我仍记得八岁那年一天下午的情形。自从我第一次去农场，我就特别想得到允许去爬农场周围的石头墙。当然，那是我父母绝不会赞同的。这些石墙年代久了，有些石块没有了，有些石块松动而且快塌了。可是，爬那些石墙的渴望越来越强烈，终于，在一个春日的下午，我鼓起勇气，走进客厅，大人们周日吃完午饭后都聚在那里。
“我，呃，我想爬那些石墙。”我犹豫着说。每个人都抬头看着我。“我能爬那些石墙吗？”随即屋里的女人们异口同声地说：“天哪，不行！”她们惊恐地叫着，“你会伤到自己的！”我并不太失望，因为这种反应是我预料中的。但是，当我要离开屋子时，我爷爷的洪亮嗓音使我停下了脚步。“等一下，”我听到他说，“让这孩子去爬墙吧。他得学着自己做事情。”
“快去吧，”他对我眨眨眼说，“回来后去找我。”在接下来的两个半小时里，我爬上了那些老旧的石墙，觉得快活极了。过后我去见了爷爷，向他讲述了我的冒险经历。我永远忘不了他说的话。“弗雷德，”他咧开嘴笑着说，“你使今天变得很特别，因为你表现了自己。永远记住：整个世界，你独一无二，我喜欢你是怎样就怎样。”许多年过去了，如今，我主持电视节目“罗杰先生的邻居”，全美数百万的儿童收看该节目。多年来节目发生了许多变化，但是有一点始终没变，几乎在每次访谈节目结束时，我都传达给孩子们一个信息：“在这个世界上，你独一无二。”孩子们总会听到我说，“大家喜欢怎样就怎样。”
I‘ve Learned... 人生赠予我的启示
I’ve learned...that the best classroom in the world is at the feet of an elderly person.
I‘ve learned...that when you’re in love，it shows.
I‘ve learned...that having a child fall asleep in your arms is one of the most peaceful feelings in the world.
I’ve learned...that being kind is more important than being right. I‘ve learned...that you should never say no to a gift from a child.
I’ve learned...that I can always pray for someone when I don‘t have the strength to help him in some other way.
I’ve learned...that no matter how serious your life requires you to be，everyone needs a friend to act goofy with.
I‘ve learned...that sometimes all a person needs is a hand to hold and a heart to understand.
I’ve learned...that money doesn‘t buy class.
I’ve learned...that it‘s those small daily happenings that make lifeso spectacular.
I’ve learned...that under everyone‘s hard shell is someone who wants to be appreciated and loved.
I’ve learned...that the Lord didn‘t do it all in one day. What makes me think I can？
I’ve learned...that when you plan to get even with someone，you are only letting that person continue to hurt you.
I‘ve learned...that love，not time，heals all wounds.
I’ve learned...that the easiest way for me to grow as a person is to surround myself with people smarter than I am.
I‘ve learned...that everyone you meet deserves to be greeted with a smile.
I’ve learned...that there‘s nothing sweeter than sleeping with your babies and feeling their breath on your cheeks.
I’ve learned...that no one is perfect until you fall in love with them. I‘ve learned...that life is tough，but I’m tougher.
I‘ve learned...that opportunities are never lost；someone will take the ones you miss.
I’ve learned...that when you harbor bitterness，happiness will dock elsewhere.
I‘ve learned...that I wish I could have told my Dad that I love him one more time before he passed away.
I’ve learned...that a smile is an inexpensive way to improve your looks.
I‘ve learned… that I can’t choose how I feel，but I can choose what I do about it.
I‘ve learned...that everyone wants to live on top of the mountain， but all the happiness and growth occur while you’re climbing it.
I‘ve learned...that it is best to give advice in only two circumstances； when it is requested and when it is a life threatening situation.
I’ve learned...that I wish I could have told my Mom that I love her one more time before she passed away.
I‘ve learned...that one should keep his words both soft and tender， because tomorrow he may be to eat them.
I’ve learned...that the less time I have to work with，the more things I get done.
人生就像一场旅行，不必在乎终点，在乎的是沿途的风景，和看风景的心情。
参考翻译（彭琪淋）我明白了……世上最好的课堂在长者脚下。我明白了……当你坠入爱河，就会显露出来。我明白了……世上最安详的感受莫过于婴孩儿在你的臂弯沉睡。我明白了……善良远比真理重要。我明白了……孩子送给你的礼物永远不要拒绝。
我明白了……当我没有能力，不能用别的办法帮助他人的时候，我可以为他祈祷。
我明白了……不管生活要求你多么严肃，人人都需要可以一起玩闹的朋友。
我明白了……有时候，人们所需要的是拥抱和理解。我明白了……金钱买不到风度。我明白了……正是日常偶然发生的事使得生活如此精彩。我明白了……人们坚强的外表下总有需要关爱和欣赏的时候。我明白了……上帝不可能一天之内完成所有的事。那我又怎能做到？
我明白了……当你打算向某人报复的时候，你只是让那个人继续伤害你。
我明白了……爱可以治愈所有的伤痛，而并非时间。我明白了……有益于我成长的最简单的方法就是让自己置身于比自己更聪明的人之中。我明白了……你应该以微笑礼待你所遇到的每个人。我明白了……没有比与孩子一起入睡以及享受他们在你脸颊旁的呼吸更幸福的事了。我明白了……人无完人，除非与之坠入爱河。我明白了……生活很艰难，但我更坚强。我明白了……机会并没有丢失，因为你丢失的机会会被别人捡到。我明白了……当你心怀悲痛时，幸福就会在别的港湾停靠。我明白了……我本该在我父亲去世前再跟他说声“我爱你”。我明白了……微笑是可以改善容貌的一种便宜的方式。我明白了……我不能选择我的感受，但是我可以选择我做事的方法。
我明白了……每个人都希望在山顶生活，但是所有的快乐和成长都发生在你攀爬的过程中。
我明白了……最好只在两种情形下给予建议：别人需要时以及危及生命时。
我明白了……我本该在我母亲去世前再对她说声我爱她。我明白了……人们应该温存柔和地许下诺言，因为他第二天就可能会食言。
我明白了……我用于工作的时间越少，需要完成的事就越多。
Get to Do 我要去做
Did you ever have something that someone said hit you like a ton of bricks？
That happened to me at 8 ：05 pm on Thursday，January 18，2001. It is a day I will never forget.
I need to back track a little here，so you will understand where I am coming from. In September of 1997，I walked through the doors of Marian College as an adult student going to college for the first time，at 44 years old. It has always been a dream of mine to go to college，but that didn‘t lessen the butterflies in my stomach，or my lack of confidence. Today I have completed 96 credits and I have 33 more to go. I’ve come a long way from that first night 52 months ago.
It was during one of my current marketing classes that my instructor， Pam Schlenvogt，told us about“Get To”，and I just can‘t get it off my mind.
She told us that we walk through life making choices. Some of them are good and some of them not so good，but hopefully we learn somethingfrom all of them. She told us that night a little about attitude and how it affects us. She gave us a handout called“Life is an Attitude”and walked us through Accountability，Tenacity，Truth，Integrity，Trust， Understanding，Dedication，and Excellence. She also told us that we cannot choose what happens to us，but we can choose our attitudes toward each situation.
If we walk through life on the path we have chosen feeling as though we have to do this or we have to do that，eventually we might feel overwhelmed. She then told us about changing our attitude and looking at the opportunities presented to us each day. If we look at those opportunities or challenges with a“get to”instead of a“have to”we might enjoy the journey just a little bit more.
I decided to make a conscious effort over the next couple of days to exchange the words“have to”with“get to”in my conversations with friends，co-workers，and family，but most of all in my thoughts，and something amazing happened. I noticed all the things I“get to”do and started appreciating the opportunities and challenges on my path.
Just imagine：
I get to go to school to fulfill my dream.
I get to go to work when so many people can’t.
I get to do the laundry，thankful for a washer and dryer.
