A man was fishing on the bank of a river. A boy came to see him fishing. The man was really good at fishing and he could catch a full basket of fish in a short time. The man saw that the boy was very cute, and he wanted to give him a whole basket of fish. But the boy shook his head. The man was surprised and asked, “Why don’t you want the fish? ”

The boy replied, “I want the fishing rod(竿)in your hands.”

The man asked, “Why do you want the rod? ”

“I will eat up all the fish in the basket soon, but if I have the fishing rod,I can use it to catch a lot of fish by myself.”

Many people will certainly say the boy is very smart...wrong! If he doesn’t know fishing skills. He can’t catch fish without a fishing rod. It’s useless to only have a fishing rod, fishing skills are more important than having a fishing rod.

Many people want to have a “fishing rod” in their life. They are just like the boy, they thought that if they had a fishing rod, they would have fish to eat. Life is full of exciting things, we should try to learn fishing skills instead of having a fishing rod.

I still remember that busy autumn evening as I hurried with my eldest daughter, Athena, to get to her classroom on time for the parent-teacher night. We walked in and all eyes were on me. A few adults quickly quieted their kids’ whispers. A classmate yelled to my daughter, “What’s wrong with your mom’s face?” Shocked, I started to explain my condition, but my six-year-old daughter looked at him and said, “It’s my mom’s birthmark! Don’t be rude!” I was extremely proud of how she handled that situation.

I was quite young when I realized I looked different because of my large facial birthmark. I always thought I would be alone because of it. Being compared to Batman’s evil Two-Face made me believe I could never find love. But I was lucky enough to meet my husband, who saw me for who I am inside. When I had my first daughter, I was overjoyed, but I began to worry if the world would judge my children. I always worried I might pass my condition onto my children; I didn’t want them to grow up feeling judged. Unfortunately, my facial difference has impacted my children. My daughters get disinvited from birthday parties or sleepovers, or I learn certain kids are no longer friends with mine after their parents saw me at school.

When my kids were young, I explained how my special purple skin was rare and we talked about acceptance and never judging others on how they look. When my girls kiss my purple-skinned cheek, I feel “normal” around them and their unconditional love. With time going by, both my daughters have become my strongest supporters. Thanks to them, I’ve begun to feel more self-confident as I try to be a good role model.

Their worldviews are similar to mine. We see the world a little differently and with a kinder, more accepting heart. As the saying goes, your daughters will grow up to be your best friends. I know that will be the case for me!

If there is one piece of advice I have for people today to experience more joy in life, it is to travel more. Making the journey out to somewhere you’ve never gone before with an open schedule, to let life show you what are waiting for you.

As Danny Kaye once said, to travel is to take a journey into yourself. As you travel you get close to more new people, cultures, and lifestyles than those in your homeland all the time. With all the newness in your life, you’re also opened to new thoughts, ways of seeing the world and living.

Saint Augustine said “The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only one page.” When you travel, you may realize how kind and friendly strangers can be. Beyond that, you have the whole world to learn about with every place you discovered, every person you met and every culture you experienced.

Tim Cahill claimed that a journey is best measured (测量) in friends, rather than miles. One of the first things you can learn from traveling is how easy it is to make friends. Something magical happens when they’re open to express themselves without feeling judged. That’s how you can become best friends with people when you’ve only known them for a few hours.

Helen Keller thought that life is either a brave adventure or nothing. Life is a wonderful gift. You can experience it and take action from now rather than say “I wish I had”, so you can say “I’m glad I did”.