“Everything happens for the best.” My mother said whenever things weren’t going my way.” Don’t worry. One day your luck will change.”

Mother was right, as I discovered after I had finished my college education. I had decided to try for a job in a radio station. One day, I wanted to host a sports program. I went to Chicago and knocked at the door of every station. But I got turned down every time. In one station, a kind lady said my problem was that I hadn’t got enough experience. “Get some work in a small station and work your way up,” she said.

In one station, a kind lady said my problem was that I hadn’t got enough experience. “Get some work in a small station and work your way up,” she said.

I went back home. I couldn’t get a job there, either. Then my dad told me a businessman had opened a store and needed someone to help him. But again, I didn’t get the job.

I felt really down. “Your luck will change,” Mon said to me. Dad lent me the car to help me to look for my job. I tried another radio station in Iowa. But the owner, a nice man, told me he had already had someone.

As I left his office, I asked, “How can someone be a sports announcer if he can’t get a job in a radio station?”

I was waiting for the lift when I heard the man called, “What did you mean? Do you know anything about football?” He put me in front of a microphone and asked me to try to imagine that I was giving my opinion on a football game. I succeeded.

On my way home, Mom’s words came back to me, “One day your luck will change, Son. And when it happens, you’ll feel good because of all the hard work you have done.” At that moment I knew just what she meant.

I wandered into the small store where I usually buy milk, when the store owner received a call from a customer. The customer and his wife had shopped there several months earlier. He noticed that his wife really liked one thing in the store, so he wanted to buy it as a surprise.

But the customer was in Tennessee, far away from the store which was in Maine. What’s more, he had been to the store several months earlier, and it was difficult to believe that the store owner would remember him, or what he was looking for.

The store owner took a few close-up photos with her camera, and e-mailed them to the customer on the computer. The customer looked at the photos, decided which one he wanted. They talked and discussed a price over the phone. She took care of the credit card transaction (交易) online, and promised the gift would be shipped out that afternoon.

The store owner was really smart. She was willing to push herself to find new ways to make the transaction actually happen. And it did work. However, it was the first time she had ever done it.

I was amazed that the store owner discovered a creative solution that could lead to a new way of doing business. I was impressed by what she did—so easily, but how difficult it is for many of us to make that leap(飞跃，跳跃). I’m not just talking about technology, but about learning how to adapt to change. Most people hate or fear change unless they get to know exactly what change needs to be made. However, we should realize that challenge and opportunity go hand in hand.

Take Time

It was Tuesday morning and Jake’s mother was driving him to school. As usual, they were driving down busy Fortieth Street. Jake’s mother was driving as fast as the speed limit and traffic allowed. Jake sat in the back seat, daydreaming as he looked out the window. They were passing a city park, and it flew past him quickly. “That park is blocking (阻挡) our way,” Jake’s mother said unhappily. “If I could drive right through it, we’d be at school in no time, but I have to drive all the way around it.”

The next day, as usual, Jake’s mother was driving him to school. Jake was looking out the window. Suddenly, he saw something shoot up from out of the trees. Just as quickly, it disappeared. At least, he thought he saw something, but they had speeded by so quickly that he was uncertain.

The following day, once again Jake and his mother were on their way to school. This time, Jake paid special attention as they passed the park. Tree after tree rushed by, when — there! There it was again! Jake wanted to find out what it was in the park, but his mother said he had a lot to do in the school and she was too busy to walk in the park. Jake begged his mother and she finally agreed to go and see it on the weekend!

On Saturday morning, Jake and his mother finally walked into the park and down a wooded path. Approaching (接近) the middle of the park, they discovered a large and lovely water fountain(喷泉). Every so often, it would shoot a burst of water high into the air. “Mom, this is what I saw shooting up out of the park on our way to school!” Jake said excitedly.

Jake’s mother smiled happily. “What an enjoyable walk! Let’s come here more often,” she suggested. “In fact, we don’t always have to drive to school. Let’s walk to school when the weather is nice, and we can walk through this park on our way.”

“Sure!” Jake happily agreed.