You’re only three years old, and at this point in your life you can’t read, much less understand what I’m going to try to tell you in this letter. But someday, when you’re ready, I hope you will find some wisdom and value in what I share with you.【小题1】

There’s not much you can do except learn to deal with them, and learn to choose friends who are kind to you and who make you feel good about yourself. When you find friends like this, treasure them, spend time with them and love them.

If there’s a single word you should live your life by, it should be this: love. 【小题4】

Love not only your loved ones, but your neighbors, your co-workers, strangers, your brothers and sisters in humanity.

【小题5】You are starting out on an unknown, tiring, scary, but eventually great journey, and always remember I will be there for you when I can.

Love,

Your Dad

When I was only 3 years old, my mother taught me to memorize and recite poems. She was my first teacher of the arts, and my father was the first to appreciate my performance. Even at that young age, I had a simple understanding of how art and culture affect us as human beings and how we can connect to each other through the arts, which shapes my life to this day.

When I was growing up, my parents supported my interest in taking acting classes and doing community theater. Their faith in me and the professional training I was getting from my theater teachers gave me a sense of purpose and a sense of self-confidence. I learned what artistic achievement actually was and what hard work the business was. Although many people see the rosy picture to our business, I was really learning what it would require for me to become a professional.

I became an actress, but arts education isn’t just about preparing our young people for a job in the arts. I recently talked to some of the kids attending theater education. Some of them want to work in theater, and some don’t. They are learning not only theater skills, but also about the world around them. By studying the arts, these students are open to worlds and lives that they might not have any other way of knowing about or any other way to connect with in their lives the way they are right now.

These young people are our future. We are passing the torch to them. And I think that’s one of the most important reasons why we need to foster (培养) the arts.

Life is full of struggles. Sometimes, we simply want to avoid them. But even when our minds are constantly telling us that we should call it a day, we can still keep on going. The solution is the Cookie Jar.

The Cookie Jar method was created by one of the toughest men alive, David Goggins. Goggins is a retired Navy SEAL, who has competed in more than sixty ultra-marathons triathlon.

To raise money for a non-profit organization for orphans, Goggins decided to run Badwater 135. Badwater is the world’s hardest foot race. To qualify for Badwater, one has to run 100 miles in 3 days, that is, 4 marathons in one go. With zero preparation and training, Goggins decided to have a try.

For the first few miles of the race, he felt fine and had no trouble running. But at mile 50, his legs felt like they were loaded with lead. Still he ran. Then at mile 70, he couldn’t take another step forward. Exhausted and feeling beaten down, he sat down to rest. He kept on asking himself, “Why? Why are you still doing this to yourself?” He then remembered this wasn’t the first time he’d taken on an impossible task. And he suddenly felt some energy build up. He started walking slowly, step by step. He kept on digging in his past while remembering all his previous victories (胜利), making him get the energy he needed to keep on going. His feet were still a bloody mess, full of blisters. But it gave him just enough drive to sustain him, until the 100-mile mark. And that’s what the Cookie Jar is.

We all have a cookie jar inside us. Whenever you face a challenge, whenever you want to give up, you open the cookie jar and pick a cookie. The cookie reminds you of something you’ve overcome and how far you’ve come. Eventually, you’ll slowly build up your mind to be more mentally tough. Impossible, will turn into, I can do this.