马连振

我在公司的一些角落里张贴了一些有关人生哲理的小贴士，它们提醒我一个道理：我们永远不知道荡起的涟漪会去哪里，它们会持续多久，但只要内心播下仁慈的种子，一切都会安好。

A few years ago， I was working in a small office. I noticed that even though the size of the organization was not huge， we often worked in our different teams. While everyone was friendly， there was an underlying sense of anonymity（匿名） and efficiency in the workplace culture.

One particular week， I decided I wanted to make people smile， but I wanted to do it anonymously， hoping that it'd invite a subtle（微妙的） sense of trust in the work culture. So one evening， I wrote up a few quotes that had inspired me over the years. The next morning， I went to work a bit early and quickly posted them up by the sinks and mirrors in the office restrooms. Maybe someone else would enjoy the quotes as much as I had， and perhaps they might just freshen their day， I thought.

For the next few months， some of the quotes got taken down， but I noticed that a couple remained. So perhaps others liked them， too.

Eventually， I finished my contract with that organization and conditions brought me to other settings. A couple of years passed， but I'd get an email updated from my former boss and teammates every so often.

A few months ago， I was invited to a reunion with my colleagues to hear updates on how the project I had worked on was going. Although I no longer worked in this office building， I had really enjoyed working with my team， and was happy to see them all again. Towards the end of the event， I went to the restroom， and surprisingly， the quote that I had written 2.5 years earlier was still up in the same spot by the mirror！ It read：

“The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes， but in having new eyes.” -Marcel Proust

Maybe the quote simply still stood out as a shining reminder each time someone went to the restroom.

It was a sweet moment and a reminder that we never know where the ripples（漣漪） would go or how long they last， or how long a seed planted will take to bloom and bear fruit-but we know we should simply keep sowing seeds of kindness from the heart.

Reading Check

Have you ever done something helpful like the author to better the relationship between your classmates or people around you？

______________________________________

Language Study

Fill in each sentence with a proper phrase in its correct form.

1. I    ________________ the old picture and hung up a new one.

2. The passing of time brought _________ emptiness.

3. The whole economic progress of mankind has _________ getting more production with the same labor.