. Katie did her best to keep up, but her brothers were right. She was slower than they were. Soon she fell behind.

“Wait for me!” Katie cried. But her brothers were so far ahead that they didn’t hear her. Katie wasn’t going to give up. She pumped her legs up and down hard, and soon she arrived at the pool. Her brothers were waiting at the gate.

“Let’s got!” said Tom. He paid the entrance fee, and they all went inside to put their beach towels on the chairs they liked best. The boys splashed around in the shallow end of pool with Katie. They feel bad about leaving her behind and wanted to make sure she had fun. But soon the boys noticed that their friends were all in line at the diving board. One by one, the brothers joined the big kids taking turns jumping off the springboard into the deep end of the pool. Some kids tried to make the biggest splash. Others worked on special jumps and dives to show off. Everyone was laughing and having fun.

Katie was not having fun and she wanted to dive, too!

She stepped out to the edge of the board and looked at the water below, starting to cry.

As The Jungle Book song Bear Necessities goes, “forget about your worries and your conflict” can be a little bit difficult when you find yourself face to face with a real bear.

Bears are common in the Northern Hemisphere. As human habitats stretch toward the wilderness, more and more animals cross their paths with those of humans. This can lead to dangerous encounters especially when precautions are not in place. In these situations, keeping your distance is still the best advice.

According to the National Park Service, one should also remain calm as bears, more often than not, are not really willing to attack you. Once in a standoff (对峙), avoid making sudden moves or loud noises as these can trigger aggression. 7-year-old Huxley did exactly what he was told when he encountered a massive bear.

It was a Sunny morning. Huxley was wandering on his way home when a big hulking (笨重的) figure emerges from behind him. A hurried glance backward, he knew it was a black bear. The bear approached cautiously at first, probably sizing up the figure in front of him. A second later, perhaps judging that Huxley was no match for it, the bear burst into a full sprint (冲刺) and ran its way toward the boy.

At first, Huxley was really frightened. However, he knew it was impossible to run or fight with the big beast. In the moment of crisis, he remembered his mother reminds him regularly about these possible encounters. She tells him that if Huxley finds himself face to face with a bear and there are no adults around, he should remain calm.

Huxley calmed down at thinking of this. He stared at the bear down without any movement. This might have been the reason why the young bear stopped dead in its tracks. They faced each other motionless, and there was only a foot distance between them.

From around the corner, a neighbor hurriedly walked to the scene.

The neighbor continued to pressure the bear while the animal tried its best to find an escape route.