几年前，在一所大学的开幕典礼中，可口可乐的首席执行官布赖恩·戴森讲到工作与其他义务的关系：想像生命是一场不停丢掷五个球于空中的游戏。这五个球分别为工作、家庭、健康、朋友和心灵，而且你很努力地掷着这五个球，不让它们落地。很快地你会了解工作是一个橡皮球。如果你不幸失手落下它，它还是会弹回来。但是家庭、健康、朋友和心灵这四个球是用玻璃做成的。一旦你失手落下，它们可能会少了一角，留下无法挽回的记号、刻痕、损坏甚至碎落一地。它们将永远不会跟以前一样。你必须了解这个道理，并且为平衡你的生命而努力。但要怎么才做得到呢？别拿自己和他人比较，这只会降低了你原有的价值。因为我们都是独一无二的，因为我们每一个人都很特别。别人认为重要的事不一定是你的目标。只有你才知道什么最适合你。不要将贴近你的心的人、事物视为理所当然的存在。你必须将他们视为你的生命一般好好地抓牢他们。没有他们，生命将失去意义。别让你的生命总在依恋过去种种或是寄望未来中逝去。如果你活在每个当下，你就活出了生命中的每一天。当你还能给予的时候别轻言放弃。只要你不放弃，就有无限延伸的可能。别害怕承认你并非完美。正因如此，我们才得以借由这脆弱的细丝紧密地串绑在一起。别害怕遇到危险。正因如此，我们才得以借由这些机会学习勇敢。别以爱太难找到作为借口而紧闭你的心扉。最迅速找到爱的方法就是给予你的爱；最快速失去爱的方法就是紧紧地守着你的爱不放；维持爱的最好方式就是给爱一双翅膀。莫要匆忙地度过你的一生，那匆忙让你忘了曾经到过哪里，也让你忘了你要去哪里。 莫忘记，人类情感上最大的需要是感恩。莫害怕学习。知识没有重量，它是可以随意携带的珍宝。莫漫不经心地蹉跎光阴或口无遮拦。时间与言词两者都是一放便收不回来。生命不是一场赛跑，而是一步一个脚印的旅程。昨天已是历史，明天还是未知，而今天则是一个上天的礼物：那就是我们为什么称它为“现在”（Present）的原因。
A Real Friend
Brownie and Spotty were neighbor dogs who met every day to play together.Like pairs of dogs you can find in most any neighborhood，these two loved each other and played together so often that they had worn a path through the grass of the field between their respective houses.One evening，Brownies family noticed that Brownie hadnt returned home.They went looking for him with no success.Brownie didnt show up the next day，and，despite their efforts to find him，by the next week he was still missing.Curiously，Spotty showed up at Brownies house alone.Barking，whining and generally pestering Brownies human family.Busy with their own lives，they just ignored the nervous little neighbor dog.Finally，one morning Spotty refused to take “no”for an answer.Ted，Brownies owner，was steadily harassed by the furious，adamant little dog.Spotty followed Ted about，barking insistently，then darting toward a nearby empty lot and back，as if to say，“Follow me！Its urgent！”Eventually，Ted followed the frantic Spotty across the empty lot as Spotty paused to race back and bark encouragingly.The little dog led the man under a tree，past clumps of trees，to a desolate spot a half mile from the house.There Ted found his beloved Brownie alive，one of his hind legs crushed in a steel leghold trap.Horrified，Ted now wished hed taken Spottys earlier appeals seriously.Then Ted noticed something quite remarkable.Spotty had done more than simply led Brownies human owner to his trapped friend.In a circle around the injured dog，Ted found an array of dog food and table scraps—which were later identified as the remains of every meal Spotty had been fed that week！Spotty had been visiting Brownie regularly，in a singleminded quest to keep his friend alive by sacrificing his own comfort.Spotty had evidently stayed with Brownie to protect him from predators，snuggling with him at night to keep him warm and nuzzling him to keep his spirits up.Brownies leg was treated by a veterinarian and he recovered.For many years thereafter，the two families watched the faithful friends frolicking and chasing each other down that wellworn path between their houses.
