Barry is a middle-aged man who is going through a very difficult time in his life. His wife recently passed away. She and Barry had many happy years together, sharing their free time and even starting a business together. Without his wife, Barry is full of sorrow and feels that life is pointless. He even decides to close their business because working there makes him miss her too much.

Even months later, Barry sits around in his house all day feeling gloomy. His friends and family try to get him out of the house and encourage him to start doing new things and enjoy life, but they are not successful.

Barry’s neighbor, a very old woman named Gertrude, sees him from her yard one day as he steps out onto his porch. She has not seen him outside in days! She asks him to come closer. Irritated, he walks to the fence that protects the front of her house.

“Hello, Barry! Just look at this fence. I only had it put in two years ago, but it is falling apart. You are a strong man, and you have some free time. I want you to fix this fence for me,” Gertrude says.

Barry is angry. She knows the situation he is in. He is the one who needs help and support. He thinks the old lady is being very selfish. Still, he knows she is too old to fix the fence herself, and they have been neighbors for years. She is a nice woman, and he respects her. He agrees to fix her fence because it is really not safe for her to have it broken like that.

Barry works on the fence for days. Gertrude brings him lemonade while he works. When he finishes, she is very grateful. Barry smiles for the first time in months.

“Now that you did such a wonderful job fixing my fence, do you think you could paint it for me?” Gertrude smiles at him.

Barry cannot believe she is asking for more help.

Barry no longer feels that life is pointless.

I was about nine the first time I got on a board. Something inside of me connected to surfing unlike any other sport. I had played a bunch of different sports, like baseball, soccer and hockey, but surfing became my true life interest.

By the time I was twelve, I began to compete in surfing. Before long, I was rated number one in the Juniors level of the Pacific Surf Series. I was featured in surfing articles and magazines, and companies began sponsoring me.

Things were really looking up. My lifelong dream of becoming a professional surfer was finally coming to a reality. Then came the day when my life changed forever.

On that day, I watched a little bit of a surf movie to prepare for my surf. I was excited; the waves were going to be so good. When I pulled up to the beach at Zuma, the waves looked great. Then I caught this one perfect south swell peak.

The wave hit me in my back so fast that I didn’t have time to put my hands up. I hit my head on a sandbar beneath the surface of the water. My whole body went numb (麻木), then I was floating face down — unable to move. When the next wave flipped (翻转) me over, I yelled for help. At first nobody came to help me, then finally my best friend, Brad, came over to me. I told him, “You gotta keep my head out of the water or I’m gonna drown!”

Finally, Brad was able to get me out of the water and onto the beach. I knew I was paralyzed (瘫痪). As I lay on my back, my dreams of becoming a pro surfer flashed in front of my eyes. What was going to happen to me? What kind of a life would I have if I was paralyzed forever? This can’t happen to me! Guess what? It did.

At the medical center, I learnt what a serious injury I had.

I surprised myself by maintaining the will to live.

On the walk home from school, my friend, Cherry, happily said, “Tomorrow is Mother’s Day. I’ve been saving up for the past month and plan to buy my mother the perfume (香水) she’s been wanting for so long.” Her excitement made me realize that I hadn’t prepared anything special yet. But I only had a little money left. I began to regret spending so much on snacks every day. “See you next week!” Cherry’s voice pulled me back to reality. We waved goodbye as she went into a perfume shop.

I continued walking along the road, carefully thinking about what gift I should choose. I planned to buy something like flowers or chocolate, but now it seemed like those were way too simple. Therefore, I pushed open the door to a mall (商场) and tried to find the perfect gift. The bright lights illuminated (照亮) the collection of various goods. I picked up a lipstick (口红) but immediately (立即) put it back after seeing its price. I could never afford that! Then I walked into another shop and saw a lovely cup. This cup, besides being beautiful, would also remind my mother to drink water. It’d be a wonderful gift. I picked it up and turned it over to see the price listed, hoping it was not too expensive. But once again, I couldn’t afford it even with all the money that I had. Feeling sad, I continued to wander around the shops. Time flew by quickly, and before I knew it, the sky began to darken, so I had to go home.

Since there was no time or money for me to pick out a gift, I decided to make a simple card. When I finished, the clock on my bedroom wall struck 11 p.m. I held up the card, examining its hardcover, handwritten letters, and the tiny pictures I’d drawn of my mom and me. It’s probably never going to compare to the expensive gifts that my friends bought for their mothers, I thought sadly.