I only had a big goal(目标) last year. It was to raise money for my friend’s daughter’s school life. She lost her mother earlier last year. First I asked my friends and family for help. I got $1,978 from them. But my goal was $2,000. To reach the goal, I joined a half- marathon(半程马拉松). I promised to run in the banana clothes if my friends helped me reach my goal of $2,000 on the day of the half-marathon.

On that day, I put on my banana clothes and went to the streets of Los Angeles to raise money with the help of my friends. I ran in the banana clothes from Venice Beach to the Third Street Promenade (about 10 kilometers) and back. A great number of people looked at me, maybe thinking I was crazy(疯狂的). One man I met laughed because of my funny clothes and told me that I made him happy.

After running that day, I looked at my fundraising(募款的) money someone gave me, and there was a $500 donation(捐款) on the paper from a man named Paul.

With the help of my friends and kind Paul, I reached my goal. I didn’t know who he was and why he gave so much, but I would like to meet him, so I could say “thank you” to him.

On a Friday night, a poor young violinist was playing his violin at the entrance of the subway station. He played such great music that people slowed down to listen and put some money into his hat.

The next day, the violinist came to the entrance again. He put down his hat as usual. Besides the hat was a piece of paper with some words on it. It said, “George Black has put an important thing into my hat by mistake. Welcome to claim (认领) it. Soon the people were all interested in the words and wondered what it could be. After a while, a man rushed into the crowd, took the violinist’s shoulders and said, “I knew you would certainly come.” The violinist asked, “Did you lose anything?” Lottery (彩票).” The violinist took out a lottery ticket with Black’s name on it. Black took it and danced happily.

Black was an office worker. He bought the lottery and won a prize of $500,000. But when he gave $50 to the violinist for his wonderful music, the lottery ticket was thrown, too. The violinist was a college student. That morning, he was going to fly to Vienna for higher education. However, when he found the ticket, he put off the flight and went back to the entrance.

Later someone asked the violinist why he didn’t take the lottery ticket to pay for his high education. He said, “Although I don’t have much money, I live a happy life. If I lose honesty, I won’t be happy forever.”