When I toured an art museum one afternoon, I came across a young couple. I was looking forward to a quiet view of the art works but they chatted nonstop between themselves. I watched them a moment and decided the wife was doing all the talk. I admired the husband’s patience for her continuous talk. Distracted (心烦意乱的) by their noise, I moved on. I met with them several times as I moved through the different rooms of art. Each time I heard her constant words, I moved away quickly.

I was standing at the counter (收银台) of the museum gift shop when the couple came near to the exit. Before they left, the man reached into his pocket and pulled out a white object. He extended it into a long stick and then carefully went into the coatroom to get his wife’s jacket.

“He’s a brave man.” The clerk at the counter said, “Most of us would give up if we were blinded at such a young age. But he made a promise that his life wouldn't change. So, as before, he and his wife come in whenever there’s a new art show.”

“But what does he get out of the art?” I asked, “He can’t see.”

“Can’t see? You're wrong. He sees a lot. More than you or I do.” The clerk said, “His wife describes each painting so he can see it in his head.”

I learned something about patience, courage and love that day. I saw the patience of a young wife describing paintings to a person without sight and the courage of a husband who would not allow blindness to change his life. And I saw the love shared by two people as I watched this couple walk away hand in hand.

With 19:40 on the clock in the first half of the match of University of Vermont (UVM) against Albany in March, Josh Speidel caught a pass and scored. The crowd went wild, and the coaches and players of both teams hugged Josh. Josh announced, “I did it! I'm a college basketball player!”

Making a single lay-up (单手上篮) would be no big deal for the average player. But five years ago, Josh suffered a brain injury in a car accident, only months after signing with the UVM Catamounts. The star of his Columbia, Indiana high school team, Josh had offers from 15 universities, but playing for UVM had always been his dream.

After the accident, he went into a coma (昏迷) and the doctors told his parents that he might remain in a vegetative (植物人状态的) state or need round-the-clock care for the rest of his life. But his parents never lost faith that their son would wake up.

Four weeks later, Josh proved them right. Not only did he learn to walk and talk again, but soon he was also working out. But the goal of playing basketball was a driving force in Josh's recovery.

Just a year and a half after the accident, he headed off to Burlington, Vermont to start college. With short-term memory loss, Josh knew he would never play for UVM, but he watched every practice from the sidelines and became an important part of the team. The team's associate head coach Kyle Cieplicki said, “He's shown the whole team how to overcome difficulty.”

Now 24, Josh will graduate from UVM in May. He is majoring in education and social services, and plans to work with kids. Josh tells people who are struggling with their own challenges, “Always have a goal in your head and chase after it as hard as you can.”

It was May 23, 2016. Arnot, the 32-year-old mountain guide, reached the top of Everest without the use of oxygen (O₂) equipment. It was achieved after seven years, three previous attempts, and fourteen straight hours of climbing.

After 15 minutes at the top, Arnot began her descent (下坡). Eight hours later, she reached the camp at 7, 600 meters and became the first American woman—and only the seventh woman ever—to successfully reach Mount Everest without oxygen equipment.

“There are so many reasons for her impressive achievement, especially the physical and emotional efforts that she’s put forth over the years to make this happen,” says the professional climber and photographer Richards, “The mental courage that it requires is something very few people have.”

Arnot didn’t start climbing until she was 19 years old. Money was tight in her family, and climbing mountains never occurred in her mind. After graduating from college, Arnot was invited by her friend to climb a mountain. “It totally changed my life”, says Arnot. “I always know that if you want something, you can achieve it, but knowing what you want is a whole different thing,” she says. “I am athletic but not competitive. After my first climbing, I knew immediately that mountains are what I want—as that is where I felt home for the first time in my life.”

After that first climb, she devoted herself to learning how to climb and move through mountain. It was during her second trip to Everest in 2009 that she first set her sights on a no-oxygen attempt. However, while hiking into Everest Base Camp that year, she hurt her leg and wasn’t able to climb without oxygen. In 2013 she nearly made it to the top, but was forced to take oxygen at 8,504 meters while helping another climber.

When Arnot finally stood atop Everest, she called her best friend, “I reached the top and I’m not using any oxygen.” Then, tears began to stream down from her eyes. So much of Arnot’s life has been about pushing the limits of her abilities, and in this case, she’s also pushed up against the outer limits of the human spirit.