人皆有天賦，信則夢成真

并不是人人都擁有很高的智商，但每個人肯定都有自己的天賦，都有自己最擅長的領域。相信自己，挖掘自己的天賦，你的未來不是夢。

Johnnie Martin is a young Canadian boy. He was the son of a carpenter1). His parents lived frugal2) lives， saving their money for the day when they could send their son to college. Johnnie had reached the second year in high school when the blow fell. A psychologist of the school called the young man， just reached sixteen， into his office and this is what he said.

\"Johnnie， I've been studying your marks and I've gone over your physical examinations. I've made a very careful study of you and your achievements. And I feel sorry to have to tell you...\"

\"I've been trying hard，\" put in3) Johnnie.

\"That's just the trouble，\" said the psychologist. \"You have worked very hard indeed， but it has not helped. You just don't seem able to get ahead in your studies. You're just not cut out for4) it， and for you to remain in high school would， in my opinion， be a waste of time.\"

The boy buried his face in his hands. \"This will be hard on my mother and father，\" he said. \"Their one idea is for me to be a college man.\"

The psychologist laid his hand on the boy's shoulder and said， \"People have different kinds of talents， Johnnie. There are painters who were never able to learn the multiplication table5)， and engineers who can't sing on key6). But every one of us has something special—and you are no exception. Some day you will find what your special gift is and when you do， you will make your parents very proud of you.\"

Johnnie never went back to school. Jobs were scarce in town， but he managed to keep busy mowing the lawns of the householders and puttering7) in their flower-beds. And then a curious thing happened. Before long his customers began to notice that Johnnie had what they called a \"green thumb.\" The plants he tended grew and blossomed， and the rose trees blossomed. He fell into the habit of making suggestions for rearranging the tiny front-yard landscapes. He had an eye for color and could make surprising combinations8) that pleased the eye.

One day while he was downtown， he happened to notice a stretch9) of unused land behind the city hall. Chance or fate or whatever you may like to call it brought one of the town's alderman10) round the corner just at that moment. Impetuously11) the boy said， \"I can make a garden out of this dump， if you'll let me.\"

\"The town's got no money for frills12)，\" said the alderman.

\"I don't want any money for it，\" said the boy， \"I just want to do it.\"

The alderman was astounded13) to find someone who did not want money. He took Johnnie into an office， and when the young man came out he had the authority to clean up the public eyesore14). That very afternoon， he borrowed extra tools and seeds and soil. Someone gave him a few young trees to plant. When others heard of it， they offered rose-bushes and even a hedge. Then the town's leading manufacturer heard of it， and volunteered to supply some benches.

Before long the dreary old dump had become a little park. There were grassy lawns and little curving walks and restful seats and little house for birds. All the towns people were talking about what a lovely improvement the young man had made.

But it was also a kind of show window for Johnnie. People saw the result of his skill and knew him for a natural landscape gardener.

That was twenty five years ago. Today Johnnie is the head of a prosperous business in landscape gardening. His customers extend into neighboring provinces.

Johnnie still cannot speak French or translate Latin， and trigonometry15) is unknown to him. But color and light and lovely prospects are his bread and butter16). His aging parents are proud of Johnnie， for he is not only a success， but he has also made his part of the world a lovelier place to live in. Whereever he and his men go， they spread beauty before the eyes of people.

加拿大小男孩約翰尼·馬丁是一個木匠的兒子。他的父母節衣縮食，為他以后上大學攢學費。就在約翰尼上高中二年級那年，一個沉重的打擊襲來。學校的心理醫生把剛滿16歲的約翰尼叫到了他的辦公室，對約翰尼說了下面這段話：

“約翰尼，我一直在研究你的學習成績和你的體檢情況。我已經對你和你的成績做了十分仔細的研究。但很抱歉，我必須告訴你……”

“我一直都在努力。” 約翰尼插話說。

“問題就在這里，”心理醫生說，“你的確已經非常努力了，可一點效果也沒有。你的學習好像就是無法再取得任何進步。你天生不是這塊料，如果你繼續上中學，依我看，也只是浪費時間。”

約翰尼用雙手捂住了臉。“這會讓媽媽、爸爸非常難過的，”他說，“他們唯一的希望就是讓我上大學。”

心理醫生把手放在男孩的肩膀上，說：“約翰尼，人都有不同的天賦。有的畫家一輩子也學不會乘法表，有的工程師唱歌就是找不著調。然而，我們每個人都有自己獨特的才能——你也不例外。總有一天，你會發現自己獨特的天賦，到那時，你會讓父母為你感到十分驕傲的。”

約翰尼再也沒有回學校。鎮上工作很難找，但他還是設法找到些給人修剪草坪、擺弄花壇的活計。這時，一件奇怪的事情發生了。他的顧客很快發現，約翰尼其實是一個園藝高手。由他侍弄的植物生長開花了，玫瑰也繁花似錦。他漸漸習慣了建議別人重新布置前院的景觀。他對色彩很有鑒賞力，顏色搭配常常出人意料，讓人看了賞心悅目。

一天，他去城里的時候，偶然在市政廳的后面發現了一塊閑置的空地。或許是機緣巧合，或許是命中注定，無論怎么說，此時正有一位市政委員走過市政廳的拐角。男孩一陣沖動，對他說：“如果您允許的話，我可以把這片垃圾場變成一個花園。”

“市里可沒有錢來搞什么美化。” 市政委員說。

“我一分錢都不要，”男孩說，“我只是想試試。”

竟然有人干活不要錢，這讓市政委員感到很驚訝。他把約翰尼領進了一間辦公室，當這個年輕人出來的時候，已經得到授權來清除這塊公認的“眼中釘”。就在當天下午，約翰尼借來了工具、種子和土壤。有人給了他一些樹苗。其他人聽說此事后，紛紛提供玫瑰花，甚至還有樹籬。市里的一家大工廠聽說了此事，免費提供了一些長椅。

沒多久，那塊沉悶乏味的老垃圾場就變成了一個小小的花園。有綠油油的草地，有蜿蜒曲折的花徑，還有供人休憩的坐椅和為小鳥搭建的窩巢。鎮上所有的人都在談論，這個年輕人把這塊地方變得多么可愛。

不過，這也是展示約翰尼才藝的一個窗口。人們見識到了他的手藝，知道他是一個天才的園藝設計師。

這已是25年前的事情了。現在的約翰尼是一家生意興隆的園藝設計公司的負責人。他的客戶已經擴展到臨近的其他省份。

約翰尼到現在還是不會講法語，也不會翻譯拉丁語，對三角代數更是一竅不通。然而，色彩、光線和怡人的景觀設計成了他的職業。他年邁的父母為他感到驕傲，不僅僅因為他是一位成功人士，還因為他把自己的那部分世界變得更為美好，適宜居住。無論他和他的同事走到哪里，他們都會把美呈現在人們的眼前。