When I was a kid, there was only one way my parents would let me stay home from school and that was if I had a high fever. Most of my friends could stay home due to a stomachache or a mild fever——but not me... I had to be dying in order to stay home. By the way, my parents are both doctors. My parents used to say that they were teaching me how to have a good work ethic(职业道德). I didn't understand the connection until last week.

   The other day I was on the train and sat behind a young man who was complaining to his friend about his life. He went on for twenty minutes about how his passion in life was to make movies, but he wouldn't pursue it because he had no clue if he could make enough money and he didn't want to waste time because it would take years to make it big. He then admitted to thinking about buying stocks(股票)by borrowing money because he thought he could easily make six figures within one year. His friend agreed with hin and said, "The stock is good because you can make tons of money and only work for a short time. "

   I think they were indulging(沉溺)in the wildest fantasy. Many people these days don't realize that when things seem to happen immediately, it is only because a lot of effort, determination and time have gone into them and it isn't due to some miraculous(不可思议的) event. The easier it looks, the more hours go into it. There is no excuse for laziness.

   Looking at the two young men, all of a sudden I was having a flashback of being ten years old and watching the television show Fame.

   In the show the dance teacher told her students, "If you want fame, fame costs and here's how you start paying for it ... in sweat." Every time we watched that show, my dad would proudly say how right the teacher was because in order to succeed you have to work hard.

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 She had to pack up her bedroom in Virgina Beach, where she lived with her mother, two sisters and brother. She had to say goodbye to her two dogs, who used to sleep in her bed, and to the beach, where she loved to ride waves on her boogie board.

   But it was time to take the leap, however, heartbreaking and awkward it would be. Even at 14, Douglas knew that.

   So off she went about 1,200 miles to West Des Moines, Lowa, to train with a coach from China and live with a white family she had never been met. When she arrived, Douglas thought that she must be the only black person in the state. When she woke up she always said, "This isn't my bed set. Where am I?"

   Liang Chow, who had coached the Olympic gold medalist Shawn Johnson, transformed Douglas into one of the best gymnasts in the world, helping her skyrocket from an average member of the national team to the top of the sport. And a couple with four daughters became her second family, nurturing her Iown while her real family supported her from afar.

   That move also was important in Douglas's making history. By winning the Olympic all-round title, she became the first black woman to do so. She also became the fourth American woman to win the all-round, following Mary Lou Retton in 1984, Carly Pattemson in 2004 and Nastia Liukin in 2008.

   Douglas won, scoring 62.232 points, and led the competition from beginning to end. Viktoria Komova, who sobbed into her coach's chest when she learned she had lost, won the silver, with 61.973 points. Aliya Mustafina, the 2010 world all-round champion, won the bronze, with 59.566 points. The other American in the competition, Aly Raisman finished fourth after losing a tiebreaker(决胜局) to Mustafina.

   Douglas said she had felt confidence all along that she would win. "It was just an amazing feeling," she said, giggling(咯咯笑): "I was just like, believe, don't fear, believe." After sacrificing(牺牲)so much, she had no other choice but to push forward, she said.

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 I always do voluntary work in the hospital. As a patient visitor, my primary goal is to deliver quality services to patients and families. By providing companionship for patients in a sometimes lonely environment. I try my best to serve and help to diminish the loneliness and frustration patients may feel after staying in a hospital for a stretch of time for weeks or even months.

   Every Saturday afternoon for three to four hours, with a list of patients who have requested a patient visitor service, I head up to the 5^th, 6^th, or 7^th floor to first visit my priority patients. At the nurse's station, I kindly ask the nurses or the medical staff about the condition of the patients on that unit and confirm that the patients would like a visitor. After receiving an update from the nurse, I gently knock on the door of the patients and enter with a friendly "hello". Then, I introduce myself and again politely ask if they would like a patient visitor. I usually try to prepare a few starting conversation topics such as the current news, sports scores and fun facts. However, the patients usually engage me first in an interesting conversation.

   When volunteering as a patient visitor, I spent a lot of time communicating one-on-one with patients. Individual patients had individual needs and possessed extraordinary personal stories. Therefore, I found every visit fascinating. From generous and kind patients, I have learned about their diseases and their course of treatment. Additionally, I learned about literature, life during the Great Depression and wilderness of Northern Minnesota. On the whole, not only did I learn about the hospital settings and system, but I learned about the diverse life of others.

   Many of the patients I have visited were truly inspiring and I always admire them for their strength. Although difficult, they were often willing to share their stories of pain, suffering, hopes and optimism. I realize that I am truly grateful and honored that they would share their personal stories with just a volunteer like me.

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 When we were growing up in our grandparent' home, Jack, my grandfather, was always in his room sitting in the chair and listening to the radio. The voices speaking from the metal box day and night, taught us that there was a larger world outside. He would roll the black dial(刻光盘) back and forth until the signal was clear. Then he would listen.

   Now he is old and falls ill. When I went to visit him, he said to me, "I dislike the Internet. The problem is that we're losing primary contact with each other. No more shaking hands. Everyone is so busy. We want too much and in the process of getting it we miss so much. "He stopped for a while." It makes me lonely and sad. "Then he looked at me, "I just want to hear your voices."

   I think of all the voices on the radio he has spent a lifetime listening to. I asked," How did you become interested in radio?" "I don't know," he said. "It was another way to reach people. I was always interested in searching for a better signal, a clearer, more powerful signal that could communicate with someone somewhere."

   "And I'll tell you another funny thing: you can electronically eliminate all kinds of noise from the signal, but you can't remove natural noise caused by thunder and lightning, rainstorms, or snowstorms."

   He closed his eyes and smiled. "I was just thinking that in spite of all our technologies, maybe we haven't progressed that far as human beings. We shouldn't forget we still have the same basic needs."

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