在巴黎居住6个月的朋友激励了我，在我做出自己的简短旅行计划并谈到这次经历的时候，我也触发了别人的梦想。我意识到在所有城市中，巴黎不仅仅只是一座城市。当你说你将要去丹佛、纽约或甚至是伦敦的时候，你是不会得到如此响应的。
然而巴黎却是一个象征——一个我们已经推迟拜访或向往的象征；一个可望不可即的美丽象征。它象征着你的种种梦想。
或许我们不能总是阻止不愉快的事情发生，但我们可以使美好的事情发生。无论那梦想之都在何处，我们都可以买一张通向那儿的机票。
Spring thaw
春日的融雪
Every April I am beset by the same concern-that spring might not occur this year.The landscape looks forsaken，with hills，sky and forest forming a single gray meld，like the wash an artist paints on a canvas before the masterwork.My spirits ebb，as they did during an April snowfall when I first came to Maine 15 years ago."Just wait，"a neighbor counseled."You'll wake up one morning and spring will just be here."
And so，on May 3 that year I awoke to a green so startling as to be almost electric，as if spring were simply a matter of flipping a switch.Hills，sky and forest revealed their purples，blues and green.Leaves had unfurled，goldfinches had arrived at the feeder and daffodils were fighting their way heavenward.
Then noticed that there was the old apple tree.It sits on an undeveloped lot in my neighborhood.It belongs to no one and therefore to everyone.The tree's dark twisted branches sprawl in unpruned abandon.Each spring it blossoms so profusely that the air becomes saturated with the aroma of apple.When I drive by with my windows rolled down，it gives me the feeling of moving in another element，like a kid on a water slide.
Until last year，I thought I was the only one aware of this tree.And then one day，in a fit of spring madness，I set out with pruner and lopper to remove a few errant branches.No sooner had I arrived under its boughs than neighbors opened their windows and stepped onto their porches.These were people I barely knew and seldom spoke to，but it was as if I had come unbidden into their personal gardens.
My mobile-home neighbor was the first to speak."You're not cutting it down，are you？"Another neighbor winced as I lopped off a branch."Don't kill it，now."he cautioned.Soon half the neighborhood had joined me under the apple arbor.It struck me that I had lived there for five years and only now was learning these people's names，what they did for a living and how they passed the winter.It was as if the old apple tree was gathering us under its boughs for the dual purpose of acquaintanceship and shared wonder.I couldn't help recalling Robert Frost'swords：
The trees that have it in their pent-up buds
To darken nature and be summer woods.
One thaw led to another.Just the other day I saw one of my neighbors at the local store.He remarked how this recent winter had been especially long and lamented not having seen or spoken at length to anyone in our neighborhood.And then，recouping his thoughts，he looked at me and said，"We need to prune that apple tree again."
每年四月，我都会为同一个念头所困扰——今年春天可能不会来了吧。举目所及，一片荒凉：山岭、天空、森林都灰蒙蒙的，如同画家大作初创前在画布上所绘的底色。我的情绪低落，正如15年前那个雪花纷飞的四月，我第一次来到缅因州时的心情一样。“等等看，”一个邻居劝我：“说不定哪天早晨你一觉醒来，春天已经来了。”
的确，那年的5月3日，我一觉醒来，惊觉绿色来得如此迅速，竟如电光火石一般，仿佛春天由一个开关控制，一按即来。只见群山披紫、天宇澄蓝、丛林拢翠、碧叶舒展，黄雀翩翩觅食，水仙朝天竞相生长。
就在那时，我注意到了那棵苍老的苹果树。它矗立在社区里一块未开发的土地上。它不属于任何人，因此也就属于所有人。它黝黑曲折的枝条从未修剪恣意蔓伸。每到春天苹果花就开得很盛，空气中弥漫着苹果的清香。每当敞着车窗从它身旁经过，我都会感觉自己进入了另一个世界——就像一个孩子坐在水滑梯上一样。
直到去年，我一直以为只有自己一个人留意苹果树。某日，出于春天引起的疯狂冲动，我拿上修枝剪与整枝器想为它修剪旁枝。我刚走到树下，邻居们便纷纷打开窗户，走到门廊上。这些人我几乎不认识，也很少与他们交谈，然而当时的情形就仿佛我闯入了他们的私家花园一般。
一位家住在活动房中的邻居首先发问：“你该不是想砍倒它吧？”另一个邻居看到我砍掉了一根树枝便心疼起来：“喂，别把它弄死了。”他警告我。不多时，半个社区的邻居都聚集到了它的树阴下。我突然意识到自己已经在这里住了5年，直到现在才弄清楚邻居们的名字以及他们如何谋生、如何过冬。老苹果树把我们召集到它身下似乎有两个目的：让我们相互结识，共享自然的美景。我不由地想起罗伯特·弗洛斯特的诗句：
那长满幽闭的花蕾的春树，
长成夏日的丛林，将为天地遮荫……
那次融洽的交流开了个好头。就在前几天，我在附近小店里遇到一个邻居。他谈到今年的冬天特别漫长，还抱怨自己不曾在社区里遇到几个人，也没和他们说过几句话。接着他理了理思绪，看着我说道：“我们需要再给那棵苹果树修修枝了。”
Do What You Love
做自己喜欢的事
Although I have many job titles，the one I am most proud of is"Professional Skateboarder".
I believe that people should take pride in what they do，even if it is scorned or misunderstood by the public at large.
I have been a professional skateboarder for 24 years.For much of that time，the activity that paid my rent and gave me my greatest joy was tagged with many labels，most of which were ugly.It was a kid's fad，a waste of time，a dangerous pursuit，a crime.
When I was about 17，three years after I turned pro，my high school"careers"teacher scolded me in front of the entire class about jumping ahead in my workbook.He told me that I would never make it in the workplace if I didn't follow directions explicitly.He said I'd never make a living as a skateboarder，so it seemed to him that my future was bleak.
Even during those dark years，I never stopped riding my skateboard and never stopped progressing as a skater.There have been many，many times when I've been frustrated because I can't land a maneuver.I've come to realize that the only way to master something is to keep it at-despite the bloody knees，despite the twisted ankles，despite the mocking crowds.
Skateboarding has gained mainstream recognition in recent years，but it still has negative stereotypes.The pro skaters I know are responsible members of society.Many of them are fathers，homeowners，world travelers and successful entrepreneurs.Their hairdos and tattoos are simply part of our culture，even when they raise eyebrows during PTA meetings.
So here I am，38 years old，a husband and father of three，with a lengthy list of responsibilities and obligations.And although I have many job titles-CEO，Executive Producer，Senior Consultant，Foundation Chairman，Bad Actor-the one I am most proud of is "Professional Skateboarder."It's the one I write on surveys and customs forms，even though I often end up in a secondary security checkpoint.
My youngest son's pre-school class was recently asked what their dads do for work.The responses were things like，"My dad sells money"and "My dad figures stuff out."My son said，"I've never seen my dad do work."