純粹真實的自我

仔細想想現在的年紀說大不大，說小卻也不小了，有時候靜心檢視自己的時候，仍發現有很多的不足。所以還是那句：一生懸命遊びましょう♪

夢にときめけ、明日にきらめけ。(激盪夢想、點亮明天) by 川藤幸一 ←大電影什麼時候看得到呀?

分享最近讀到的小故事…(其實我收到的是中文的啦，去google了一下原本的故事，就穿插著貼囉!)

變老和長大的差別

The first day of school our professor introduced himself and challenged us to get to know someone we didn't already know. I stood up to look around when a gentle hand touched my shoulder. I turned round to find a wrinkled, little old lady beaming up at me with a smile that lit up her entire being.

開學第一天，教授自我介紹後，要每位同學主動去結交一位新朋友，當我站起來環視四周時，有人輕拍我的肩膀；我轉過頭，看見一位滿臉皺紋，個矮小的老婦人對著我微笑，那笑容光亮璀璨。

She said, "Hi handsome. My name is Rose. I'm eighty-seven years old. Can I give you a hug?" I laughed and enthusiastically responded, "Of course you may!" and she gave me a giant squeeze.

她說「嗨！帥哥，我叫羅絲，今年87歲，我可以抱你一下嗎？」我笑起來，熱切的答道:當然可以！她果真緊緊地將我抱個滿懷。

"Why are you in college at such a young, innocent age?" I asked.

我開玩笑的問她：你年紀這麼小，怎麼就來上大學了？

She jokingly replied, "I'm here to meet a rich husband, get married, and have a couple of kids..."

她也調皮的回答道：我準備來這吊個金龜婿，生幾個孩子，然後退休去雲遊四海！

"No seriously," I asked. I was curious what may have motivated her to be taking on this challenge at her age.

「此話當真？」我明知故問。我很好奇，到底是何動機，促使他年屆古稀，還來上大學；

"I always dreamed of having a college education and now I'm getting one!" she told me.

她告訴我說：我一直夢想要受大學教育如今終於得償宿願。

After class we walked to the student union building and shared a chocolate milkshake. We became instant friends. Every day for the next three months we would leave class together and talk nonstop. I was always mesmerized listening to this "time machine" as she shared her wisdom and experience with me.

下課後，我們散步到學生聯合大樓，兩人分享了巧克力奶昔，從此我們成了摯友。往後三個月每一天，我們總是一起離開教室，天南地北的聊個沒完，她像似部"時光機器"，將智慧和經驗與我分享，我總是聽的津津有味！

Over the course of the year, Rose became a campus icon and she easily made friends wherever she went. She loved to dress up and she reveled in the attention bestowed upon her from the other students. She was living it up.

一學年下來，羅絲成了學校鼎鼎大名的人物，不論走到哪裡，她總能輕易的結交到新朋友她經常打扮得漂漂亮亮的，陶醉在同學對她的關注之中。

At the end of the semester we invited Rose to speak at our football banquet. I'll never forget what she taught us. She was introduced and stepped up to the podium. As she began to deliver her prepared speech, she dropped her three by five cards on the floor.

學期結束時，羅絲應邀到我們足球隊舉辦的晚宴中演講。我永難忘懷當晚她賜予我們的珍貴禮物；主持人介紹她給聽眾之後，她碎步走向講台，正當要開始演講時，她手中講稿不慎掉落地上。

Frustrated and a little embarrassed she leaned into the microphone and simply said, "I'm sorry I'm so jittery. I gave up beer for Lent and this whiskey is killing me! I'll never get my speech back in order so let me just tell you what I know." As we laughed she cleared her throat and began, "We do not stop playing because we are old; we grow old because we stop playing There are only four secrets to staying young, being happy, and achieving success. You have to laugh and find humor every day. You've got to have a dream. When you lose your dreams, you die. We have so many people walking around who are dead and don't even know it! There is a huge difference between growing older and growing up. If you are nineteen years old and lie in bed for one full year and don't do one productive thing, you will turn twenty years old. If I am eighty-seven years old and stay in bed for a year and never do anything I will turn eighty-eight. Anybody can grow older. That doesn't take any talent or ability. The idea is to grow up by always finding opportunity in change. Have no regrets.The elderly usually don't have regrets for what we did, but rather for things we did not do. The only people who fear death are those with regrets." She concluded her speech by courageously singing "The Rose." She challenged each of us to study the lyrics and live them out in our daily lives.

有幾秒鐘時間她顯得有點懊惱和靦腆，不過立刻就幽默的對著麥克風淡淡的說：「抱歉，我最近老是喜歡掉東西，剛剛我本想喝杯啤酒壯膽，卻喝了威士忌，沒想到那玩意簡直要我的命，看來我是記不得事先準備的東西，那我就講最熟悉的事情吧！」在大家的笑聲中，她清了一下喉嚨，然後開始說：「我們不是因為年老而停止玩樂，我們是因停止玩樂才會變老，只有一種秘訣能讓人青春永駐，快樂成功：就是你們必須笑口常開，幽默風趣；你們必須時時懷抱夢想，當你們失去夢想時，你們就形同死亡，我們周圍有許多人像似行屍走肉卻不自覺。變老和長大之間有很大的差別，任何人都會變老，但不一定每個人都會長大，長大的意思是，你必須不斷在蛻變中找尋成長的機會而善加利用，要活得無怨無悔；上了年紀的人，通常不會因做過的事後悔；卻常因在年輕時，未曾去做自己想做的事而遺憾，只有心懷悔恨的人，會恐懼死亡。」

At the year's end Rose finished the college degree she had begun all those years ago. One week after graduation Rose died peacefully in her sleep. Over two thousand college students attended her funeral in tribute to the wonderful woman who taught by example that it's never too late to be all you can possibly be.

那年底，羅絲終於完成他的大學學業。畢業後一星期，她在睡夢中安詳去逝。超過兩千名同學參加她的葬禮，我們聚在一起，向這位以身教教導我們的長者致敬。

REMEMBER, GROWING OLDER IS MANDATORY. GROWING UP IS OPTIONAL.
We make a Living by what we get, We make a Life by what we give.
God promises a safe landing, not a calm passage. If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it.

只要下定決心，不管年紀多大都可以實現夢想…

年復一年，你「長大」了嗎？還是，只是「變老」？

**照原文的故事，要來復習一下「The Rose」**  真是好個勵志(?)歌曲啊!

The rose

Some say love, it is a river, that drowns the tender reed
Some say love, it is a razor, that leaves your soul to bleed
Some say love, it is a hunger, an endless aching need
I say love, it is a flower, and you, its only seed

Its the heart afraid of breaking, that never learns to dance
Its the dream afraid of waking, that never takes the chance
Its the one who wont be taken, the one who cant seem to give
And the soul afraid of dying, that never learns to live

When the night has been too lonely and the road has been too long
And you think that love is only for the lucky and the strong
Just remember that in the winter, far beneath the bitter snow
Lies the seed, that with the suns love in the spring becomes the rose.