Every Wednesday, I go to Cantata Adult Life Services, a local retirement community in Brookfield, Illinois, US, with my classmates to do community service. Since my very first ________ to Cantata, volunteering with the elderly has ________ my life, which may sound a bit dramatic, though.

Our visits last about an hour, and we bring 25-30 ________ every time. We play board games and cards with the ________ while we’re there. You can watch all the movies and TV shows you want about “life ________ then”, but ________ compares to talking to the people who were actually there. Just hearing their stories has ________ me in a way I never thought possible.

Whether it was talking to 98-year-old “Hurricane Hilda” about her glory days as a roller skater or ________ with Lou about the times she danced with a famous actor, I was completely ________ by every single memory the residents wanted to share with me.

Even the residents who don’t have amazing memories make the experience ________ . I still ________ visiting Mrs. Robinson. She couldn’t ________ much about her past, but she told me she’d never forget how kind I was just to listen to her “ ________ ”. It made me realize that it’s the little things that make life ________ living. That’s something I won’t forget anytime soon.

It’s easy to feel like you don’t have anything ________ with the elderly—especially when you’re a teenager. ________ for me, it feels great to be a source of happiness, a smile on a bad day or a ________ ear for old memories. ________ really is just a number. As young adults, it’s important for us to realize this sooner ________ later. We can learn a lot from the elderly, and they can often ________ from teenagers, too.

When I was a graduate student, I felt too busy to exercise. I promised myself I’d do it once I _________ school. I knew I would be busy as an assistant professor. _________. I believed in my willpower.

When I started my first job at Williams College, I _________ did exercise regularly. It turned out that I was in a(n) _________ that offered excellent support for what I _________ to do.

Research shows that our _________ are influenced by whether our environment makes something easy or difficult. Even the smallest difference can have an outsized _________. In one study, researchers _________ items from the front to the back of a salad bar-a change of just 10 inches-and the _________ inconvenience made people eat less of these items.

My plan to exercise benefited from Williamstown’s long winter. People figured the best way through it was to get __________ happily and enjoy it. I kept meeting people who were __________ joggers. When I started, they were quick to offer social __________. With so many runners in town, it was easy to find trails (小径), including those __________ for beginners.

Do __________ your environment to make challenging tasks easier. If you want to socialize, befriend outgoing persons. Or __________ your cell phone when you need to concentrate on study. The right surroundings are more powerful than willpower alone.

On the day I was leaving for my holiday when I heard a familiar sound of the ferry men urging people to hurry and be on board. As it always was, I was among the late ones(I am still struggling to be on time). In the end, I _________ to get on board the boat and the journey began. After a few days, I was from _________ heading back to work on a small beautiful island. While I was on my holidays, things weren’t going as well as I had _________ . I didn’t feel excited and was in _________ spirits. I sat in a corner of the boat and cuddled up(依偎)with my _________ close to me. In my mind I just wanted to be _________ and I didn’t want anyone to talk to me because I never wanted to take it out on anyone.

_________ in thought, I stared up at the sky and the scene I saw caught my attention. I looked with great care and noticed how a certain part of clouds _________ a thumb(拇指)up pattern. It was laid so _________ that I couldn’t help but smile. Seeing that thumb up pattern was like a breath of fresh air. It reminded me that everything was going to be _________ , and that I had to breathe it in and take one day at a time.

So, life isn’t always perfect. Things happen __________ . At times it gets all messy __________ at times it feels like you have it all. We should learn to take it all in, stop for a while and __________ what we have regardless of how small or big it may seem. Remember to smile and __________ at the sky, or you will never know what cloud pattern may __________ your day!