As far as I could tell, there was only one problem with this year’s Super Bowl. The Green Bay Packers weren't green. They were blue. And even though I had never before seen a professional football game live and in living color, I had read enough from my subscription to Sports Illustrated to know that the dark jerseys (运动衫) worn by the Green Bay Packers were green, not blue.

“Maybe it's something special they're doing for the Super Bowl,” my dad suggested.

“The colors aren't right, Dad,” I said. “I’m sure of it.”

Eventually Dad agreed. “I'll get a repairman tomorrow,” he said. It was a minor annoyance, but it somehow cast a pall over our enjoyment of the pre-game festivities. This was highly anticipated Super Bowl, and we were watching it on our super new color TV. It was supposed to be super.

Just a few minutes before kickoff, my big brother Bud arrived with Craig, a college friend. Craig looked at the TV for a moment. “I think your tint (色调) is off a little,” he said. He reached behind the set and began feeling around for buttons. Suddenly our color TV was black and white. He reached behind the TV again. He must have found the right button, because a moment later color was restored — and perfected. The Green Bay Packers were in their traditional green and gold uniforms. The field was green, the sky was blue and it was a Super Sunday, indeed.

It amazed me then — and often has since — what a major difference a minor adjustment can make. A well-placed nail or a tweak (拧) of a button from someone who knows what they’re doing can change everything. The same principle holds true in interpersonal matters. While there are some hurts that cannot be easily repaired, it's amazing how often a simple smile, a kind word, or a gentle touch can change our way of thinking, improve our mood, and make everything seem, you know, super.

When an earthquake hit a small town, many houses fell down. After the earthquake, all the newspapers reported many stories about some of the families who were in trouble.

One Sunday, when I was reading a newspaper, a special picture touched me. It gave the clothing sizes of each family member. I thought that this would be a good chance to teach my children to help those who were less lucky than themselves. I said to my seven-year-old twins, Brad and Brett, and three-year-old Meghan,"We have so much, but these poor people now have nothing. We'll share what we have with them.

I filled a box with foods and clothes. While I was doing this, I encouraged the children to choose their toys and donate some of their less favorite things. Meghan watched quietly as the boys took out their old toys and games and put them together. Then she walked away. A few minutes later she came back with Lucy, her much-loved doll. She put the doll on top of the other toys."Oh, dear,"I said."you don't have to give Lucy. You love her so much. Meghan said."Lucy makes me happy, Mommy. Maybe she'll make another little girl happy, too."

I looked at Meghan for a long moment. She taught me a lesson. It's easy to give something that we don't want any more, but hard to give what we cherish(珍爱), isn't it?

Some people ran into me in the dining hall today — they were on their phone and didn’t see me. The dining hall was packed, as usual, so I couldn’t move out of the way in time. They ran into me, but I said sorry. They said nothing and kept walking.

It reminded me of the theory that women are more likely to step out of the way if the sidewalk is too narrow. My friend likes to test this theory out for herself — she walks straight on her path and sees if men will move out of her way. Many of them have run into her unless she moves at the last second. She realizes that she is always the one who apologizes when that happens. I say sorry for things like that all the time. It made me think: why am I apologizing for something that isn’t my fault?

From a young age, I was taught to apologize when I did something wrong. Over the years, there have been more and more sorrys in my life. I started apologizing even when I was in the right. I apologize to escape conflict. This pattern is especially prevalent in women. Women are socialized to be more passive. We aren’t expected to stand up for ourselves; we’re expected to keep our heads down and apologize.

Of course, I value a good apology. A genuine apology helps, but I think it’s only the first step in actually making amends. People can say sorry and not mean it. Or, some people give a sincere apology but never change their behavior. What’s the point of apologizing if you’re going to do the same thing again? Sorry is just a word — actions are what matter.

Apologizing can be tiring. Once you say sorry, you’re accepting responsibility. There’s no need to blame yourself for something that isn’t your fault. Conversely, it’s tiring to hear “sorry” and have that person do the same thing again. Deeds speak louder than words. So start making changes instead of saying unnecessary sorry.