Ann Guo

And to help me come up with ideas, and also to help hold me accountable, I sent a mass email to family and friends, making them a deal they can't resist. I said, look, you now have an opportunity to dare me to do whatever it is you want, provided that you donate money to my favorite charity. If I hit my donation target, I will do your dare, no matter what it is.

And I dubbed the project Care Dares. And boy, did the dare start flowing in. I'm to walk 100 miles from Boston to Northampton, Massachusetts without bringing any money or food. I'm to make a boat and float in it on the Charles River. And I'm to speak only Shakespearean English for entire week. My husband, Dan, who's Jewish, challenged me to crash a bar mitzvah.

And I dubbed the project Care Dares. And boy, did the dare start flowing in. I'm to walk 100 miles from Boston to Northampton, Massachusetts without bringing any money or food. I'm to make a boat and float in it on the Charles River. And I'm to speak only Shakespearean English for entire week. My husband, Dan, who's Jewish, challenged me to crash a bar mitzvah.

And I dubbed the project Care Dares. And boy, did the dare start flowing in. I'm to walk 100 miles from Boston to Northampton, Massachusetts without bringing any money or food. I'm to make a boat and float in it on the Charles River. And I'm to speak only Shakespearean English for entire week. My husband, Dan, who's Jewish, challenged me to crash a bar mitzvah.

A coming of age celebration for a 13 year old boy. So as I'm pulling onto Memorial Drive, just minutes away from the hotel, I'm starting to experience some serious anxiety. Because if people ask me who should I say I am, I probably won't blend in with the Goldbergs. So I have to be related either through adoption or marriage.

A coming of age celebration for a 13 year old boy. So as I'm pulling onto Memorial Drive, just minutes away from the hotel, I'm starting to experience some serious anxiety. Because if people ask me who should I say I am, I probably won't blend in with the Goldbergs. So I have to be related either through adoption or marriage.

A coming of age celebration for a 13 year old boy. So as I'm pulling onto Memorial Drive, just minutes away from the hotel, I'm starting to experience some serious anxiety. Because if people ask me who should I say I am, I probably won't blend in with the Goldbergs. So I have to be related either through adoption or marriage.

All right, so if a family had adopted a baby girl from China 38 years ago, you'd think they know who I am by now. All right, so that's out. Marriage. Maybe I'm just uncle so-and-so's date. Or maybe one of the kids attending the party, I'm the stepmother. Or maybe I'll just ask the person to guess and just nod to whatever it is they come up with.

All right, so if a family had adopted a baby girl from China 38 years ago, you'd think they know who I am by now. All right, so that's out. Marriage. Maybe I'm just uncle so-and-so's date. Or maybe one of the kids attending the party, I'm the stepmother. Or maybe I'll just ask the person to guess and just nod to whatever it is they come up with.

All right, so if a family had adopted a baby girl from China 38 years ago, you'd think they know who I am by now. All right, so that's out. Marriage. Maybe I'm just uncle so-and-so's date. Or maybe one of the kids attending the party, I'm the stepmother. Or maybe I'll just ask the person to guess and just nod to whatever it is they come up with.

My plan is to go in there, chit-chat with a few people, maybe get on the dance floor for a song or two. If there's a limbo contest, there's usually a limbo contest, I might even participate. What I won't do, however, is eat or drink anything because I don't want to be stealing. On top of that, I brought a birthday present.

My plan is to go in there, chit-chat with a few people, maybe get on the dance floor for a song or two. If there's a limbo contest, there's usually a limbo contest, I might even participate. What I won't do, however, is eat or drink anything because I don't want to be stealing. On top of that, I brought a birthday present.

My plan is to go in there, chit-chat with a few people, maybe get on the dance floor for a song or two. If there's a limbo contest, there's usually a limbo contest, I might even participate. What I won't do, however, is eat or drink anything because I don't want to be stealing. On top of that, I brought a birthday present.

It's just a small card game, but it's sort of my way to proactively atone for the transgression I'm about to commit. So with the plan all worked out, I step into the hotel. I figure I'll first do a walk by of the room to assess the situation. So after a long winding hallway, I see a large set of double doors. As I walk past, time slows down. I see five round tables.

It's just a small card game, but it's sort of my way to proactively atone for the transgression I'm about to commit. So with the plan all worked out, I step into the hotel. I figure I'll first do a walk by of the room to assess the situation. So after a long winding hallway, I see a large set of double doors. As I walk past, time slows down. I see five round tables.

It's just a small card game, but it's sort of my way to proactively atone for the transgression I'm about to commit. So with the plan all worked out, I step into the hotel. I figure I'll first do a walk by of the room to assess the situation. So after a long winding hallway, I see a large set of double doors. As I walk past, time slows down. I see five round tables.

The one at 10 o'clock is populated with teen boys. I figure that's where my target is sitting. The room is brightly lit. Everyone is just sitting there quietly eating their dinners. Holy crap, there's no music, no dancing, no limbo contest, totally unlike the bar mitzvahs I've been to in the past legally. There's no way I can pull this off because if I walk in the door, all eyes will be on me.

The one at 10 o'clock is populated with teen boys. I figure that's where my target is sitting. The room is brightly lit. Everyone is just sitting there quietly eating their dinners. Holy crap, there's no music, no dancing, no limbo contest, totally unlike the bar mitzvahs I've been to in the past legally. There's no way I can pull this off because if I walk in the door, all eyes will be on me.

The one at 10 o'clock is populated with teen boys. I figure that's where my target is sitting. The room is brightly lit. Everyone is just sitting there quietly eating their dinners. Holy crap, there's no music, no dancing, no limbo contest, totally unlike the bar mitzvahs I've been to in the past legally. There's no way I can pull this off because if I walk in the door, all eyes will be on me.

Everyone will hear what I have to say. And I'll be instantly exposed. Abort mission, abort mission. I speedwalk back toward the hotel entrance, and it took everything in me now to run out the door in that moment. Instead, I plop into a large couch in the lobby, whip out my cell phone, and pretend to be texting. Why am I doing this? I have no idea. Well, I take some deep yoga breath.