I’ve been a college professor teaching people how to think more creatively and use more of their brainpower. _________, this lifetime passion was awakened by a casual contest in my childhood.

At a picnic of my father’s company, they held contests for kids — who threw a cloth handkerchief the farthest this time. I, 13 years old, was full of the spirit of _________, so I threw myself into the contest, which, I realize now, was not meant to _________ real skills, but simply for laughs. But it stirred my _________ of thinking outside the box.

It disturbed me to see the kids throwing _________ when the handkerchief always opened and stopped. The _________ was not to throw harder but to prevent the cloth from _________. Suppose I hid a rock in the cloth without tying it. The rock would drive the cloth at least _________ than the others, and when they separated, people might not notice a small rock _________ nearby. I had a good chance of __________ it, but I didn’t want to win by cheating. So I had to make the handkerchief fly like a rock. Like a rock! That was it! I __________ tied knot (结) after knot until it was the size of a large walnut (核桃), like a strong __________. I threw hard, and the balled handkerchief rocketed off 60 feet away. All stared at me in __________ and the judge ran to check. “It’s just the __________,” he declared, holding it up and untying the knots.

What I learned from this contest was __________ thinking. To live creatively, you have to tap into the less-used parts of your brain.

It’s 27 years since my last conversation with my mother, who didn’t finish school like many of her contemporary girls. She often told me, “I never got my_________but one day you will.” Pointing to a tree or cow, she asked me to_________their English names after her. Feeling annoyed I asked, Mama, why do I have to learn these_________phrases? She held her pen right before my eyes. Hold it firmly, she _________me, for this pen and the new foreign language will be your compass to sail around the world. Sadly, my mother died of breast cancer when I was six.

Turning seven, I traveled 30 miles to live closer to my school. But “closer” is a relative term in Uganda, which _________ I had to get up as the _________sun rose and then ran 8. 8 miles barefoot to school. Also, I needed to carry a stick in _________of snakes and dogs. During the rainy season, the path to school was _________daily and I’d swim with one hand, using the other hand to _________ the book bag on my head.

Research shows 70 percent of poor children don’t __________primary school in Uganda. Reasons for this high dropout (辍学) rate includes the long __________some children must __________ among many other reasons.

Fortunately, I’ve made it.Whenever I see the sun rise, I am __________of the wisdom of my mother who __________me to dream big and to use the __________ of the pen to make my dream come true.

As a child I once read an article about the Pacific Crest Trail (太平洋屋脊步道) in National Geographic. It was a _________ of two men who walked 2, 650 miles from Mexico to Canada with huge packs. It caught my eye, as I, too, _________ adventures in the wilderness. I’ve always remembered that story, but never believed I would actually _________ it. It was too far out of my comfort zone.

But then, at the age of 42, I hiked the 88 Temples Trail through Japan. There, I experienced how _________ it could be to hike alone. What _________ me most were the fantastic mountains, grand temples and generous local people. And to my _________, I managed to complete the trail in six weeks without any severe injuries. For the first time, I _________ that I could achieve my dream of travelling around America one day.

When I shared my plan with friends and colleagues, the news was welcomed with _________ reactions. From some I got enthusiastic _________. But from others there were frowns and question marks. Half a year away from my family was a __________ for me. Yet it wouldn’t defeat me. After all, six months is __________ a short period in a lifetime. After having worked hard for 20 years in shiny office buildings, I felt the need for more __________ in my life. I hoped to __________ and look within, as well as explore the unfamiliar things. I understood that I needed them both. __________ John Muir once put it, “Keep close to __________... and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean.”