I can’t miss the little old lady with her kerchief (方头巾) on her head, a black umbrella blowing all over. I can tell she is freezing. She is standing at a bus stop, and I’m driving by, late for my early morning shift. I decide to stop and offer her a ride.

Of course, she declines, but when I ask again and insist, finally, she gets in the car. I take her to her destination, and by the time she gets out of my car, she is smiling and thanks me.

I was late for work that day, but I was so glad that I stopped. That was 40 years ago, and the beginning of a new habit, one that continues when I’m out driving in bad weather.

If there’s someone at a bus stop, especially if it’s an elderly person waiting at off hours and in bad weather, I will pull over and ask if they need a ride.

Once, a young doctor jumped in. She had finished a long shift and had been waiting and waiting at the bus stop. She had no hesitation and, for the first time, I was able to help someone who performs miracles (奇迹) on a daily basis. That felt good.

But the best part of my ride offers is the conversation. I do tend to ask a lot of questions: where are you from, where are you going, family, background, pets and whatever else comes to mind. Surprisingly, everyone wants to chat. We are usually laughing by the time the ride is over. “What a shame!” I often think when they hop out, as the stories were just getting started.

Now as retirement approaches, I believe I have found my calling. I will be happy to join a community driving program to take people to one appointment or another — or perhaps just to the coffee shop to sit and listen for an hour.

As the years pass, perhaps I will be the one standing at the bus stop. Perhaps there will be somebody who rolls down a window and offers me a seat for a little ride. I will continue to take that leap of faith in the kindness of strangers.

Luciano Baietti, a retired school headmaster from Italy, holds the Guinness record for the most university degrees. The 70­year­old currently has 15 bachelors or masters degrees from various universities across Italy, and is getting ready to get his 16th.

Getting more than one college degree is not exactly unheard­of, but 15 is apparently quite impressive, since it's only been done by one man. Although he spends his days working around his house and garden, like most people his age, at night, Baietti turns into a student again. Every morning, at 3 a.m., he wakes up and studies by the light of his desk lamp.

“Thanks to books, I feel free. After all, the words share the same root,” he says, referring to the Italian words libro (book) and libero (free). He is inspired by the 19th century French essayist Louis­Francois Berlin, whose portrait is also on display in his study, alongside his many framed university degrees, and whom he describes as “a man of culture and knowledge”.

Baietti first made it into the Guinness Book of Records in 2002, after his eighth degree. Then he spent the next 15 years adding seven more bachelors and masters degrees to his collection.

“Each time I set myself a new challenge to see how far my body and my brain can go.” At 70 years old, Baietti thinks he has enough energy for at least one more degree, this time in food science.

Probably the most important thing about Baietti's achievement is that he managed to get most of his university degrees while working as headmaster of a secondary school, and volunteering with Italy’s Red Cross. The secret was always getting up at 3 in the morning to make sure that his thirst for knowledge didn't affect his professional activity and his family life. He spent 3 hours studying every day, and that was apparently all he needed to pass his exams and write his theses.

Lucio Arreola is 50 years old, the father of three daughters and a bank manager in Puerto Rico. He is going to have a surprising Father’s Day this year. He finds just about every day surprising now. Arreola has a new heart, or at least, new to him. On April 20, doctors transplanted (移植) the heart of a dead 25-year-old man into him. Although he may never know the man’s identity, he and his family will always be grateful to him.

Arreola was told he had a heart muscle disease 15 years ago that weakened his breathing and circulation, so he went on a lot of medications. His wife and daughters worried about his health, while he worried about their happiness.

Lucio Arreola has been recovering from his heart transplant surgery at Houston Methodist over the past two months. “One day up, one day down,” he said. “Some days dark, some light. But what happens is that when the sun is out, you really feel it. Every breath is sweet. You see the trees and people. You hear your daughters laugh, and it’s like birds singing. You tell yourself, ‘There is no time in life for anything but love.’”

Liz Laguaite, a hospital music therapist, told Arreola and his family, “Why don’t you try to write a song together about what you’ve been through and what you’ve learned?” They decided to try. Lucio Arreola worried that illness might make his daughters see him as a delicate man. But instead of frailty, they mostly saw his courage to go on. And he said their love was like his own powerful heart muscle that gave him faith, hope and courage.

“My weak heart,” he said, “helped make them strong.”

Lucio Arreola said he had learned that human hearts were delicate. But a family’s love was enduring. The Arreolas recorded the song they created while Lucio recovered. The song begins with the strong beat of a father’s loving heart.