I had just poured my second cup of tea that morning and sat down to read the paper. From somewhere, an inner voice said, “Go see Jeff and bring him the chair to repair. Go right now.”

It was such a strong need that I hurriedly dressed and carried a dining-room chair to his door. Jeff was a neighbor who had lost his wife a while back, and he sometimes did minor repairs for me because he enjoyed working with his hands.

I knocked on his door and waited a while. I was about to walk away when he answered. He looked like he was far away in his thoughts. I felt awkward about upsetting him so early. I greeted him and then asked if he could repair my chair. He invited me inside. We sat in his living room. He looked very sad and not his usual self. He said he had had a stroke recently, and while he was home now, he still needed to attend physical treatment. He had to build his strength back up. I apologized for the chair and told him I would just bring it back home. He said to leave it.

We talked for a while. He said that, before I arrived, he was seriously sad. So, my visit stopped his darkness. I listened to how hard it had been since his wife passed and how much worse it was now since the stroke. The longer we talked, the more I saw his mood (情绪)lighten.

After I left his home, I went to the supermarket and gathered ingredients (材料). I made him a hot meal I thought he would like. Carefully, I cut up vegetables and prepared stew (炖菜)for him. I believe it was the best stew I ever made. I made homemade biscuits and prepared fresh fruit for dessert. I realize there might have been healthier food, but I thought a hot meal would lift his spirits. I dropped it off for him. He was glad that someone cared. Emotionally, he seemed in a better place.

About a week later, he knocked on my door.

During my six years at the Boyd E. Smith Primary School, I was lucky to have so many great teachers who served as thoughtful role models. They were admirable characters who had far-reaching effects on me in more ways than I could have known. Among them who influenced me the most was my fourth-grade teacher, Mrs. Green.

The truth is that Mrs. Green was unlike anyone I had ever known. She had so much energy and passion for the world and for her students that she spent thirty years of her life at Boyd E. Smith. Mrs. Green taught maths. She devoted herself to her work. I would never have imagined that I would have left her class with so much.

Mrs. Green is everything that I want to be. The first time I met her, I knew she was someone special. Being young fourth-graders, we were taught to show respect to teachers as we learned to say “Thank you, madam” and “Yes, madam” on a daily basis. We did not complain about it. We knew she did it to make us better young adults that would carry on through life with respect for our elders.

Mrs. Green was an amazing teacher for many reasons, as she was intelligent and passionate about what she taught. She did not scold (责骂) us, but she taught us to recognize the difference between right and wrong and to be responsible no matter what we did. Looking back upon those days when I was in her class, I realized that she was teaching us qualities that were important to our characters. The most valuable lesson I learned from her was to live with honesty. I had no idea what this word meant until the incident (事情) in a math exam.

I was caught in the act of cheating in the exam.

Now I am also a primary school teacher like Mrs. Green.

You never know when a chance encounter will change your life. Sahil Singh certainly didn’t expect anything to come from yet another delivery he was set to make less than a week ago with Swiggy, a food delivering service in India.Before the life-changing moment, however, came a series of events that had Sahil feeling hopeless. It all started when he moved home.

Years ago, this well-educated young man had a job that gave him a good salary, but his circumstances since the move have changed drastically. With no other job prospects, he began working for Swiggy, where he was barely making ends meet. In fact, he found himself in debt and without a car, a scooter, or even a bike.

Then, on the day of his chance encounter, Sahil found himself completely out of money. He spent the last of his money on his roommate, who had developed a serious disease, leaving him with nothing to pay the landlord. To make matters worse, he was given an order to deliver what would take him nearly two miles, all on foot.

As he worked hard to get the food delivered as soon as possible, the customer, Priyanshi Chandel, was waiting patiently for her ice cream. After 30 to40 minutes, Sahil finally rang her doorbell. The state he was in left her shocked.

“I opened the door to see a young man panting for air, sitting on the staircase outside my flat,” Priyanshi said.” With all my alarms triggering(触发)within me, I asked him what happened.”

When given the opportunity to share his story, Sahil graciously took it. Here counted how he got to where he’s at today, including the fact that he had not eaten for a week and was, instead, getting by on water and tea.

Wanting to help, Priyanshi offered Sahil all that she could: a glass of water and some cash. But then, she thought of one more thing she could do that might help.

On LinkedIn,Priyanshi made a post all about Sahil and her encounter with him.

Priyanshi called out for help and folks listened!