I was here in Washington, walking home from the local bookstore. When I reached in my pocket, I realized my wallet was _________. Immediately, I started retracing my steps. I was down on my hands and knees, looking _________ in the gutters around the streets._________ it was still nowhere to be found.

I went back to the _________. The nice guy at the register said nobody had _________ this wallet. So I walked home and decided to cancel all of these cards.

Then an email appeared. It was from a man named Adam who said he had found my wallet. Adam _________ my name because he always listened to NPR and had a friend who also worked there, so he was able to _________ my contact information.

I texted Adam and he texted back his home _________. I called an Uber and sent it to his address and asked if the Uber driver can _________ something for me and bring it to my __________. 20 minutes later, the __________ arrived at my front steps safe and sound.

I’ve been thinking about this experience because it always reminds me that there are __________ people in the world who are willing to help strangers. I am __________ to Adam, the Uber driver, and the friend of a friend who has helped __________ us. I want to __________ the kindness and be one of those people who go out of their way to help others.

I was then in my early twenties. Even though I was armed with a degree in Education, finding a ______ teaching job was not easy. I had to try some temporary ones.

This year, when a golden opportunity ______ to teach 5th grade students in a local school. I ______ it and took things seriously. I ______ myself with lesson plans, taught with enthusiasm, and stayed ______ with the students. I had no hesitation in ______ the kids when they got the answer right, and encouraged them if they didn’t.

One day when the kids were _______, a girl approached and handed me a ______ before she went home. On it was a lovely drawing full of childlike wonder, ______ by the words, “You are the best teacher I have ever had!” It really amazed me that one of my kind comments had ______ that girl’s heart greatly. I took that note home and ______ put it in a folder, looking on it as a ______ because it was very important. Anytime I was feeling down I would look at it and it proved to be a ______ .

That experience showed me the ______ of just a single kind word. It encouraged me to continue to try my best each day to ______ love and kindness through my words and actions. Wish the same for others.

I’ve always dreamed of having a copy machine that would let me go in as one person and come out as ______. That way, I could be in two places at once. Just like you, I recently made a promise to do one thing, and then another fun thing ______ up.

“Hey, Zona,” said my little sister, Indi, “we have an idea for the coolest Halloween costume, but we can’t do it ______ you.”

My little brother, Tex, pointed to a photo in a magazine. “It’s a pea pod! There are three kids and each kid’s face is a ______!”

“That’s so cute,” I said. “But I’m about 10 feet taller than you guys. There’s no way our heads would fit into the costume at the same time. Why don’t you two do a double pod instead?”

“I really wanted ______ of us to have a costume together,” said Indi.

“Maybe we can come up with a different group costume then,” I said.

“We could be the three little pigs!” said Indi. “You know, the ones who didn’t want the big bad wolf to huff and puff and blow their houses ______.”

“Yeah!” said Tex.

“I love that idea,” I said.

We found an old book of fairy tales and read “The Three Little Pigs.”

“I want to be the pig with the brick house!” said Tex.

“I want to be the pig with the ______ house!” said Indi.

“I guess I’ll be the pig with the stick house,” I said, smiling.

Making the costumes ______ a lot of work, even with our mom helping. And the whole time, Indi kept saying “Won’t it be so fun when we all go trick-or-treating?”

So you can see why there was no way in the world I could change plans when I received an ______ to a Halloween party at Stephany Morrison’s house. Stephany is a really nice girl from karate, and her house has incredible Halloween decorations every year. The invitation described the best party possible, with “gruesome games and creepy ______.”

“Why aren’t you eating your dinner?” my dad asked that night.

“I guess I’m not very hungry,” I mumbled.

“Only a week until Halloween!” Indi cheered.

“Yay!” I said, trying my best to ______ excited.

After helping with the dishes, I went to my room, ______ I read the invitation again. From 4:30 to 8:00 on Halloween night, come to Stephany’s house for some ______ and some fright! I sighed. I’d be leaving to trick-or-treat at 4:30.

That’s when it dawned on me. We were usually back from trick-or-treating around 6:00, so it was possible I’d still have time to make ______ to half of the party!

I returned to the kitchen to talk to my parents about it, and my dad agreed to drive me to Stephany’s ______ Tex and Indi and I came home.

On Halloween, I put on my stick-house pig costume and had the ______ time going door to door with my adorably excited pig siblings. Then I headed over to Stephany’s. By the time I arrived, the “eyeball” cookies were gone and I’d already ______ the “haunted house” tour. But the “poison apples” were delicious, and I wasn’t too late to play some of those “gruesome games.”

So, dear Just One Kid, it’s ______ to happen once in a while that something comes up after you’ve agreed to something else. And it’s important to do the right thing and stick to your promise. But at times, you might be able to find a way to do both, like I did.

Maybe you can see ______ your friends would go to the movies on a different day. Or, if they’re doing something after the movie, maybe you can ______ them for that part. It never hurts to ask, right? And if it doesn’t work out, there’s always next time!