When I was just out of college,I managed to get my dream job as a trader in New York City on the floor of the American Stock（股票）exchange.

    Though it was a proud1,the job was simply too physically2—I must stand in a crowd every day,which often3me in a mindset（心态）that held me back.

    Manhattan is a walking town and it's difficult to4when you have a disability.Taxis are expensive and riding the subway5dozens of steep steps to get below6.This left me only one7—the bus.

    One night,after the8for my job,I was aching with self-pity9it started to rain on my walk to the bus stop.I became more and more10without an umbrella,thinking I'd never11it in this city.Telling myself,"this city is just too hard" and "maybe it is just not possible for a guy like me".

    And then,I12the most beautiful,short moment.A couple came rolling by on roller skates,hand13hand as they skated what seemed like the tango.They were all wet but they saw the14as an opportunity and romance.

    I suddenly became grateful for waiting in the rain because I15have missed this beauty16if I had been in a taxi or on the subway.This,although17,was an important moment on my journey to discovering the18of achieving health and happiness.When I change my mindset,19for a moment,to what is possible and work to get rid of the self-limiting beliefs that20my daily actions,I will be on the road to a healthier,happier life.

    I stood in the yard with my son. He had a 1of bubbles（泡沫） and would dip and dip and blow and blow, but no bubbles. He 2me the bottle and loop and asked me, “Daddy, can you 3bubbles?”

    I hadn't blown bubbles in years. Though as a 4, I have successfully performed various experiments, I was having no more5than my son. I would dip and puff（喷出）,but failed.

    After several 6attempts, I changed ways.7puffing on the loop of soapy water, I gently breathed on it. My son shouted with 8as a big beautiful bubble 9and floated away. He grabbed the loop, dipped and blew, but nothing happened as it was 10. I explained to him, “Son, you can't blow 11.You must so gently breathe on the loop.” He stopped his strong 12to create big bubbles by blowing with a lot of strength and 13my advice. Big bubbles came into being.

    There are some things that you can get with cruel14, but there are other things that only 15with the gentleness of a soft breath. Too often, we try to force 16and affection from whom we like. It won't happen. The greater force we put on it, the 17we will gain. Just like the bubbles, it bursts before it can ever 18because we put too much force on it. It can't be forced and is more often19in the soft things of life. Blow beautiful bubbles; breathe 20.

    It was an extraordinarily busy time of year. I felt some 1 to head straight home after a long meeting. So I headed to the 2 nearby for some therapeutic (治疗性的) hiking. As I reached the top and admired the view, my unclear mind 3. Re-energized, I knew that I could deal with the 4 that waited for me upon my 5. When I arrived back in the office the next day, I was full of energy, and finished my work 6.

    It was almost 20 years ago that I learned how 7 it is for me to carve out time to escape to the wild. I had finished my Ph.D. , 8 soil and water conservation in Honduras, but I wasn't sure what 9 I wanted to have. So, I decided to act on a dream I had been nursing for a few years, 10 my mom showed me a magazine article about a man who had 11 around America. I figured that I could 12 cycling with research for a book on American agriculture while I worked out my next career step.

    So I did it. During the cycling 13, I found the clearness I needed to 14 my next career move. Talking with farmers I met along the way, I learned that their biggest 15 was selling their produce. I decided to broaden my 16 from land management to improving farmers' access to markets. My 17 interest led to working for a nongovernmental organization and I did eventually 18 a book on. American agriculture.

    The 19 is to find your source of inspiration and make good use of it. For me, I always get nourishment (营养) from being 20 in the outdoors.

    Our apartment has been hit by a "hurricane". Every bit of furniture is 1 with paper chains, scissors, tape and modeling clay. 2, I'm so exhausted tonight, recovering from a surgery.

    The phone rings—for the sixth time in less than an hour. We know it is my mother, again. A stroke claimed her brain, but not her life. She is troubled by a severe mental 3— She has no idea that she has 4 the things she is about to say a million times. Nor can she recall I had a 5.

    Each time she calls, I play a game with 6 called "How Good a Person Can I Be?" I've won five rounds of the game tonight; I am due for a 7 this time.

    "Mom!" I 8. "You are not being removed from your home! And we visited two days ago!" Silence. Then:

    "I was only calling to say hi." My mother continues, "Why are you yelling?"

    I sink into the couch, aware that my daughter is 9. She hears me scold my mother and lose my 10. I have not only failed at being a good person; I have failed at being a good 11 to my daughter.

    "Can I talk to Grandma Ellie?" My five-year-old 12 the phone. 13, I hand it over.

    Then, I hear my mother 14 through the receiver. "Sweetheart! How are you? Did you go to school today?"

    What magic is this? All she says is "Hi, Grandma," Out of the phone comes a waterfall of good 15. My mother tells her how much she loves her and how lovely her voice sounds.

    I am not tired or angry; I am 16 inside, watching my kindergartner 17 her fragile grandmother with such skillfulness. I'm fascinated by their 18.

    The mess in our apartment still 19 around me. I listen to my daughter whispering to her grandmother, caring for her with extreme 20.

    I'll never forget that "very important meeting" with a guidance counselor (咨询师) during my senior year of high school. I gladly 1 my dreams，and was looking forward to hearing his 2 advice on how best to achieve my academic and professional goals for the future. He told me that I was not college material and that "3 a nice secretarial school" would be my 4. His advice did change my life, 5 not in the way he expected—because I didn't follow it. I didn't even 6 it. By trying to put limitation on my future, he made me even more 7 to pursue a college degree and a 8 of my choice.

    At that moment in my eighteenth year, I started to be 9 for my life. I decided what kind of college I wanted to attend—one that was small, personal and would develop my enthusiasm and 10. I searched through many resources until I found the one for me: Endicott Junior College, then a women-only college in Beverly, Massachusetts. When I visited Endicott, it felt like home, and my 11 was made. It was the only college I visited, 12, and was interviewed by.

    I was 13 to Endicott for the fall term and immediately knew it was the 14 school for me. After studying subjects 15 from English to early childhood education to psychology and art, I 16 with all associate degree in advertising. Then I went to one of the state universities. I decided to acquire my Bachelor's 17—and I did, while holding two 18 jobs. Now, when my little girls tell me they want to do this or that, I always tell them that I'll be fight there for them, doing everything in my 19 to support them in making it happen, because I know dreams really do 20.

    I was in my third year of teaching creative writing at a high school in New York, when one of my students, 15-year-old Micky, gave me a note from his mother. It 1 his absence from class the day before.

    I had seen Micky himself writing the note at his desk. Most parental-excuse notes I received were penned by my 2. The forged(伪造的) excuse notes made a large pile, with writing that ranged from imaginative to crazy. The 3 of those notes didn't realize that honest excuse notes were usually 4: "Peter was late because the alarm clock didn't go off."

    The students always said that it was hard putting 200 words together on any subject, but when they 5 excuse notes, they were brilliant.

    So one day I gave the excuse notes to my classes, saying, "They're 6 to be written by parents, but actually they are not. True, Micky? " The students looked at me 7.

    "Now, this will be the first class to study the 8 of the excuse notes — the first class, ever, to practice writing them. You're so 9 to have a teacher like me who has taken your best writing and turned it into a 10 worthy of study."

    Everyone smiled as I went on, "You used your 11. So try more now. Today I'd like you to write 'An Excuse Note from Adam/Eve to God'." 12 went down. Pens raced 13 paper. For the first time ever I saw students so 14 in their writing that they had to be asked to go to lunch by their friends.

    The next day everyone had excuse notes. 15 discussions followed. The headmaster entered the classroom and walked 16, looking at papers, and then said, "I'd like you to see me in my office." My heart 17.

    When I stepped into his office, he came to 18 my hand and said, "I just want to tell you that that lesson, that task, whatever the hell you were doing, was 19. Those kids were writing on the college 20. Thank you. "