Les Brown was adopted by Mamie Brown, a kitchen worker and maid, shortly after his birth in a poverty-stricken Miami neighborhood. Les had a dream of being a deejay.

Mamie Brown had taught Les to pursue his dreams. Finally, he got a job at a radio station as an errand boy (跑腿的人).

At the station, he taught himself their hand movements on the control panel. He stayed in the control rooms and soaked up whatever he could until they asked him to leave.

One Saturday afternoon while Les was at the station, a deejay named Rock was drinking while on the air. Les realized that Rock was drinking himself toward trouble. When the phone rang, Les rushed to pick it up. It was the station manager, as he knew it would be.

“Les, I don’t think Rock can finish his program.”

“Yes sir, I know.”

“Would you call one of the other deejays to come in and take over?” “Yes, sir. I sure will.”

Les did dial the telephone, but it wasn’t to call in another deejay. He called his mother first, and then his girlfriend. “You all turn on the radio because I’m about to come on the air!” he said.

He turned on the microphone switch and said, “Look out! This is me LB, Les Brown, your Platter Playing Poppa. There were none before me and there will be none after me. Therefore, that makes me the one and only. Young and single and love to mingle. Certified, undoubtedly qualified to bring you satisfaction, a whole lot of action. Look out, baby, I’m your love man.”

Because of his preparation, Les was ready. He earned the audience and his general manager’s   recognition. From that fateful beginning, Les went on to a successful career in broadcasting, politics, public speaking and television.

I know exactly how you feel! I recently had a tough time working on a group project, too.

My teacher put me with three people (whom I’d like to call Cookie, Cupcake and Volcano). Our task was to pick a special place and make a brochure about it.

At our first meeting, Cupcake said, “Let’s pick Andaman and Nicobar! They have super-cute swimsuits (泳衣).”

“That is so true!” said Cookie. “Speaking of swimsuits, there are some get-ready-for-summer sales happening right now.”

“Really?” cried Cupcake excitedly.

I turned to Volcano. “Which place do you think we should pick?”

Volcano shrugged (耸肩) and said to me, “I don’t care. But what happened to your hair, Arizona?”

I was getting the impression that no one but me planned to work on the brochure.

When I came home after school, my mom could tell I was stressed out. “What’s going on?” she asked.

“No one else in my group is doing any work,” I told her. “So I decided that the only way to get the brochure done was for me to do it myself.”

“Well,” my mom said with a smile, “I doubt you’re responsible for everyone else’s part. Why don’t you talk to your teacher about it?”

When I talked to my teacher the next day, he suggested I talk with my group directly about my worries.

And at our next group meeting, I brought up my concerns in a friendly way. “Since we’re working as a team, we’re all depending on each other to do the best we can,” I said. “If anyone is having trouble, maybe we can talk about solutions (解决办法) together.”

Surprisingly, Cupcake, Cookie, and Volcano all ended up doing their share.

So, dear Overworked, the next time you’re stuck doing way more work than anyone else, I think you should: 1. Talk with your group in a friendly way; 2. Discuss your concerns with your teacher; 3. Do the best job you can on your part of the task.

Powerful storms had rocked Columbia, Missouri, leaving behind deep floodwaters that continued to rise. Monica Viet’s 16-year-old son Dominic Viet and his 17-year-old friend, Joseph Diener, had gone out to ride bikes and check out the storm damage. With more storms on the way, Monica thought it was best for children to stay home in this situation. Then, she texted him. However, she needn’t have worried. Dominic sent her a reply saying, “Mom, we just saved a girl’s life.”

Here’s what happened. The teens were riding past a basketball court that was deeply flooded when they spotted a girl holding on to a pole and calling out for help. They realized she was seriously in trouble. Fortunately, in school, they had both earned lifesaving medals that included water rescues, and as they glanced around at the other concerned bystanders, they knew they needed to take action. Together, they jumped into the water and fought the fast-flowing water to push the drowning 18-year-old girl to shore. Ten minutes later, they made it.

Once on dry land, the girl began to throw up water. First responders quickly arrived and took her to the hospital, where she is recovering.

The boys’ headmaster said being prepared for emergency situations is attached great importance to in the daily training of our school. He hopes the teens will get special medals for their extraordinary actions that day!

The two boys are now regarded as heroes for risking their own lives to help a stranger. “I feel like if you’re able to save somebody like that,” Joseph said. “You certainly will, because that’s what every one of us will do.” “We didn’t think much about it, and we just had to get her out. That’s it! Besides, we’re trained for this!” Dominic added.