As this year comes to a close, I’m full of love and gratefulness in more ways than I can put into words. It’s not a list inside my ____ or written down on paper anywhere, but rather a ____ I have been carrying within me throughout the past few weeks. Just yesterday, I was ____ to my mom that I felt as if I had grown so much in the course of the year.

This year has been a strange year for me. It ____ with much hope and expectation, ____ there were a lot of open wounds that needed to be healed (治愈) before that could happen, even if I didn’t realize it at the time. Still, I was in a ____ place from the beginning and growth was inevitable (不可避免的) as I held a(n) ____ mind and a willingness to change.

It was really a year of ____ and personal development. I have ____ to forgive others, as well as myself, and realized that it’s often my own expectations that lead to   ___. In the past few months I’ve been making great ____ to remove unrealistic expectations from my life. Though, I’ll admit it isn’t always ____. Still, I can say in confidence that I’m ____ this year full of love and gratefulness for all that I have in my ____.

The progress and growth I’ve made this year is just the ____ of the life I plan on leading in the next year and beyond. I spent so much time on ____, more than I have in years, and I feel that my efforts have ____ in so many ways. I’m ____ at a place where I’m excited to live life each day, and I’ve come to realize that ____ I’m not entirely living the life of my dreams at the moment, I’m working hard each day at making that life a ____.

When you measure the distance between towns on foot, walk to places that you thought could only be reached by car, or talk to neighbors with whom you never felt necessary to communicate, it will change your mind! When I _______ the 21-day Mindful Walking Challenge, I began to walk with a _______ mind.

I talked to the new _______ next door who just had a baby, and two different _______ on different days. I listened to their _______ in gardening after working all day in front of a computer screen. I _______ everyone passing by me. A friend walked with me one day and held my _______ as I closed my eyes to experience being _______. We stopped frequently so I could _______ mental pictures (脑海里的图像) about all the beauty I often ________ on my busy days, a purple flower, a tree branch with shining green leaves, a bird’s nest… We ________ by an apple tree and met the owner and her two kids. Her ________ moved here from Germany three months ago. We asked if we could ________ some apples. “Yes, please. I don’t know what to do with them,” she said. I walked to the streets that I ________ would not pass through if I had a tight (紧的) schedule in mind, and ________ a tiny free library on the sidewalk. I began to ________ if I had really lived in this ________ all these years. It’s a(n) ________ new town that I know so little about! I hold deep ________ for the 21-day Mindful Walking Challenge. One day, my feet might ________ far lands again, yet I know wonder is right here and right now.

I enjoy color, whether it’s my clean clothes or the shining light of my alarm clock. Like some great ______ of winning an award, I stare at my closet, my source of ______. “Okay, school-bus yellow is darker than lemon yellow,” I tell myself as I ______ rearrange my colorful clothes. As I look at my shirt selection, I feel proud of the colors and expressions,______, you see, my everyday life is ______, gray and full of stress.______ the bus at 6:35 and helping my mom cook, budget and ______ every cent—these are the realities of life. It’s not ______, but it’s difficult for a child.

Looking at my closet, which is in fact a ______ of my happy and active personality, one would notice that I own ______ black shirts. That would be boring— the opposite of everything I represent. I need a positive attitude; I need inspiration; I need ______. White, red and green clothes are smiling at me every day. Each color ______ my message.

Though I am not afraid to wear anything, I do have a ______ shirt that totally represents who I am: a light green T-shirt with strips (条纹). It is not fashionable but it’s ______ worn. The T-shirt is bright and sunny. I love noticeable color; I love to ______. I wear whatever I like. It is not just making a pleasant, wonderful work of art for the eye or getting the colors just ______. It is an emotional longing, a joyful enthusiasm and a constant ______.

Color is not just color; it’s the fuel that ______ my bones. I don’t want to be black and white. I want to be very noticeable; I want to ______. I want to be the colors that ___the world.