Every Sunday morning, I take a light jog around a park near my home. There's a lake in one corner of the park. Each time I jog by this lake, I see the same elderly woman sitting by the lake with a small metal cage beside her.
Last Sunday, my curiosity (好奇心) got the better of me, so I stopped jogging and walked over to her. As I got closer, I found that inside the metal cage were three turtles, slowly walking around. She had a fourth turtle on her lap (大腿) that she was carefully brushing.
"Hello," I said. "I'd love to know what you're doing with these turtles."
She smiled. "I'm cleaning their shells," she replied. "Anything on a turtle's shell, like algae (海藻) or scum (浮沫), stops the turtle from swimming. It can also weaken the shell over time. I'm doing this to help the turtles. It's my own way of making a difference."
"Wow! That's really nice of you! But there are turtles living in lakes all around the world. And few of these turtles have kind people like you to help them clean their shells. So how exactly are you sure that you are truly making a difference?" I questioned.
The woman laughed aloud. She then looked down at the turtle on her lap, brushed the last piece of algae from its shell, and said, "Sweetie, every act of kindness matters. If this little guy could talk, he'd tell you I just made all the difference in the world."
