Do We Miss Something in Life?

“In this life, what did you miss?” The wife asked the husband when she was 25. Sadly, the husband replied: ‘I missed a new job opportunity.’ When she was 35, the husband angrily told her that he had just missed the bus. At 45, the husband sadly said: ‘I missed the opportunity seeing my closest relative 【小题1】 his last breath.’At 55, the husband said disappointingly: ‘I missed a good chance to retire.’ At 65, the husband hurriedly replied: ‘I missed a dental appointment.’ At 75, the wife did not ask the husband anymore. At this moment, the husband 【小题2】 (kneel) in front of the very sick wife. 【小题3】 (remember) the question the wife used to ask him, this time he asked the wife the same question. The wife, with a smile and peaceful look, replied: ‘In this life, I did not miss 【小题4】 (have) you!’ The husband was full of tears. He always thought that they could be together forever. He was always busy with work and trifles. So much so he 【小题5】 (not be) thoughtful to his wife. The husband hugged the wife tightly and said: ‘Over 50 years, how I had allowed myself to miss your deep love for me.’

In the busy city life, there are many people 【小题6】 are always busy with work. These people revolve their lives around their jobs, these people sacrifice all their times and health 【小题7】 (meet) the social expectations. They are unwilling to spend time on health care.

They miss the opportunity to be with their children in their growing up. They neglect the 【小题8】 (love) ones who care for them, and also their health. But 【小题9】 knows what is going to happen one year from now.

【小题10】 life is not permanent, always live in the now. Express your gratitude to the ones you love in words. Show your care with actions. Treat every days as the last episode of life. In this way, when you are gone, those you love would have nothing to feel sorry about.

At the Tube Station, I see the title “Hot! Hot! Hot!” from a free newspaper. Today, the temperature in London is expected 【小题1】 (reach) 30 plus degrees. It is going to be awful 【小题2】 the Central Line. Going down the stairs and onto the platform is like jumping into a volcano that is erupting. I think of my office, 【小题3】 is in a tall, glass building. One very hot summer, the 【小题4】 (reflect) sunshine melted cars parked below! Each summer in London seems 【小题5】 (hot) than the last. Perhaps it is time to start planning for the future: Once the tall buildings 【小题6】 (flood), I will be able to survive. Most 【小题7】 (important), I will need to learn to swim! Looking through my newspaper I’m shocked by photos showing that a hurricane in Asia 【小题8】 (destroy) a town. Experts say this bad weather has occurred due to climate change. Now that it is hard to avoid a disaster on Earth, perhaps I should start thinking about moving to space... “【小题9】 next station is Bank!” comes the 【小题10】 (announce), and it interrupted my thoughts.

I’m Alone but Not Lonely

Our hatred for being alone can be quite intense: A quarter of the women and two-thirds of the men in a study chose to experience an electric shock 【小题1】 do nothing and spend time alone with their thoughts.

“Up till now, solitude (独处) 【小题2】 (consider) a bad thing” because it is sometimes used as a form of punishment, said Robert Coplan, a professor of psychology at Carleton University.

The problem is that we forget solitude can also be a choice — and it does not have to be full time. Because there is so much research 【小题3】 (demonstrate) that humans are social creatures who benefit from communicating with others. “People will try to dismiss that it’s also important to spend time alone,” said Coplan. “It’s hard for them to imagine that you can have 【小题4】.”

People often feel tense from enjoying activities alone, especially 【小题5】 they think others are watching them. Overestimating how much other people are paying attention to us, and worrying that we are being judged, can stop us from doing things that would otherwise bring us joy.

Loneliness does hurt, but the mere act of being alone with oneself does not have to be bad. An online survey showed that the majority of activities 【小题6】 (define) as most relaxing are things that are done solo. 【小题7】 the social anxiety about spending time alone, it is actually something our bodies long for. We might not know that time alone is 【小题8】 we need to make ourselves feel better.

Cultivating this sense of being alone and making the choice to be alone can help you develop your sense of self. Knowing oneself makes it easier to find other people who share your passions, and can improve your empathy. It can also help you re-evaluate “filler” friendships: relationships you maintain because you would rather do anything on a Friday night than 【小题9】 (stay) at home by yourself, even at the cost of spending time with people 【小题10】 company you do not enjoy.

Don’t confuse loneliness with time by yourself. The latter can improve your creativity and confidence, and help you regulate your emotions so that you can better deal with critical situations.