When I was 8 years old, I decided to run away from home after a quarrel with my mother. With my suitcase packed and some sandwiches in a bag, I started for the front door.

My mom asked where I was going. “I’m leaving home,” I said. “What’s that you’re carrying?” she asked.

“Some clothes and food,” I replied.

“If you want to run away, that’s all right,” she said. “But you came into this home without anything and you can leave the same way.”

I threw my suitcase and sandwiches on the floor and started for the door again.

“Wait a minute,” Mom said. “You didn’t have any clothes on when you arrived, and I want them back.”

This infuriated me. I tore my clothes off — shoes, socks, underwear and all — and shouted, “Can I go now?”

“Yes,” my mom answered, “but once you close that door, don’t expect to come back.”

I was so angry that I shut the door forcefully and stepped out of my home. Then I noticed down the street two neighbor girls walking toward our house. I was so shy that I saw the big spruce (云杉) tree in our yard and jumped under the low-hang ng branches (树枝). A pile of dried-up brown needles (针状物) were beneath the tree, and you can’t imagine the pain those sharp needles caused to my body.

After I was sure the girls had passed by, I ran to the front door and knocked at it loudly.

“It’s Billy! Let me in!”

The voice behind the door answered, “Billy doesn’t live here anymore. He ran away from home.”

Looking behind me to see if anyone else was coming down the street I said, “Mom! I’m sorry. I’m still your son. Let me in!”

The door opened and Mom’s smiling face appeared. “Did you change your mind about running away?” she asked.

“What’s for supper?” I smiled back.

Zadie Smith has a way with words, even when she's using them to implement (执行)rules in her home. She revealed why she imposed a 15- minute mirror time limit on her daughter Kate.

"I saw that she had just started spending a lot of time looking in mirrors," she said. "It was angering me. I decided to decide .on a principle: that if it takes longer than 15 minutes, don't do it." The rule came into effect when Smith noticed the disparities (不一致)between the amount of me it took her son and daughter to get out of the house in the morning.

"I explained it to her in these terms: you are wasting time, your brother is not going to waste any time doing this," she said. Every day of his life he will put a shirt on, he's out the door and doesn't care if you waste an hour and a half doing your makeup."

Smith went on to say that her daughter saw the limit as a practical time-saving method, so Smith didn't have to give her "a big lecture on female beauty." But she mentioned trends such as contouring (外形修整) as being a waste of time. "She sees me and how I get dressed and how g it takes."

Smith, who herself typically appears in minimal makeup, has explored the relationship women between with themselves in her work, as well, In her book On Beauty, she writes about the struggle protecting daughters from the unavoidable self-esteem struggles associated with being a woman. The beauty of women comes from their confidence and belief of dream rather than their appearance.

Considering that Smith's daughter is only 7 years old, their interaction fully proves how early in life women begin to feel pressure to look n certain way. Having said that, the 15-minute mirror me limit is something we all could carry out in our own lives, whether we're 7 or 70.

Jerry was born on October 14, 1966. Shortly after birth, he was discovered to have a heart defect (缺陷) and quickly had an operation to save his life. Although he always thought his childhood to be “normal”, there were quite a few things that made him a little different. He couldn’t do heavy farm work like his brothers and his classmates called him “grape juice” because his lips would turn purple in gym class.

After another operation, Jerry went on to live a very full life. He studied in a technical school and met his love after graduation. They married in 1989, and in 1993, the first light of Jerry’s life was born.

Growing up with Jerry as my dad was the greatest blessing of my life. He was always full of life and light, making anyone around smile. He never wanted to draw attention to his medical condition. Even many of his close friends and co-workers were unaware of his heart problem. To all of us he was just a normal guy — that was just the way he wanted it.

I didn’t know or understand my father was sick until he was placed a pacemaker (心脏起搏器). Despite several times of unconsciousness, and 19 days’ stay in ICU, he managed to celebrate Christmas with us and even work as usual. With his wide laugh, I soon adjusted to a “new normal” father. The progress and life, as we now know, came to a grinding halt one night after he came down with a cold.

He was picked up by a helicopter. The nurse said my dad was in good spirits throughout the trip, cracking jokes and making her laugh. When he was unloaded, his eyes rolled back and was unresponsive. The man who loved his life and family was gone.

My dad taught me many lessons. But probably the most important one was in his death. I know as I celebrate his incredible life, he will be looking down on me with smile.