What to Do when You’re Falling Behind

When I was a kid, it took me longer to learn how to ride a bike. I kept using a bike with training wheels and I didn’t _______ much, so of course I didn’t learn how to balance.

One day I _______ that my sister, 2.5 years younger than me, was getting close to _______ how to ride a bike. She wasn’t quite there yet, but she was _______ much closer to balancing than I was. I couldn’t let her _______ me to it!

So I took my bike, _______ it out to the street, and decided that I was going to learn how to ride it right now. I _______ the training wheels, jumped on, and swerved (突然转向) all over the place like an out-of- control madman. I tried to stay near the grass when I could get some degree of _______, so when I fell, I’d _______ fall to the lawn instead of the street or sidewalk.

After many attempts, I finally learned how to ________ Then I rode my bike a lot that summer and have had the ________ ever since.

Up until that point, I’d been making a big deal out of the whole process. It seemed ________ and discouraging. I was afraid of falling. But once I began to face the fear and ________ the courage to risk getting hurt, I quickly showed my ________ ability on the other side with a whole new skill. From the moment of making the decision to the time I ________ to get the basic skill it probably took me less than an hour.

What finally ________ me to face the fear and take action? It was the ________ that I was falling behind. My sister was leaving me in the dust. She could ride ________ I couldn’t. I really didn’t want that to happen.

I had no idea that I could learn to ride a bike so quickly. The feeling of falling behind served as a powerful motivator (动力). ________ trying to hide the disappointment, I allowed myself to feel the weight of that pressure. I used the ________ feeling to motivate myself to take action.

   Scott and his four companions were terribly disappointed. When they got to the South Pole, they found the Norwegians had_________them in the race to be the first ever to reach it. After_________ the British flag at the Pole, they took a photograph of themselves _______ they started the 950-mile journey back.

The journey was unexpectedly _________, and the joy and excitement about the Pole had gone out of them. The sun hardly _______. The snow storms always made it impossible to sight the stones they had _________ to mark their way home. To make things _________, Evans, whom they had all thought of _________the strongest of the five, fell badly into a deep hole in the ice. Having _________ along for several days, he suddenly fell down and died.

The four who were __________ pushed on at the best speed they could __________. Captain Oates had been suffering for some time from his __________feet; at night his feet swelled (肿胀) so large that he could __________ put his boots on the next morning, and he walked bravely although he was in great ________. He knew his slowness was making it less likely that __________ could save themselves. He asked them to leave him behind in his sleeping-bag, but they refused, and helped him __________ a few more miles, until it was time to put up the ________ for another night.

The following morning, __________ the other three were still in their sleeping-bags, he said, “I am just going outside and may be __________ some time.” He was never seen again. He had walked out __________ into the snow storm, hoping that his death would help his companions.

   I am a mom of two young children whom we homeschool. This _____ that they are with me almost all the time. Whenever possible I will _____ random acts of kindness—_____ things like paying for the order behind me in the drive-thru lane, holding doors, etc. So, they are very _____ with the concept and are, of course, also _____ to do "nice" things for others.

Just a few days ago we _____ our local grocery store to pick up a few things which quickly turned into an entire cartload of stuff. We got into one of the two open checkout lanes and waited our _____. While we were waiting, a young man came up behind us with only a few _____ in his basket. I told him to go ahead of us as we were in no _____.

He seemed very pleasantly surprised and ______. As he began putting his items on the belt the cashier began to ______ her till tape（出纳机纸带）so we had a fairly long ______ in line. My kids were very ______ behaved but they were still children；they asked questions, they talked ______, they moved around and they were generally very entertaining.

I could see the young man watching and listening with a smile on his face.

We were putting our groceries on the ______ when the cashier finished with his order. What I didn't know was that he had heard my kids ______ bubble gum. I had agreed they could have some. So he ______ a pack of bubble gum and asked the cashier to ring it through twice ______ putting it back. He then told my kids that he bought their gum because their mom was ______ enough to let him go ahead in the queue.

The experience really showed the ______ that good begets（引发）good to my lovely little kids.

   In the town of Boone，8 years ago this summer，a Chick-fil-A was built and all the parents and children were delighted to have a place with great food and a wonderful indoor playground. But there was one little girl who couldn't enjoy the food because her treatments made all food tasteless. She was most disappointed，however，that she was not able to play on the new playground that she saw so often on the way to the doctor's office. This was because her immune system（免疫系统）was nearly non-existent，and her parents and doctors were concerned that she might pick up a bad germ（病菌）.

One day when she was at the doctor's office，the manager of Chick-fil-A，who happened to be the husband of her favorite nurse and was bringing her lunch，knelt down before the little girl and asked her if she had been to the new place to play. The little girl sadly explained her health issues and the reason for her absence. The man held her and cried with her.

The next day，the little girl received a phone call from the man to meet him in the parking lot on Sunday. The girl's mom said，"I thought you are closed on Sundays." He said，"We do，but I have a surprise for your little girl. Oh，make sure she has play clothes and bring her best friend."

That Sunday，the little girl，her mom and dad，her best friend and her mom went to Chick-fil-A. The manager locked the door behind them，and disinfected（消毒）the entire play area from top to bottom twice. He served them cold fountain drinks and ice cream，and then played with the little girls until they could play no longer.

I know this story to be true because the little girl is my daughter, Makala. She will never forget the sacrifice and kindness of the manager. She will forever love him, and now that she is cancer-free, Chick-fil-A has the best chicken in her opinion.

   I now remember the day as if it were just yesterday. It was the early morning hours and I had _____ to my dad several hours before. We hung up the phone and I _____ my night time routine, getting my daughter ready for _____ and doing the same for myself. I went to sleep that night and the phone rang around 1:30 a.m. I saw that it was my brother _____ I thought he had probably been drunk so I hung _____ up. My brother gets drunk and calls me _____ Then the phone rang again and I answered. He asked me if I knew what was _____ because our cousin had called him and told him to call our aunt because she _____ to talk to him. She said there was no _____ at my parents’ house. At that point I started to ______ but I had to stay strong for my brother. I called the hospital and I asked if they had a ______ by the name of Ray Green. They said yes and nothing else. My mother called me back after a few minutes and told me that my father had ______.

I’m still so lost that sometimes I pick up the ______ to call my dad and then I remember he’s not there for me to make a phone call to. ______, I see something that would have made him ______ and I laugh twice for him too. My mother is so much ______ than I am. She is back at work and going on with her life and I’ve done the ______ but not like her. I know she ______ my father dearly but she is strong and keeps on so that everybody else can ______ her lead. So that is what I’m trying to do: stay strong and keep my ______ up.