I’m not the kind of mother who normally brushes and styles her daughter’s hair, and my daughter has never liked sitting quietly long enough for me to do it.

But today, I put a chair outside and let my daughter Sally sit on it. She was sitting high with her eyes closed, skin still wet from the shower, and her messy hair behind her back.

I realized she was taking in every touch from my hands. It was the last time for a week that our bodies would connect. Today, I would send Sally away for a week of summer camp. She didn’t ask to go. This was all my idea. She’s nearly 12, and I notice that I’m with my child nearly 24 hours a day.

Living on a farm without any neighbors, I’ve chosen a life that is quieter than a usual family’s. But instead of requiring space away from me, Sally has increasingly depended on me.

What worries me most is that she has become a “mini-me”. She follows my hobbies, my dreams, and   my opinions. And that was why I pulled her to the summer camp, a nearby wilderness (荒野) camp called Hawk Circle.

After we ate, I drove Sally to Hawk Circle. Once there, we got a tour of the grounds and were introduced to other campers. Sally stood by the group of children, holding my hand, horror in her eyes, trying to work up the courage to join a game of soccer. “I need you for a few more minutes,” she told me, holding my hand tightly (紧紧地).

I pulled away and walked up to one of the camp’s workers. “Excuse me,” I said loudly, “I’d like to introduce you to my daughter. Maybe you could help her meet a few of these kids.” He came over to talk to Sally, and I kissed her and then I disappeared before she realized I was gone.

On my way home, I felt a piece of my soul had been taken from my body. I began to shake. The tears (泪水) came down my face. It took every bit of my strength to keep driving forward.

When I arrived home, I calmed down and reminded myself why I chose this path. I thought to myself, “I want Sally to have a chance to find herself, out of my shadow. I don’t want to see only myself in my child. I want to learn who she is. If I don’t set her free, I fear I’ll never really meet her real personality.”

After 12 years of being together, I want to finally meet my daughter for the first time.

Tourism (旅游业) today is much more important than before. In the past, only people with lots of money could travel on holidays to other countries. More people travel today than in the past because there is a growing middle class in many parts of the world; that is to say, people now have more money for travel. Special plane fares (特价机票) for tourists make travel less expensive and more attractive (吸引人) than ever before. One person doesn’t travel for the same reason as another. But most people enjoy seeing countries that are different from their own. They also like to meet new people and to taste new food.

Tourism causes many changes in a country and in people’s lives. People build new hotels and restaurants and train in the natives as guides to show visitors around places of interest. There’re new night clubs and other activities. International tourism is clearly a big business.

My sister’s ten-year-old son came for a visit at the weekend one hot July. And I had to make him stay inside by joining him in a game. An hour later, I suggested that we relax a while. He slipped out of the room and I was catching a few moments of peace and quiet.

“Look, Alice,” he said happily as he ran over to the chair where I was having a rest. “I found a kite. Could we go outside and fly it?”

Looking out a nearby window, I noticed there was not a breeze (微风) at all. “I’m sorry, Tripper,” I said, sad to see his blue eyes. “The wind is not blowing today. The kite won’t fly.”

“ I think it’s windy enough. I can get it to fly.” He answered, as he hurried out of the back door. Up and down the yard he ran, pulling the kite with a small length of string (绳子). The plastic kite proudly had a picture of Batman. He ran as hard as his ten-year-old legs would carry him, looking back hopefully at the kite. After about ten minutes, he came back in.

I asked, “How did it go?” “Fine,” he said, not wanting to admit (承认) defeat. “I got it to fly some.” As he walked past me to return the kite to the closet shelf, I heard him say under his breath, “I guess I’ll have to wait for the wind.”

At that moment I heard another voice speak to my heart, “Alice, sometimes you are just like that. You want to do it your way instead of waiting for the wind.”

And the voice was right. We wait for the wind only after we have done all we can. We must learn how to depend on it in the first place！