There is a man who I’d like to tell you about. His name is Sandy Greenberg. Sandy was a very good student, but he came from a poor family. And so he went to Columbia University, but while there, he became blind.

But something else happened to Sandy that may surprise you. Sandy said that when he lost his sight, his roommate would read his textbooks to him, every night. As a result, Sandy went on to graduate. He got a scholarship, and he went off to study at Oxford.

One day, Sandy got a call at Oxford, and his former roommate said, “Sandy, I’m really unhappy. I really don’t like being in graduate school, and I don’t want to do this.”

So Sandy asked, “Well, what do you want to do?”

And his roommate told him, “Sandy, I really love to sing. I have a high school friend who plays the guitar. And we would really like to try the music business. But we need to make a record, and in order to do that I need $500.”

So Sandy Greenberg told me he took all his life savings and sent it to his roommate. He told me, “You know, what else could I do? He made my life; I needed to help make his life.”

I almost forgot. You probably are wanting to know who Sandy’s roommate was. I think you’ve heard of him. Sandy’s roommate was a fellow by the name of Art Garfunkel, and he teamed up with another musician by the name of Paul Simon. That $500 helped them make a record that eventually became “The Sound of Silence.”

I hope you’ll remember the power of doing well by doing good. Each of you, in your own lives, will be faced with challenges and problems that you didn’t expect. How you are able to deal with adversity will be influenced by how you deal with others along the way. What you get will depend a lot on what you give. And that’s the end of the story of doing well, by doing good.

More importantly, when you get to be my age, you will find yourself beginning to ask, did my life make a difference? I think the only way to face this question is to consider, every day of your life: How can I do something for somebody else? How can I give back to others? It may be teaching, it may be becoming a doctor, you may be successful in business — no matter what your career path, there will always be the opportunity to give back. The chance will present itself to give your time, give your money, but mostly, to give your own heart and soul.

Some people believe that a career change at 50 is almost impossible because no one wants to invest in someone with such limited working life left. However, fortunately I’ve achieved a career change unexpectedly. The key is that you should try your best to grasp the opportunity.

What is the secret to achieving my later-life career change? It is the right attitude that works. For 15years, I had the same job under various managers. I enjoyed the work itself, but grew tired of the constant monitoring and management of the company. The inflexibility of the work affected my work-life balance and my opportunity to be promoted seemed out of reach. With my 52nd birthday around the corner, I came to realize that I would have to make a career change, or I would never escape the harmful work.

Two months later, my wife spotted an occupation advertised online and encouraged me to have a try. So, I applied. Lacking experience in that particular role, I was pessimistic. However, I was surprised to be offered an online interview. Luckily the interview went well overall, and they told me I’d hear from them next week if I passed the interview. So when three weeks passed with no word, you can imagine how frustrated I felt. I carried on looking for other chances, but my search was interrupted one afternoon when the company’s HR team phoned and invited me to come in for a second interview! I was shocked, and at this point I began to feel anxious. Then my wife suggested that I should try to show my true self in the interview as I had nothing to lose. I got her point and tried to calm myself. I answered their questions as best I could, and eventually the boss offered me the job!

It’s proved that companies do invest in people over 50. I’ve realized midlife career changes are more common than I first thought. I hope that anyone attempting a midlife career change can take the plunge! With the right attitude, you can achieve almost anything and get what you want if you have a try.

It is with mixed emotions that I went to the young criminal center every few months to give vaccinations（接种疫苗）. On the one hand, I feel lucky to be able to provide a service that may have a positive health effect on the residents. But, on the other hand, I feel a sense of sadness and disappointment as I see the prisoners being escorted （押送） by guards to the nursing unit.

My last visit was very memorable. For some reason, there was a lightness in the air. More than ever before, I felt a lightness as I spoke with each person. We shared stories and smiles and fears. Even the toughest prisoners seemed to be surrounded by light. As a mother, I saw them as not only youth, being punished for crimes, but also as children who have the potential to change for the better. Most of them wanted to talk longer! They were reaching out to us! It felt right.

There was one more prisoner. He was limited to a different unit in a lonely cell. We were asked if we were okay going down there. We said that we were. Two guards escorted us down and when we entered the area, instant tears welled up in my eyes. The area was sad. These guards didn’t smile. We entered the cell and had to make do with what was there.

We were done but I didn’t want to leave,I gave the 17-year-old a gentle touch and smile as I explained what to do regarding the side effects. At first, there was no response, so I just looked down at his bare feet and then to my supplies. I thought that I had better pack up. Suddenly, he looked up at me and smiled before he said “Thanks” and then he gave me a thumbs-up. I smiled back and said, “You’re welcome. Take care of yourself.”

It was wonderful to receive a kind response from someone who was in such a harsh place. As we walked back to the main entrance, we didn’t speak. Where there can be a smile, there is hope. Sometimes smiles can be very powerful.