It's a sad reality that many of us find ourselves just too busy to contribute to our communities. For a long time, I, too, believed it cost too much in time, money and 1 to make a real difference. But all that changed when I 2 my good-deed-a-day project.
My daughter, Emily, was my primary 3 . I wanted to show her we could do little things to help others, and be happy.
The first week, I wasn't sure if I could 4 it. I surfed the Internet for ideas. One day, I 5 a blind man in the subway station. He smiled as he thanked me. Another day, I brought flowers from my garden to a local nursing home... I could only hope I was arousing 6 in others.
Luckily, after just a few days I found it easier than I'd expected. I knew I was making a 7 .
Every evening at the dinner table, I 8 that day's good deed to Emily. Emily began copying what I'd started. On a walk home from school, she marched over to a neighbor's pot of geraniums(天竺葵), which had toppled(摇晃) in the wind, and set it 9 . "That was my good deed for the day!" she yelled. Another day, she helped me collect 10 from our neighbors for the food bank. We dropped off the food and,11 we drove away, Emily announced 12 that she wanted to work there one day.
By the last week, I knew I'd changed. At first, I hadn't been entirely13 that I could do a good deed every day. Now it was practically second 14 . I felt a greater responsibility to take action when I saw a need, 15 looking the other way. I felt as though I'd awakened, somehow.
