Copyright ? Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press 2013

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    Published by Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press

    No. 19 Xisanhuan Beilu

    Beijing, China 100089

    http:www.fltrp.com图书在版编目(CIP)数据

    清晨许个愿＝A morning wish：英汉对照双语悦读编辑组编.—

    北京：外语教学与研究出版社，2013.6

    (心如花园双语悦读)

    ISBN 978-7-5135-3238-9

    Ⅰ.①清… Ⅱ.①双… Ⅲ.①英语—汉语—对照读物②散文集

    —世界 Ⅳ.①H319.4：I

    中国版本图书馆CIP数据核字(2013)第123299号

    出版人 蔡剑峰

    责任编辑 田 娜

    出版发行 外语教学与研究出版社

    社 址 北京市西三环北路19号(100089)

    网 址 http:www.fltrp.com

    版 次 2013年6月第1版

    书 号 ISBN 978-7-5135-3238-9

    制售盗版必究 举报查实奖励

    版权保护办公室举报电话：(010)88817519CONTENTS

    目 录

    The Blessed Dress 带来好运的婚纱

    Bells of an Ice-Cream Cart 冰激凌车的铃声

    Information Please 请接信息台

    The Language of Music 音乐的语言

    Napoleon to Josephine: My Adorable Lover 拿破仑致约瑟芬：我爱

    慕的心上人

    Two Women Who Taught Me Kindness 两个女人教会我善良

    A Little Piece of Me 我之碎片

    If the World Were a Village of 100 People 如果世界是个100人的村

    落

    The Blessed Dress 带来好运的婚纱

    My Iron-Willed Grandmother 我的铁腕祖母

    Clear Your Mental Space 清理心灵的空间

    A Morning Wish 清晨许个愿

    Clear Your Mental Space 清理心灵的空间

    Work and Pleasure 工作和娱乐

    Don't Miss Out on Life 生命，不要错过

    Time for Sunshine 享受阳光

    Follow Your Dream 追随你的梦想How to Grow Happiness 怎样播种幸福

    The Difference a Teacher Can Make 老师的力量

    Our Kind Landlord 我们的好房东

    Don't Work for Money 不做有才华的穷人

    How I Did It: the Unlikely Rise of China's Hottest Internet Tycoon 我

    是如何做到的——马云谈创业

    The Way of Music Talent—Lang Lang 音乐天才郎朗的成功之路

    Don't Work for Money 不做有才华的穷人

    Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish 苹果CEO乔布斯：求知若饥，虚心若愚

    The Master of Investment: Warren Buffett 世界投资大师——沃伦·

    巴菲特

    The Smile Inside 发自内心的微笑

    To Celia 给西丽娅

    The Great Gatsby 了不起的盖茨比

    Jane Eyre 简·爱

    Mama's Soup Pot 妈妈的汤罐

    Alice's Holiday 艾丽斯的假日

    Ode to the Oak 致橡树

    Mother's Hands 妈妈的手

    Childhood 童年

    The Giving Tree 爱心树

    The Smile Inside 发自内心的微笑

    The Land of the Exile 流放的地方The Blessed Dress

    带来好运的婚纱Bells of an Ice-Cream Cart

    冰激凌车的铃声

    Behind me, I keep hearing faint bells. Thinking them to be bells around

    some cow's neck, I don't bother to turn around. Plus it's kilometer number 32

    of 35 at 12:30 pm; I could care less where those bells are coming from.

    At the next rest stop, four of us find a shady spot to rest for a couple

    minutes. Everyone is exhausted as Kumar declares, I'm now officially tired.

    Just then, I see a young man pushing an old ice-cream cart, wiping the

    sweat off his brow. Ting, ting, ting, the bells keep ringing from his cart. He

    pauses momentarily, looking to me as if to say, Do you want to buy some

    ice-cream?

    No, bro, we are on a walking pilgrimage. We can't eat ice-cream. I

    tell him. He nods and keeps pushing the cart.

    Couple of minutes later, all of us start walking again.

    As I stand up, I wonder if I can turn it up. So many times, in my

    moments of inspiration, I feel incredibly heroic and then I always end up

    saying to myself, Yeah, but can you feel this way in your weakest

    moments? Fortunately, or unfortunately, I am reminded of that feeling and

    say to myself, Here it is. Here's your test. Part of me is anxious, as if I'm

    about to jump onto a crazy Disneyland ride. Yet a bigger part of me is

    pumped-up to knock down the fear and laziness.

    All of a sudden, I forget about my busted knee, hurting toe, and thirsty

    throat. Instead, I remember my tennis playing days when you often have todig deep within to find that extra juice. I reiterate my put it all on the line

    mantra for this pilgrimage.

    A gush of energy passes through me and I start walking fast. Incredibly

    fast.

    Pretty soon, I start hearing bells again. This time it's in front of me, the

    same ice-cream cart that has passed us earlier. As I am walking towards it, I

    visualize a nice, cold, Indianized vanilla ice-cream topped with fruity sugar

    syrup on my parched tongue. Heaven for my sweet-tooth, especially on a hot

    day.

    For so long, perhaps longer than I can remember, my senses have

    always gotten the best of me. But right now, I'm pumped-up. I'm ready.

    I cross the road so I'm right behind the cart. And right in the next

    moment, I start pushing the cart. The young man pushing the cart looks to me

    quizzically, as I explain, It's really hot and you've been pushing this heavy

    cart for a while. Allow me to push it so you can take a little break. Not

    knowing what to say, he lets go of one of his hands on the cart and lets me

    push.

    We start chatting. His name is Bhatt, he has two kids, and lives in a

    nearby village. By moving his cart for about 12 kilometers everyday, for

    about 12 hours, he manages to make up to 200 rupees per day.

    In the middle of exchanging personal life information, I pop in a weird

    question, Bhatt, do you like ice-cream? After thinking about it for a while,he says, Yeah, I like it, but I generally don't eat it.

    Do you have good ice-creams? What all do you get? I asked him as if

    we're old buddies by now. Perhaps thinking that he's made a customer out of

    me, he eagerly says, Oh, oh, lots of them. There's this 1 rupee ice-cream, this

    mango ice-cream and this 15 rupee chocobar too.Bhatt, today, I want to buy you an ice-cream. Will you eat it? I catch

    him off guard. Um, ummm... he mumbles and rearranges the cap on his

    head that seems too small for his head. I explain further, I can't have an ice-

    cream but it would give me great joy to see you eat an ice-cream. We are

    brothers, aren't we? So whether you have it or I have it, it would give me the

    same joy. Go ahead, go ahead and grab your favorite ice-cream.

    I stop the cart that I've been pushing. Convinced by my argument, he

    opens the refrigerated compartment of his cart and grabs one ice-cream. I tell

    him to pick his absolute favorite one and he exchanges the one in his hand for

    another one. It's a 5 rupee raspberry ice-cream.

    With a wide smile on his face, he slurps away the ice-cream on this hot

    day. No one has ever bought him an ice-cream before.

    By this simple act, our conversations take a spiritual turn. None of his

    hands are holding the cart now; he is busy trying to eat the ice-cream before it

    melts. I casually place a 5 rupee coin on his cart.

    Do you pray, Bhatt? I ask him point-blank. Instead of looking up

    ahead at the road, he turns his head to the right and looks at me squarely in

    my eyes, Oh yes. Every single day. In that moment, it was almost as if he

    silently connected our experience with that part of his being.

    My three kilometers are up. Like old tree leaves whose time has come,my physical complaints and ice-cream fantasies fall on the ground,somewhere along the way. The cart rests at an intersection where Bhatt is to

    go right, and I head for left. We part ways.

    As the cart departs, I hear the bells jingle once again. This time, the

    sound is neither behind me nor in front of me. It's within me. I'm so happy to

    be alive.pilgrimage n. 朝圣

    busted adj. 损坏的；受伤的

    mantra n. 祷文

    convince v. 说服

    slurp v. 出声地吃

    我听到身后传来阵阵微弱的铃铛声。我想那是挂在牛脖子上的铃

    铛，就没费神转身去看。再加上，现在是中午12:30，35公里路程已走

    了32公里，我顾不上在意那铃铛声是从哪儿来的。

    到了下一个休息点，我们四个人找了个阴凉地方准备休息几分钟。

    所有人都筋疲力尽。库马尔说道：“我现在可真是累了。”

    这时，我看见一个年轻人，他一边推着一个老旧的冰激凌车，一边

    擦掉额头上的汗。“丁零，丁零，丁零”，从他的车上传来阵阵铃铛声。

    他停了片刻，看着我，好像在问：“你要买冰激凌吗？”

    “不买，兄弟，我们在步行朝圣途中，不能吃冰激凌。”我对他说。

    他点点头，推着车继续往前走。

    几分钟后，我们又开始继续赶路。

    当我站起身时，我思忖着自己是否能够“调高能量”。好多次，在我

    精神振奋的时候，我都会感觉自己无比英勇，然而最后我总是对自己

    说：“不错，不过要是在你最脆弱的时候，你还会这么觉得吗？”不知是

    幸运还是不幸，此刻我又记起了那种感觉，便对自己说：“它来了。考

    验你的时候到了。”我有点儿忐忑不安，好像自己就要跳上一列疯狂的

    迪士尼乐园的过山车。不过我更多的感觉则是斗志昂扬，我要战胜恐惧

    与懒惰。

    突然间，我忘记了我那摔坏的膝盖、疼痛的脚趾和干渴的喉咙。取而代之的是，我想起了以前打网球的时候总是要向内心深处挖掘，以便

    获得更多的能量。我又反复念诵起朝圣之路上“全力以赴”的祷语。

    一股能量之泉席卷了我，于是我开始快步前行，快得惊人。

    很快地，我又听见了铃声。这次是在我的前方，是那辆刚刚从我们

    旁边经过的冰激凌车。当我朝它走过去时，我仿佛看见一支香甜的、冰

    凉的、印度风味的香草冰激凌，上面浇着水果糖浆，我好像正在用干燥

    的舌头舔着它。对于爱吃甜食的我，尤其是在这样炎热的天气里，这简

    直像在天堂。

    有很长一段时间，长得超出我的记忆，我总是跟着感觉走。可是此

    刻，我斗志昂扬。我准备好了。

    我穿过路，来到冰激凌车后面。接下来我开始推冰激凌车。推车的

    小伙子诧异地看着我，我解释道：“天这么热，你推这么重的车好久

    了。让我推一会儿，你可以稍微休息一下。”他不知该说什么，于是松

    开一只手，让我一同推。

    我们聊了起来。他叫拜塔，有两个孩子，就住在附近村里。每天他

    推车差不多十二公里，约十二个小时，最多能挣到两百卢比。

    在聊彼此的生活情况时，我突然问了一个怪问题：“拜塔，你喜欢

    吃冰激凌吗？”他想了一会儿，说道：“嗯，喜欢，不过通常我都不

    吃。”

    “你的冰激凌好吃吗？都有哪些口味？”我问道，好像此时我们是老

    朋友了。大概是觉得我可能会买他的冰激凌，他急忙说：“哦，哦，好

    多口味呢。这个是一卢比的，这个是芒果味的，还有这个十五卢比的，上面有层巧克力。”

    “拜塔，今天我想请你吃一支冰激凌，好吗？”我的话让他措手不

    及。“呃，嗯……”他咕哝着，把帽子在头上转来转去，那帽子戴他头上

    似乎太小了。我又解释道：“我不能吃冰激凌，但是能看着你吃会让我

    特别开心。我们是哥们儿，是吧？所以不管是你吃还是我吃，我都一样高兴。来吧，来挑一支你喜欢的冰激凌。”

    我停下了车子。我说服了他，他打开了车里的冷柜，拿出了一支冰

    激凌。我让他挑一支他最最喜欢的冰激凌，他便换了一支。那是一支五

    卢比的树莓味冰激凌。

    他开心地笑着，在这个酷暑天里啧啧地吃着冰激凌。以前从来没人

    给他买过冰激凌。

    在这个小小举动后，我们的话题转向了精神层面。他现在两手都离

    开了车子。他得在冰激凌化掉前赶快吃完它。我随手将五卢比硬币放在

    他的车上。

    “你祷告吗，拜塔？”我直接问道。他没有向路的前方看去，而是向

    右转过头，直直地看着我的眼睛说：“哦，当然，每天都会祷告。”在那

    一刻，好像他默默地将我们的经历与他自身联系在了一起。

    我终于走完了余下的三公里路程。好像枯叶终将凋落，我的肉体苦

    痛和关于冰激凌的幻想也掉落在了路上的某处。冰激凌车停在十字路

    口，在那里拜塔将向右转，而我则朝左走，我们在这里分别。

    当冰激凌车再度启程时，我又听见了铃声。这次，那声音既不是从

    我的背后也不是从我的前方传来，而是从我心中传出。我觉得活着真

    好。Information Please

    请接信息台

    When I was quite young, my father had one of the first telephones in our

    neighborhood. I remember well the polished old case fastened to the wall.

    The shiny receiver hung on the side of the box. I was too little to reach the

    telephone, but used to listen with fascination when my mother used to talk to

    it.

    Then I discovered that somewhere inside the wonderful device lived an

    amazing person—her name was Information Please and there was nothing

    she did not know. Information Please could supply anybody's number and

    the correct time.

    My first personal experience with this genie-in-the-bottle came one day

    while my mother was visiting a neighbor. Amusing myself at the tool bench

    in the basement, I whacked my finger with a hammer. The pain was terrible,but there didn't seem to be any reason in crying because there was no one

    home to give sympathy. I walked around the house sucking my throbbing

    finger, finally arriving at the stairway.

    The telephone! Quickly, I ran for the footstool in the parlour and

    dragged it to the landing. Climbing up, I unhooked the receiver and held it to

    my ear. Information Please. I said into the mouthpiece just above my head.

    A click or two and a small clear voice spoke into my ear, Information.

    I hurt my finger... I wailed into the phone. The tears came readily

    enough now that I had an audience. Isn't your mother home? came thequestion.

    Nobody's home but me. I blubbered.

    Are you bleeding?

    No, I replied, I hit my finger with the hammer and it hurts.

    Can you open your icebox? she asked. I said I could. Then chip off a

    little piece of ice and hold it to your finger. said the voice.

    After that, I called Information Please for everything. I asked her for

    help with my geography and she told me where California was. She helped

    me with my math. She told me my pet chipmunk that I had caught in the park

    just the day before would eat fruits and nuts. Then, there was the time Petey,our pet canary, died. I called Information Please and told her the sad story.

    She listened, then said the usual things grown-ups say to soothe a child. But I

    was unconsoled. I asked her, Why is it that birds should sing so beautifully

    and bring joy to all families, only to end up as a heap of feathers on the

    bottom of a cage?

    She must have sensed my deep concern, for she said quietly, Paul,always remember that there are other worlds to sing in. Somehow I felt

    better. Another day I was on the telephone, Information Please.

    Information, said the now familiar voice.

    How do you spell 'fix'? I asked.

    All this took place in a small town in the Pacific Northwest. When I was

    9 years old, we moved across the country to Boston. I missed my friend very

    much. Information Please belonged in that old wooden box back home, and

    somehow I never thought of trying the shiny new phone that sat on the table

    in the hall. As I grew into my teens, the memories of those childhood

    conversations never really left me. Often, in moments of doubt and perplexity

    I would recall the serene sense of security I had then. I appreciated now howpatient, understanding, and kind she was to have spent her time on a little

    boy.

    A few years later, on my way west to college, my plane put down in

    Seattle. I had about half an hour or so between planes. I spent 15 minutes or

    so on the phone with my sister, who lived there now. Then, without thinking

    what I was doing, I dialed my hometown operator and said, Information,Please. Miraculously, I heard the small, clear voice I knew so well,Information. I hadn't planned this but I heard myself saying, Could you

    please tell me how to spell 'fix'?

    There was a long pause. Then came the softly spoken answer, I guess

    your finger must have healed by now.

    I laughed. So it's really still you, I said, I wonder if you have any idea

    how much you meant to me during that time. I wonder, she said, if you

    know how much your calls meant to me. I never had any children, and I used

    to look forward to your calls. I told her how often I had thought of her over

    the years and I asked if I could call her again when I came back to visit my

    sister.

    Please do. she said, Just ask for Lily.

    Three months later I was back in Seattle. A different voice answered,Information. I asked for Lily. Are you a friend? she asked. Yes, a very

    old friend, I answered.

    I'm sorry to have to tell you this, she said, Lily had been working

    part-time the last few years because she was sick. She died five weeks ago.

    Before I could hang up she said, Wait a minute. Is your name Paul?

    Yes.

    Well, Lily left a message for you. She wrote it down in case you called.

    Let me read it to you. The note says, 'Tell him I still say there are otherworlds to sing in. He'll know what I mean.'

    I thanked her and hung up. I knew what Lily meant. Never

    underestimate the impression you may make on others. On that note I would

    like to ask you to remember how much difference one person can make in

    someone's life.

    polished adj. 光洁的

    fascination n. 着迷

    wail v. 痛哭

    soothe v. 抚慰

    miraculously adv. 不可思议地

    在我很小的时候，我爸爸给家里装了部电话，我们成为左邻右舍间

    第一批有电话的人家。我清楚地记得那固定在墙上的锃亮的老式电话

    匣，亮闪闪的听筒挂在电话匣一侧。我太小，够不着电话机，不过每当

    妈妈对着它讲话时我总是听得入迷。

    后来我发现那神奇的装置里住着一个让人惊奇的人——她的名字

    叫“请接信息台”，而她无所不知。“请接信息台”能报出任何人的号码和

    准确的时间。

    我第一次和这个“瓶中精灵”亲自打交道的机会来了。一天，妈妈去

    邻居家串门，我自己在地下室的工具台上玩，结果用锤子砸到了手指。

    我痛坏了，但哭也没什么用，因为家里没人能过来安慰我。我一边吮吸

    着我那抽痛的手指，一边在屋里团团转，最后到了楼梯那儿。

    电话!我飞快地跑到客厅搬来凳子，把它拖上了楼梯过道。我爬上

    凳子，摘下听筒，把它贴到耳朵上。“请接信息台。”我对着刚好在我头顶上的话筒说道。一两声咔嗒声后，一个细小但清晰的声音传入了我的

    耳朵：“信息台。”

    “我伤到手指了……”我哭着对电话说。一有听众，我的眼泪立刻流

    下来。“你妈妈不在家吗？”对方问道。

    “家里只有我一个人。”我哭着说。

    “你流血了吗？”

    “没，”我答道，“我被锤子砸伤了手指，疼死了。”

    “你能打开家里的冰箱吗？”她问道。我说能。“那么去敲下一小块

    冰来，把它敷在手指上。”那声音说道。

    那次之后，我有什么事都给“请接信息台”打电话。我请教她地理问

    题，她告诉我加利福尼亚在哪儿。她还帮我做数学题。她告诉我，我前

    一天在公园捉到的宠物金花鼠喜欢吃水果和坚果。后来，我们养的宠物

    金丝雀派特伊死了，我给“请接信息台”打电话，给她讲了这个悲伤的故

    事。她边听边说着那些大人安慰小孩的话，但我还是很伤心。我问

    她：“为什么唱歌那么好听、能给家家户户带来那么多欢乐的鸟，最后

    会变成笼子底上的一堆羽毛？”

    她一定是感受到了我深切的悲哀，于是温和地说道：“保罗，要记

    住还可以在别的世界里歌唱。”我觉得好受点了。又有一天，我拨通了

    电话：“请接信息台。”

    “信息台。”那如今已经无比熟悉的声音说道。

    “fix这个词怎么拼？”我问。

    这一切发生在美国大西洋沿岸西北部的一个小镇里。当我九岁大的

    时候，我们举家从西向东搬到了波士顿。我非常想念我的朋友。“请接

    信息台”属于家乡那个老旧的木头盒子，出于某种原因，我从来没想过

    要去试试新家客厅桌上的那部簇新的电话。直到我长到十几岁时，那些

    儿时谈话的记忆从未曾离开过我。我经常在怀疑和困惑的时候记起儿时

    曾经有过的那种宁静的安全感。我现在对她心怀感激，她花时间和一个小家伙聊天，那是怎样的耐心、善解人意和善良啊。

    几年后，我去西部上大学。飞机在西雅图降落，转机期间约有半小

    时的时间。我在电话里和住在西雅图的姐姐聊了十五分钟。然后我下意

    识地拨通了家乡小镇总机的号码，说道：“请接信息台。”奇迹发生了，我听到那个细小而清晰的、我无比熟悉的声音说道：“信息台。”我不假

    思索便脱口而出：“你能告诉我fix这个词怎么拼吗？”

    话筒那边一阵长长的静默，然后那温柔的声音答道：“我想现在你

    的手指已经痊愈了吧。”

    我大笑起来。“真的还是你，”我说道，“我想你可能不知道你那时

    对我意味着什么。”“我想，”她说道，“你可能不知道你的电话对我意味

    着什么。我没有孩子，我曾经很期待你打来的电话。”我告诉她这些年

    我经常记起她，我还问道，如果我回来拜访姐姐时，能不能再给她打电

    话。

    “一定，”她说道，“就说找莉莉。”

    三个月以后，我回到西雅图。另一个声音回答道：“信息台。”我请

    她接莉莉。“你是她的朋友吗？”她问。“是的，一个老朋友。”我答道。

    “我很抱歉告诉你这个消息，”她说，“因为莉莉身体不好，过去几

    年都只做兼职。她五周前去世了。”

    在我挂电话之前，她说道：“等等，你是叫保罗吗？”

    “是的。”

    “噢，莉莉留了信息给你。她写了下来，以便你打来电话时告诉

    你。我念给你听。纸条上写着：‘告诉他我还这么说，还可以在别的世

    界里歌唱。他会明白我的意思。’”

    我谢过她，挂了电话。我知道莉莉的意思。永远不要低估你可能留

    给别人的印象。通过那个纸条，我想请你记住一个人可以给另一个人的

    生命带来多么大的改变。The Language of Music

    音乐的语言

    A painter hangs his or her finished picture on a wall, and everyone can

    see it.

    A composer writes a work, but no one can hear it until it is performed.

    Professional singers and players have great responsibilities, for the composer

    is utterly dependent on them. A student of music needs as long and as

    arduous a training to become a performer as a medical student needs to

    become a doctor. Most training is concerned with technique, for musicians

    have to have the muscular proficiency of an athlete or a ballet dancer.

    Singers practice breathing every day, as their vocal chords would be

    inadequate without controlled muscular support. String players practice

    moving the fingers of the left hand up and down, while drawing the bow to

    and fro with the right arm—two entirely different movements.

    Singers and instrumentalists have to be able to get every note perfectly

    in tune. Pianists are spared this particular anxiety, for the notes are already

    there, waiting for them, and it is the piano tuner's responsibility to tune the

    instrument for them. But they have their own difficulties: the hammers that

    hit the strings have to be coaxed not to sound like percussion, and each

    overlapping tone has to sound clear.

    This problem of getting clear texture is one that confronts student

    conductors: they have to learn to know every note of the music and how itshould sound, and they have to aim at controlling these sounds with fanatical

    but selfless authority.

    Technique is of no use unless it is combined with musical knowledge

    and understanding. Great artists are those who are so thoroughly at home in

    the language of music that they can enjoy performing works written in any

    century.

    composer n. 作曲者

    arduous adj. 辛勤的

    proficiency n. 熟练

    percussion n. 打击乐器

    画家将其完成的作品挂在墙上，每个人都可以观赏到。

    作曲家完成了一部作品，得由演奏者将其演奏出来，其他人才能得

    以欣赏。职业歌手和演奏者身负重任，因为作曲家要完全依赖他们的表

    演和演奏才能表现作品。学音乐的学生要想成为演奏者，就得像医科的

    学生要成为医生一样，需要经过长期的、严格的训练。大多数的训练是

    技巧性的，因为音乐家们控制肌肉的熟练程度必须达到与运动员或芭蕾

    舞演员相当的水平。

    歌手们每天都练习呼吸，因为如果不能有效地控制肌肉的话，他们

    的声带将不能满足演唱的要求。弦乐演奏者则是练习在左手手指上下滑

    动的同时，用右臂前后拉动琴弓——这是两个截然不同的动作。

    歌手和乐器演奏者必须使每个音符音调准确。钢琴家们则不用操这

    份心，因为每个音符都在琴键上等待着他们，而给钢琴调音是调音师的

    职责。不过钢琴家们也有他们的难处：音锤敲击琴弦的声音不能像是打

    击乐器，而且每个交叠的音都必须要清晰。如何达到音乐的和谐统一是学习指挥的学生们所面临的难题：他们

    必须知晓每一个音调，并了解它听起来应该怎样。他们还必须学会富于

    激情但又客观权威地控制这些音符。

    只有与音乐知识及领悟力结合起来，技巧才能派上用场。伟大的艺

    术家是那些对音乐语言驾轻就熟，可以愉悦地演奏任何时代的作品的

    人。Napoleon to Josephine: My Adorable Lover

    拿破仑致约瑟芬：我爱慕的心上人

    拿破仑

    I have your letter, my adorable love. It has filled my heart with joy...

    Ever since I left you I have been sad all the time. My only happiness is near

    you. I go over endlessly in my thought of your kisses, your tears, your

    delicious jealousy. The charm of my wonderful Josephine kindles a living,blazing fire in my heart and senses.

    When shall I be able to pass every minute near you, with nothing to do

    but to love you and nothing to think of but the pleasure of telling you of it

    and giving you proof of it?

    I loved you some time ago; since then I feel that I love you a thousand

    times better. Ever since I have known you I adore you more every day. That

    proves how wrong is that saying of La Bruyère Love comes all of a sudden.

    Ah, let me see some of your faults; be less beautiful, less graceful, less

    tender, less good. But never be jealous and never shed tears. Your tears send

    me out of my mind... they set my very blood on fire.

    Believe me that it is utterly impossible for me to have a single thought

    that is not yours, a single fancy that is not submissive to your will. Rest well.

    Restore your health. Come back to me and then at any rate before we die we

    ought to be able to say: We were happy for so very many days! Millions ofkisses even to your dog.

    jealousy n. 嫉妒

    kindle v. 点燃

    blazing adj. 炽热的

    proof n. 证据

    submissive adj. 顺从的

    我收到了你的信，我爱慕的心上人。你的信使我心中充满了欢

    乐……自从与你分手以后，我一直闷闷不乐。我唯一的幸福就是伴随着

    你。我一遍一遍在脑海中回味着你的吻、你的泪水和你甜蜜的嫉妒。我

    迷人的约瑟芬，你的魅力在我心中、在我脑海中点燃了一团跳跃的、炽

    热的火焰。

    什么时候我才能在你身旁度过每分每秒，除了爱你什么也不需做？

    除了享受向你倾诉爱、证明爱的欢愉，什么也不用想？

    我在不久前爱上了你，自那以后我感到对你的爱增加了一千倍。自

    从与你相识，我一天比一天爱慕你。这恰好证明了拉·布吕耶尔说

    的“爱，突如其来”多么不切合实际。

    哎，让我看到你的一些美中不足吧：再少几分美丽，再少几分优

    雅，再少几分柔情，再少几分姣美吧。但决不要嫉妒，决不要流泪。你

    的眼泪使我思绪混乱，你的眼泪使我备受煎熬。

    相信我，让我不想你是绝不可能的，我没有一丝念头能不顺着你的

    意愿。好好休息，愿你早日康复。回到我的身边，无论如何，在我们谢

    世之前，我们都能够说：“我们曾有多少个幸福的日子啊!”随信附上我

    千百万次吻，甚至吻你的爱犬。Two Women Who Taught Me Kindness

    两个女人教会我善良

    I was standing in line at our local Wal-Mart with one item in my hand at

    the express lane checkout. The lady in front of me was a fragile-looking

    senior citizen. Since I had been widowed fairly recently, and was still

    walking around in that pervasive fog that was a combination of ennui and

    sadness, I was so self-absorbed in my own little world of gloom that it wasn't

    really registering in my brain that the little old lady was having trouble

    getting her items out of her shopping cart and placing them on the counter. I

    stood there blankly watching her, pretty much numb to what was going on

    around me and to take any action and lend her a hand. She slowly managed to

    get her purchases on the checkout counter, then began to fumble in her purse,and seemed to get more and more rattled and frustrated.

    I was also oblivious to the fact that the lady in line behind me was

    obviously disgruntled with the speed at which we were not moving forward.

    What finally woke me out of my self-absorbed reverie was the rather loud

    pronouncement of the woman behind me, stating in a peeved tone of voice,This is the express lane, that girl (the checkout person) should tell her to go

    to some other checkout! I then noticed that the little white-haired lady in

    front of me, indeed, had more than the allotted 10 items one was supposed to

    have. Then the woman behind me breathed a huge audible sigh and said,God, I can't believe this. Of course, both statements were said loudly

    enough for the checkout person and the old woman to hear. The teenager at

    the cash register looked a little panic-stricken, as if it were her fault, and the

    senior in front of me startled; her palsy worsened and she seemed even more

    rattled.

    At that point I turned to the woman behind me and said in my sweetest,most condescending tone (oh yeah, I was being a totally sarcastic hypocrite at

    this point), Oh yes, she does have too many items, doesn't she? Then I

    added, I think that can be easily remedied. And smiling, I moved seven or

    eight of the old lady's items back to where my lonely bottle of something or

    other lay on the counter, and said, Put this on my tab, but you can bag it for

    her. There, the problem is solved. The complaining woman behind me never

    breathed another word. The senior in front of me looked like a deer caught in

    the headlights for a moment, then broke into the most amazing smile. Since

    she was still rattled and fumbling around for her money, I just whipped out

    my credit card and told the girl to just ring it ALL up as my bill.

    Of course I got a big thank-you from the little old lady in front of me,but what it did for my own psyche was way more than what her little

    inexpensive assortment of purchases came to. What it did for me was way

    beyond the simple feel good of the moment. I had learned an important

    lesson. One of the best ways to move beyond our own problems in life, is to

    step outside of our comfort zone, forget about ourselves for a moment, and do

    something for somebody else.

    In hindsight, I owe a thank-you to both of those women; one for giving

    me the opportunity, the other for being the catalyst that prompted me into

    action.pervasive adj. 无处不在的

    ennui n. 倦怠

    register v. 受到注意，注意到

    rattled adj. 慌乱的

    disgruntled adj. 不满的

    reverie n. 冥想

    我手里只拿着一件商品，在我们当地的沃尔玛的快速结账通道里排

    队等候。排在我前面的是个看起来很虚弱的老太太。我丈夫刚过世不

    久，我还深陷在疲惫和哀伤的愁云惨雾中，躲在自我悲伤的小世界中不

    能自拔。所以，我丝毫没有注意到那个矮个儿老太太在很费力地从购物

    推车里往外拿东西并往收款台上放。我站在那里茫然地看着她，对周围

    的事情充耳不闻，也没想起来作出任何举动，帮她一把。她终于慢慢地

    勉强将东西放上收款台，然后开始在钱包中摸索，显得愈发地慌乱、沮

    丧。

    我同样没有在意站在我身后的女人，她此刻已经明显对我们这一队

    没法向前移动感到老大不乐意。最终将我从专注的沉思中唤醒的是我身

    后的女人用很生气的语调大声说道：“这是快速结账通道!那女孩(收

    银员)应该告诉她去别的收款台!”我这才注意到我前面那个白发苍苍

    的矮个儿老太太，的确，她的东西超出了一人不超过十件商品的规定。

    我身后的女人重重地叹着气说道：“天哪，我真不敢相信。”当然，她说

    这些话时声音很大，收款员和老太太都能听到。收款员是个十几岁的小

    姑娘，她看上去有些慌乱，好像这是她的错；而我前面的老太太也惊慌

    失措，她越发哆哆嗦嗦，动作更加慌乱。

    这时，我转身面向排在我身后的女人，用我最甜美、最假客套的声音(哦，是的，我当时是个十足的爱挖苦人的伪君子)说道：“噢，是

    啊，她真是弄了太多东西了，对吧？”我接着又说：“我觉得这很好解

    决。”我微笑着，把老太太买的东西里的七八件跟我买的那瓶东西归成

    一堆，并说：“把这些算到我的账上，但请装袋给她。这样，问题就解

    决了。”我背后那个抱怨的女人再也没说什么。我前面的老太太看上去

    瞬间有些惊慌失措，然后她的脸上绽放出令人惊异的微笑。她仍抖抖索

    索地在钱包里找钱，我便抽出我的信用卡，让收款姑娘把老太太的账全

    部记在我的账上。

    当然我得到了那位矮个儿老太太的诚挚感谢，但我自己心灵得到的

    收获远比她那些并不昂贵的物品要多得多。那对我来说，远不是一瞬间

    的“感觉良好”，而是让我懂得了一个重要的道理：克服生活中的难题的

    最好办法，就是走出自我的舒适地带，暂时忘记自我，为其他人做点儿

    什么。

    事后，我领悟到，其实我应该感谢那两个女人：她们俩一个给了我

    机会，另一个则是作为催化剂，推动我付诸行动。A Little Piece of Me

    我之碎片

    When he told me he was leaving I felt like a vase which has just

    smashed. There were pieces of me all over the tidy, tan tiles. He kept talking,telling me why he was leaving, explaining it was for the best. I had heard it

    before many times and yet somehow was still not immune; perhaps one did

    not become immune to such felony.

    He left and I tried to get on with my life. I filled the kettle and put it on

    to boil. I took out my old red mug and filled it with coffee, watching as each

    coffee granule slipped in to the bone china. That was what my life had been

    like, endless omissions of coffee granules, somehow never managing to make

    that cup of coffee.

    Somehow when the kettle piped its finishing warning I pretended not to

    hear it. That was what Mike's leaving had been like, sudden and with an

    awful finality. I would rather just wallow in uncertainty than have things

    finished. I laughed at myself. Imagine getting all philosophical and

    sentimental about a mug of coffee. I must be getting old.

    And yet it was a young woman who stared back at me from the mirror.

    A young woman full of promise and hope; a young woman with bright eyes

    and full lips just waiting to take on the world. I never loved Mike anyway.

    Besides, there were more important things, more important than love, Iinsisted to myself firmly. The lid went back on the coffee jar just like closure

    on the whole Mike experience.

    He didn't haunt my dreams as I feared that night. Instead I was flying far

    across fields and woods, looking down on those below me. Suddenly I fell to

    the ground and it was only when I woke up that I realized I was shot by a

    hunter, brought down by the burden of not the bullet but the soul of the man

    who shot it. I realized later, with some degree of understanding, that Mike

    was the hunter holding me down and I was the bird that longed to fly. The

    next night my dream was similar to the previous night, but without the

    hunter. I flew free until I met another bird who flied with me in perfect

    harmony. I realized with some relief that there was a bird out there for me,there was another person, not necessarily a lover, perhaps just a friend, but

    there was someone out there who was my soul mate. I thought about being a

    broken vase again and realized that I had glued myself back together. What

    Mike had was merely a little part of my time on the earth, a little

    understanding of my physical being. He had only, a little piece of me.

    immune adj. 免疫的

    felony n. 重罪，此处喻“重创”

    granule n. 小颗粒

    finality n. 结局

    sentimental adj. 感伤的

    当他告诉我他要走的时候，我觉得自己就好像是一个刚被摔碎的花

    瓶，我的碎片在整洁的棕黄色瓷砖上撒得到处都是。他说个不停，告诉我他为什么要走，解释说这样做才最好。这种话虽然我已经听过好多

    遍，可每次听还是很受伤，或许无人能经得住这样的重创。

    他离开了，我则努力继续生活。我把水壶注满水，开始烧水。我拿

    出自己那只老旧的红色马克杯，往里倒咖啡，我看着那一小粒一小粒的

    咖啡滑进骨瓷杯里。那正像我的过往，咖啡颗粒不断漏出去，总是无法

    冲出一杯咖啡。

    水开了，水壶发出鸣叫，我假装没有听见。那正像麦克的离去，突

    如其来，结局惨淡。我宁愿沉溺于种种未知中，也不想就这么终结。我

    不禁嘲笑自己，一杯咖啡就能让我有这么多的哲学思考与感伤情怀。我

    一定是老了。

    可是镜子里凝视着我的是个年轻姑娘啊!这个年轻姑娘前途光明，充满希望；这个年轻姑娘双眼明亮，嘴唇丰满，正等待着踏上征程。我

    从来都没爱过麦克，再说还有更重要的事，比爱更重要的事，我对自己

    坚定地说。我盖好咖啡罐，如同封存了关于麦克的全部记忆。

    那天晚上，他并不像我担心的那样出现在我的梦中。在梦里，我飞

    过遥远的田野和树林，向下俯瞰。突然间，我坠落到地上，醒来后才知

    道在梦中自己被猎人打中了，令我坠落的不是子弹，而是那个开枪者的

    灵魂造成的重负。我后来才明白，麦克就是那击落我的猎人，而我则是

    那只渴望飞翔的小鸟。第二天晚上，我又做了跟前一晚类似的梦，这次

    梦中没有猎人，我无拘无束地飞啊飞，直到后来遇上另一只小鸟和我一

    起飞，我们飞在一起是那样地和谐。我略感欣慰地意识到，有一只鸟在

    等着我，有那么一个人在等着我，他未必是我的爱人，可能只是朋友，但一定是我的精神伴侣。我又感到自己是个破碎的花瓶，而现在已将自

    己粘补好了。麦克只拥有了我生命中的一小段时间，只对我的身体有一

    点了解。他拥有的，只是我的一块小小碎片。If the World Were a Village of 100 People

    如果世界是个100人的村落

    If we could shrink the earth's population to a village of precisely 100

    people, with all the existing human ratios remaining the same, it would look

    something like the following:

    There would be:

    57 Asians

    21 Europeans

    14 from the Western Hemisphere, both north and south

    8 Africans

    52 would be female

    48 would be male

    70 would be non-white

    30 would be white

    70 would be non-Christian

    30 would be Christian

    89 would be heterosexual

    11 would be homosexual

    6 people would possess 59% of the entire world's wealth

    and all 6 would be from the United States

    80 would live in substandard housing

    70 would be unable to read50 would suffer from malnutrition

    1 would be near death; 1 would be near birth

    1 (yes, only 1) would have a college education

    1 would own a computer

    When one considers our world from such a compressed perspective, the

    need for acceptance, understanding and education becomes glaringly

    apparent.

    The following is also something to ponder...

    If you woke up this morning with more health than illness... you are

    more blessed than the million who will not survive this week.

    If you have never experienced the danger of battle, the loneliness of

    imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pangs of starvation... you are

    ahead of 500 million people in the world.

    If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your body, a roof

    overhead and a place to sleep... you are richer than 75% of this world.

    If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a

    dish someplace... you are among the top 8% of the world's wealthy.

    If your parents are still alive and still married...you are very rare, even in

    the United States and Canada.

    If you can read this message, you just received a double blessing in that

    someone was thinking of you, and furthermore, you are more blessed than

    over two billion people in the world that cannot read at all.

    Someone once said: What goes around comes around.

    So...

    Work like you don't need the money.

    Love like you've never been hurt.

    Dance like nobody's watching.Sing like nobody's listening.

    Live like it's Heaven on Earth.

    hemisphere n. 半球

    heterosexual adj. 异性恋的

    malnutrition n. 营养不良

    pang n. 剧痛

    starvation n. 饥饿

    如果我们保持现在人口比例不变，将地球上的人口缩减为一个刚好

    100人的村落，那么，情形将会是下面这样。

    这个村落会有：

    57个亚洲人

    21个欧洲人

    14人来自西半球，包括南北美洲

    8个非洲人

    52位女性

    48位男性

    70位有色人种

    30位白人

    70位非基督教徒

    30位基督徒

    89位异性恋者

    11位同性恋者

    6个人占有整个世界59%的财富且这6人均来自美国

    80人居住条件达不到标准

    70人是文盲

    50人患有营养不良

    1人濒临死亡，1人即将出生

    1人(是的，只有1人)接受过大学教育

    1人拥有电脑

    如果从这样一个压缩图的角度来看我们的世界，就会清楚地看到接

    纳、理解和教育是多么重要。

    下面这些同样值得深思……

    如果你早上醒来，身体健康，没有病痛……那你比上百万活不过这

    个星期的人幸福。

    如果你从未曾经历过战乱、孤寂的牢狱生活、严刑的痛苦或者切肤

    的饥饿感……那你比世界上5亿人幸福。

    如果你冰箱里有食物，有衣服穿，有房子住，有地方睡觉……那你

    比世界上75%的人富有。

    如果你银行里、钱包里都有钱，某个地方的碟子里还放着零钱……

    那你身处世界上8%的富人之列。

    如果你的父母还健在，并且没有离婚……那你非常幸运，即使你是

    在美国或是在加拿大。

    如果你能读到这篇文章，那你便收到了两份祝福，因为有人想起了

    你，而且你比世界上20多亿无法阅读的人幸福。

    有人曾说过：失去的终将回来。

    所以……

    去工作吧，就好像你不需要金钱。

    去爱吧，就好像你从未受过伤害。

    去跳舞吧，就好像没有人在观望。去歌唱吧，就好像没有人在倾听。

    去生活吧，就好像这个世界是天堂。The Blessed Dress

    带来好运的婚纱

    I got an engagement ring for Christmas. My boyfriend and I had been

    dating for almost a year and both felt the time was right to join our lives

    together in holy matrimony.

    The month of January was spent planning our perfect Alabama June

    wedding. My mother, two sisters and I went to Huntsville, the closest town

    with a selection of bridal shops, to buy the gown that would play the leading

    role on my special occasion.

    We had a wonderful time just being together and sharing silly jokes, but

    the day soon turned serious by afternoon: still no sign of the dress of my

    dreams. Both sisters were ready to give up and try another day in another

    town, but I coerced them into one more boutique.

    I had a good feeling as we entered the quaint little shop filled with the

    scent of fresh flower. The elderly clerk showed us several beautiful gowns in

    my size and price range, but none were right. As I opened the door to leave,the desperate shop owner announced she had one more dress in the back that

    was expensive and not even my size, but perhaps I might want to look at it

    anyway. When she brought it out I squealed in delight.

    This was it!I rushed to the dressing room and slipped it on. Even though it was at

    least two sizes larger and more costly than I had anticipated, I talked Mom

    into buying it. The shop was so small it didn't offer alterations, but my

    excitement assured me I would be able to get it resized in my hometown.

    Excitement wasn't enough. On Monday morning, my world crumbled—

    when the local sewing shop informed me the dress simply could not be

    altered because of numerous hand-sewn pearls and sequins on the bodice. I

    called the boutique for suggestions but only got their answering machine.

    A friend gave me the number of a lady across town who worked at home

    doing alterations. I was desperate and willing to try anything, so I decided to

    give her a call.

    When I arrived at her modest white house on the outskirts of town, she

    carefully inspected my dress and asked me to try it on. She put a handful of

    pins into the shoulders and sides of my gown and told me to pick it up in two

    days. She was the answer to my prayers.

    When the time came to pick it up, however, I grew skeptical. How could

    I have been so foolish as to just leave a 1,200 wedding dress in the hands of

    someone I barely knew? What if she made a mess out of it? I had no idea if

    she could even sew on a button.

    Thank goodness my fears were all for naught. The dress still looked

    exactly the same, but it now fit as if it had been made especially for me. I

    thanked the cheerful lady and paid her modest fee.

    One small problem solved just in time for a bitter one to emerge. On

    Valentine's Day, my fiancé called.

    Sandy, I've come to the decision that I'm not ready to get married, he

    announced, none too gently. I want to travel and experience life for a few

    years before settling down.He apologized for the inconvenience of leaving all the wedding

    cancellations to me and then quickly left town. My world turned upside

    down. I was angry and heartbroken and had no idea how to recover. But days

    flew into weeks and weeks blended into months. I survived.

    One day in the fall of the same year, while standing in line at the

    supermarket, I heard someone calling my name. I turned around to see the

    alterations lady. She politely inquired about my wedding, and was shocked to

    discover it had been called off, but agreed it was probably for the best.

    I thanked her again for adjusting my wedding gown, and assured her it

    was safely bagged and awaiting the day I would wear it down the aisle on the

    arm of my real Mister Right. With a sparkle in her eyes, she began telling

    me about her single son, Tim. Even though I wasn't interested in dating again,I let her talk me into meeting him.

    I did have my summer wedding after all, only a year later. And I did get

    to wear the dress of my dream—standing beside Tim, the man I have shared

    the last eighteen years of my life with, whom I would never have met without

    that special wedding gown.

    engagement n. 婚约

    quaint adj. 精巧雅致的

    scent n. 香味

    squeal v. 发出尖锐的叫声

    alteration n. 修改

    all for naught 无用，徒然我在圣诞节的时候得到一枚订婚戒指。我和男友相恋已经快一年

    了，我们都觉得是时候用圣洁的婚礼把我们的生活联结在一起了。

    整个一月份，我们都在规划六月份将在阿拉巴马举行的那场完美的

    婚礼。我和妈妈及两位姐妹一起来到离家最近、而且有许多婚礼用品店

    的茨维尔镇，挑选那件将在我婚礼上唱主角的婚纱。

    我们说笑着共度了上午的美好时光。但是到了下午，情况开始变得

    严峻了：还没有一点儿迹象表明我即将找到那件梦中的婚纱。两位姐妹

    都准备放弃了，打算改天再去别的镇上看看，但我还是强拉着她们又进

    了一家婚纱精品店。

    一走进这家花香弥漫的精致小店，我顿时觉得很惬意。一个上年纪

    的店员给我看了许多适合我身材并且价位合适的婚纱，但都不是我最满

    意的。就在我准备打开门离开的时候，绝望的店主告诉我们，店里还有

    一件价格不菲的婚纱，虽然不是我的尺码，但或许我可以看一看。当她

    把婚纱拿出来的时候，我惊喜地叫了起来。

    就是这件!

    我冲进试衣间，很快地穿上它。虽然它比我的尺码至少大了两号，并且比我预想的要贵很多，但我还是说服妈妈买下了它。这家店太小，不提供修改服务。但当时，我那兴奋的心情让我觉得我能在我家的小镇

    找个地方把它改好。

    但是，光有兴奋的心情是不够的。星期一早晨，裁缝店告诉我，婚

    纱不能改，因为婚纱上身有很多手工缝上去的珍珠和小亮片。当听到这

    些时，我都要崩溃了。我打电话给那家小店想询问有什么解决方法，可

    是电话里只传来他们电话答录机的声音。

    一个朋友给了我住在郊区的一位女士的电话，她是在家做改衣活儿

    的。绝望中的我愿意尝试各种方法，所以我决定打电话给她。

    我找到了她那座位于郊区的质朴的白色住宅，她认真地打量了一下

    婚纱，叫我试穿上，然后把一些别针别在婚纱的肩部和两侧，让我两天后来取。她正是我的救星。

    到了该取婚纱的时候，我却疑虑重重。我怎么会愚蠢到把价值1200

    美金的婚纱放在一个我几乎不认识的人的手里!如果她把婚纱改得一塌

    糊涂怎么办？我甚至不知道她会不会缝扣子!

    谢天谢地，我的担心只是杞人忧天。婚纱看起来和原来的一模一

    样，只是现在合身了，就像为我量身定做的一样。我谢过了那位看起来

    也很高兴的女士，付了她要价不高的工费。

    一波才平，一波又起。情人节那天，我的未婚夫给我打了个电话。

    “桑迪，我觉得我现在还没准备好结婚。”他生硬地说道，“在安定

    下来之前，我想去旅行几年，体验一下生活。”

    对于给我留下取消婚礼所要面临的烂摊子这件事，他向我表示了歉

    意，然后就很快离开了。我的世界乱成一团。我愤怒、伤心，不知道该

    如何复原。但是，日复一日，月复一月，我还是挨了过来。

    就在那年秋天，当我在超市排队等候结账的时候，听到有人叫我的

    名字。我转身一看，正是那位给我改过婚纱的女士。她客套地问起我的

    婚礼，当得知婚礼取消了时，她很震惊，然后她说，或许这也是件好

    事。

    我再次谢谢她把我的婚纱改得那么合身，然后对她说，我已经把它

    稳妥地收好了，等有朝一日能穿上它，和真正的白马王子携手走上红地

    毯。她的眼睛亮了起来，向我说起了她的单身儿子蒂姆。尽管我对约会

    一点兴趣也没有，但还是被她说动，去见了蒂姆。

    我的确在夏天举行了婚礼——就在一年后的夏天。我也的确穿上了

    梦中的婚纱——站在蒂姆身旁，我已跟他一起度过了18年的时光。多亏

    了那件奇妙的婚纱让我们相遇。My Iron-Willed Grandmother

    我的铁腕祖母

    My grandmother was an iron-willed woman, the feared matriarch of

    our New York family back in the 1950s.

    When I was five years old, she invited some friends and relatives to her

    Bronx apartment for a party. Among the guests was a neighborhood big shot

    who was doing well in business. His wife was proud of their social status and

    let everyone at the party know it. They had a little girl about my age who was

    spoiled and very much used to getting her own way.

    Grandmother spent a lot of time with the big shot and his family. She

    considered them the most important members of her social circle and worked

    hard at currying their favor.

    At one point during the party, I made my way to the bathroom and

    closed the door behind me. A minute or two later, the little girl opened the

    bathroom door and grandly walked in. I was still sitting down.

    Don't you know that little girls aren't supposed to come into the

    bathroom when a little boy is using it!? I hollered.

    The surprise of my being there, along with the indignation I had heaped

    upon her, stunned the little girl. Then she started to cry. She quickly closed

    the door, ran to the kitchen, and tearfully complained to her parents and my

    grandmother.

    Most of the partygoers had overheard my loud remark and were greatlyamused by it. But not Grandmother.

    She was waiting for me when I left the bathroom. I received the longest,sharpest tongue-lashing of my young life. Grandmother yelled that I was

    impolite and rude and that I had insulted that nice little girl. The guests

    watched and winced in absolute silence. So forceful was my grandmother's

    personality that no one dared stand up for me.

    After her harangue was over and I was dismissed, the party continued,but the atmosphere was much more subdued.

    Twenty minutes later, all that changed. Grandmother walked by the

    bathroom and noticed a torrent of water streaming out from under the door.

    She shrieked twice—first in astonishment, then in rage. She flung open

    the bathroom door and saw that the sink and tub were plugged up and that the

    faucets were going at full blast.

    Everyone knew who the culprit was. The guests quickly formed a

    protective barricade around me, but Grandmother was so furious that she

    almost got to me anyway, flailing her arms as if trying to swim over the

    crowd.

    Several strong men eventually moved her away and calmed her down,although she sputtered and fumed for quite a while.

    My grandfather took me by the hand and sat me on his lap in a chair

    near the window. He was a kind and gentle man, full of wisdom and patience.

    Rarely did he raise his voice to anyone, and never did he argue with his wife

    or defy her wishes.

    He looked at me with much curiosity, not at all angry or upset. Tell

    me, he asked, why did you do it?

    Well, she yelled at me for nothing, I said earnestly. Now, she's got

    something to yell about.Grandfather didn't speak right away. He just sat there, looking at me and

    smiling.

    Eric, he said at last, you are my revenge.

    matriarch n. 女统治者

    harangue n. 冗长的训话

    torrent n. 急流

    faucet n. 水龙头

    culprit n. 导致过错的人

    我的祖母是一个强势的女人，20世纪50年代我们家住在纽约时，祖

    母是令人生畏的一家之主。

    我5岁那年，她邀请了一些亲戚朋友到布朗克斯的公寓里聚会。在

    客人中，有个做生意发了财的大款，他的妻子对他们的社会地位十分引

    以为傲，恨不得让聚会上的所有人都知道他们家的社会地位。他们有个

    年纪跟我差不多的被宠坏了的小女儿，蛮横任性。

    祖母大多数时间都陪伴在那个大款和他的家人身旁，把他们看做是

    她的社交圈里最重要的人物，因此她不遗余力地逢迎他们。

    聚会进行中，我走进了洗手间并随手把门关上。大概一两分钟后，那个小女孩推开洗手间的门，大模大样地走了进来，而我还坐在马桶

    上。

    “难道你不知道当一个小男孩在用洗手间的时候，小女孩是不可以

    进来的吗!？”我生气地嚷道。

    看到我在那儿，又听到我生气的吼声，她一下子惊呆了，然

    后“哇”的一声哭了起来。她飞快地关上门向厨房跑去，哭着向她的父母和我的祖母告状。

    大多数客人其实都听到了我的怒吼，他们都被逗乐了，可祖母却没

    笑。

    她等我从洗手间出来后，给了我孩童时最冗长、最尖刻的一次训

    斥。祖母嚷嚷着，说我没礼貌、少教养，冲撞了那可爱的小女孩。客人

    们都畏畏缩缩地看着，屋里一片死寂，我的祖母实在太霸道了，根本没

    有人敢站出来为我说话。

    在她的长篇大骂结束，把我打发走之后，聚会继续进行，但气氛已

    经大不如前了。

    可20分钟之后，一切全都变了。当祖母从洗手间外经过的时候，她

    发现有股水流从门缝下面急涌出来。

    她发出了两声尖叫——第一声是惊异的尖叫，第二声是愤怒的尖

    叫。她猛力打开洗手间的门，发现洗手盆和浴缸都被塞子塞住了，水龙

    头被开到了最大。

    大家都知道谁是始作俑者，客人们马上在我周围形成了一堵人墙保

    护我。然而祖母暴跳如雷，使劲地挥舞着双手，样子就像在人堆里游泳

    一样，差点儿就要抓到我了。

    最终，还是几个健壮的男人把祖母拉到一边，让她冷静，而祖母又

    气急败坏地发了好一阵子火。

    祖父牵着我的手到靠窗的椅子上坐下，把我抱到他的膝盖上。祖父

    的性格好，温柔而充满智慧和耐心。他很少提高嗓门和别人说话，从来

    没有和我祖母吵过架，也从来没有违背过她的意愿。

    他很好奇地打量着我，没有半点儿生气或烦恼的样子，“告诉

    我，”他说，“你为什么要这样做呢？”

    “哦，她先前没什么理由骂我，”我认真地说，“这回她就有理由骂

    我了!”

    祖父没有立刻回答，他只是坐在那儿，笑眯眯地看着我。最后他终于开口说：“埃里克，你总算替爷爷出了口气!”Clear Your Mental Space

    清理心灵的空间A Morning Wish

    清晨许个愿

    The sun is just rising on the morning of another day. What can I wish

    that this day may bring me? Nothing that shall make the world or others

    poorer, nothing at the expense of other men; but just those few things which

    in their coming do not stop with me but touch me rather, as they pass and

    gather strength.

    I wish that this day could bring me a few friends, who understand me,and yet remain my friends; I also wish that this day could bring me a job to

    do which has real value.

    I wish that this day could bring me a mind unafraid to travel, even

    though the trail be not blazed, and I wish that this day could bring me an

    understanding heart.

    I wish that this day could bring me a sight of the eternal hills, and the

    blue sea stretching to the horizon, and of something beautiful which the

    hands of men have made.

    I wish that this day could bring me a sense of humor, and the power to

    laugh, and a little leisure with nothing to do.

    And I crave for a few moments of quiet, silent meditation on the

    morning of this day.at the expense of 以……为代价

    eternal adj. 永恒的

    horizon n. 地平线

    meditation n. 沉思

    新的一天太阳又冉冉升起。我期许这一天带给我什么呢？不是令世

    界或他人更贫穷的东西，不是以牺牲他人为代价得来的东西，而是那些

    罕有的，在它们传递和聚集力量的过程中触动我、却不仅止于我的东

    西。

    我希望这一天能够带给我一些朋友，他们了解我，并能与我友谊长

    存；我也希望这一天能够给我带来一份真正有价值的工作。

    我希望这一天能够带给我无畏远行的胸怀，即使旅途没那么精彩；

    我还希望这一天能够带给我善解人意的心。

    我希望这一天能让我看到永恒的山冈，看到水天相接的蔚蓝海洋，看到人类的双手造就的美丽事物。

    我希望这一天能够带给我幽默感、笑的力量和无所事事的片刻悠

    闲。

    我渴望在这一天的早上有片刻安静的沉思静想。Clear Your Mental Space

    清理心灵的空间

    Think about the last time you felt a negative emotion—like stress, anger,or frustration. What was going through your mind as you were going through

    that negativity? Was your mind cluttered with thoughts? Or was it paralyzed,unable to think?

    The next time you find yourself in the middle of a very stressful time, or

    you feel angry or frustrated, stop. Yes, that's right, stop. Whatever you're

    doing, stop and sit for one minute. While you're sitting there, completely

    immerse yourself in the negative emotion.

    Allow that emotion to consume you. Allow yourself one minute to truly

    feel that emotion. Don't cheat yourself here. Take the entire minute—but only

    one minute—to do nothing else but feel that emotion.

    When the minute is over, ask yourself, Am I willing to keep holding on

    to this negative emotion as I go through the rest of the day?

    Once you've allowed yourself to be totally immersed in the emotion and

    really feel it, you will be surprised to find that the emotion clears rather

    quickly.

    If you feel you need to hold on to the emotion for a little longer, that is

    OK. Allow yourself another minute to feel the emotion.

    When you feel you've had enough of the emotion, ask yourself if you'vewilling to carry that negativity with you for the rest of the day. If not, take a

    deep breath. As you exhale, release all that negativity with your breath.

    This exercise seems simple—almost too simple. But, it is very effective.

    By allowing that negative emotion the space to be truly felt, you are dealing

    with the emotion rather than stuffing it down and trying not to feel it. You are

    actually taking away the power of the emotion by giving it the space and

    attention it needs. When you immerse yourself in the emotion, and realize

    that it is only emotion, it loses its control. You can clear your head and

    proceed with your task.

    Try it. Next time you're in the middle of a negative emotion, give

    yourself the space to feel the emotion and see what happens. Keep a piece of

    paper with you that says the following:

    Stop. Immerse for one minute. Do I want to keep this negativity?

    Breathe deep, exhale, release. Move on!

    This will remind you of the steps to the process. Remember, take the

    time you need to really immerse yourself in the emotion. Then, when you feel

    you've felt it enough, release it—really let go of it. You will be surprised at

    how quickly you can move on from a negative situation and get to what you

    really want to do!

    paralyzed adj. 麻痹的

    immerse v. 沉浸

    exhale v. 呼气

    move on 继续前进

    想一下你最近一次感受到的消极情绪，例如压力、愤怒或挫败感。当你处于消极情绪时你在想些什么？脑海里充满了杂乱的思绪？还是陷

    入麻木之中，无法思考？

    下次当你发现自己处于非常紧张的状态时，或是你感到愤怒或受挫

    时，请让自己停下来。对，就是停下来。不管你在做什么，停下来坐上

    一分钟。当你坐着的时候，让自己完全沉浸在那种消极情绪之中。

    让那种消极情绪吞噬你。给自己一分钟的时间去切身体会那种情

    绪，不要欺骗自己。花整整一分钟的时间——只需要一分钟——去体会

    那种情绪，别的什么也不要做。

    当一分钟结束时，问自己：“我是否想在今天接下来的时间里继续

    保持这种消极情绪？”

    一旦你让自己完全沉浸在那种情绪当中并真切体会到它，你就会惊

    奇地发现那种情绪很快就消失了。

    如果你觉得还需要点时间来保持那种情绪，没关系，再给自己一分

    钟的时间去体会它。

    如果你觉得自己已经充分体会了那种情绪，那就问自己是否愿意在

    今天接下来的时间里继续保持那种消极的情绪。如果不愿意，那就做一

    次深呼吸。呼气的时候，把所有的消极情绪都释放出去。

    这种练习似乎很简单——简直是太简单了，但却非常有效。通过给

    自己空间真正体会消极情绪这种练习，使你应对这种情绪，而不是将其

    压制下去然后尽量不加理会。通过给予消极情绪所需的空间和关注，实

    际上消解了消极情绪的力量。当你让自己沉浸在那种情绪之中，并且明

    白它只是一种情绪时，它便失去对你的控制。你可以清理头脑继续工

    作。

    请尝试一下。下次当你被消极情绪困扰时，给自己一点空间来体会

    那种情绪并看看会发生什么。随身带一张写有如下字句的纸条：

    停下来。(在此情绪中)沉浸一分钟。我想保持这种消极情绪吗？

    深吸气、呼气、放松。继续做事!这会提醒你整个过程的各个步骤。记住，要花必要的时间去真正沉

    浸于那种情绪之中。然后，当你感到自己已经感受够了这种情绪，就将

    其释放——真的放开它。你会惊奇地发现，你很快就能摆脱消极情绪，并开始做你真正想做的事情!Work and Pleasure

    工作和娱乐

    To be really happy and really safe, one ought to have at least two or

    three hobbies, and they must all be real. It is no use starting late in life to say:

    I will take an interest in this or that. Such an attempt only aggravates the

    strain of mental effort. A man may acquire great knowledge of topics

    unconnected with his daily work, and yet hardly get any benefit or relief. It is

    no use doing what you like; you have got to like what you do. Broadly

    speaking, human beings may be divided into three classes: those who are

    toiled to death, those who are worried to death, and those who are bored to

    death. It is no use offering the manual labourer, tired out with a hard week's

    sweat and effort, the chance of playing a game of football or baseball on

    Saturday afternoon. It is no use inviting the politician or the professional or

    business man, who has been working or worrying about serious things for six

    days, to work or worry about trifling things at the weekend.

    It may also be said that rational, industrious, useful human beings are

    divided into two classes: first, those whose work is work and whose pleasure

    is pleasure; and secondly, those whose work and pleasure are one. Of these

    the former are the majority. They have their compensations. The long hours

    in the office or the factory bring with them as their reward, not only the

    means of sustenance, but a keen appetite for pleasure even in its simplest andmost modest forms. But Fortune's favoured children belong to the second

    class. Their life is a natural harmony. For them the working hours are never

    long enough. Each day is a holiday, and ordinary holidays when they come

    are grudged as enforced interruptions in an absorbing vocation. Yet to both

    classes the need of an alternative outlook, of a change of atmosphere, of a

    diversion of effort, is essential. Indeed, it may well be that those whose work

    is their pleasure are those who most need the means of banishing it at

    intervals from their minds.

    aggravate v. 加重

    toil v. 辛苦地工作

    industrious adj. 辛勤的

    compensation n. 补偿

    grudge v. 怨恨，嫌恶

    banish v. 驱逐

    要想真正幸福和平安，一个人至少应该有两三种爱好，而且必须是

    真正的爱好。到了晚年才开始说“我要培养这个或那个兴趣”是毫无用处

    的，这种尝试只会增加精神上的负担。人在与自己日常工作无关的领域

    中可以获得渊博的知识，但却很难有所收益或得到放松。做自己喜欢的

    事没有用，你得喜欢自己所做的事。广言之，人可以分为三类：劳累而

    死的人、忧虑而死的人和厌倦而死的人。对于那些体力劳动者来说，一

    周辛苦的工作已使他们筋疲力尽，因此在周六下午给他们提供踢足球或

    者打棒球的机会是没有意义的。对于政界人士、专业人士或者商人来

    说，他们已经为重要的事务烦扰了六天，因此在周末让他们为琐事劳神同样毫无意义。

    或者可以这么说，理性的、勤奋的、对他人有帮助的人可以分为两

    类：对第一类人而言，工作就是工作，娱乐就是娱乐；对于第二类人而

    言，工作和娱乐是合为一体的。大多数人属于第一类人。他们的工作可

    以得到相应的补偿。在办公室或工厂里长时间的工作，不仅带给他们维

    持生计的金钱，还带给他们一种渴求娱乐的强烈欲望，哪怕这种娱乐消

    遣只是最简单、最淳朴的形式。而第二类人则是命运的宠儿。他们的生

    活是自然的和谐状态。在他们看来，工作时间永远不够长，每天都是假

    期；而当正常的假日到来时，他们总会抱怨这吸引人的工作被强行中

    断。然而，有一些东西对于这两类人来说都十分必要，那就是变换一下

    视角，改变一下氛围，尝试做点不同的事情。事实上，那些把工作看作

    娱乐的人可能最需要以某种方式将工作不时地驱赶出自己的大脑。Don't Miss Out on Life

    生命，不要错过

    Don't go for looks; they can deceive. Don't go for wealth; even that

    fades away. Go for someone who makes you smile. Because it only takes a

    smile to make a dark day seem bright. Find the one that makes your heart

    smile.

    Maybe we meet a few wrong people before meeting the right one so that

    when we finally meet the right person, we will know how to be grateful for

    that gift.

    It's true that we don't know what we've got until we lose it, but it's also

    true that we don't know what we've been missing until it arrives.

    Giving someone all your love will not provide assurance that they'll love

    you back. Don't expect love in return; just wait for it to grow in their hearts.

    But if it doesn't, be content. It grew in yours.

    There are moments in life when you miss someone so much that you just

    want to pick them from your dreams and hug them for real!

    May you have enough happiness to make you sweet, enough trials to

    make you strong, enough sorrow to keep you human, and enough hope to

    make you happy.

    The happiest people don't necessarily have the best of everything. Theyjust make the most of everything that comes along their way.

    Happiness lies for those who cry, those who have searched, and those

    who have tried because only they can appreciate the importance of people

    who have touched their lives.

    fade v. 消失

    human adj. 有人性的，通人情的

    不要只看外表，因为那可能是假象。不要追逐钱财，钱财终将消

    散。去寻找那个能让你微笑的人，因为只要一个微笑就能让阴郁的日子

    阳光灿烂。去寻找那个能让你从心底微笑的人。

    或许在我们遇到生命中那个对的人之前，会碰上一些不尽如人意的

    人，只有这样，我们才知道如何感激这份礼物。

    确实，没有真正失去，不知曾经拥有；没有亲身体验，不知曾经缺

    失。

    给别人你所有的爱未必能让他们给予你同样的爱。不要期望有爱就

    有回报，只需等待爱意在他们心中生长。即使没有，也要知足，爱会在

    你心中生根发芽。

    生命中会有这样的时刻：你对某人思念不已，恨不得让他从梦中走

    出来，真实地拥抱他。

    希望你能拥有足够的幸福，让自己心情美好；能经历种种磨难，让

    自己变得坚强；能体味种种痛苦和感伤，让自己充满人情味；还能抱有

    足够的希望，让自己保持快乐。

    最幸福的人未必拥有最好的一切。他们只是最善于充分利用生命中

    遇到的一切。

    幸福属于那些哭泣过的人，属于那些追寻过的人，属于那些尝试过的人，因为只有他们才懂得欣赏那些曾经触动自己生命的人。Time for Sunshine

    享受阳光

    Having spring around makes you feel different after such a long winter

    journey. How well do you feel when you have a little bit of sunshine in your

    life? What effect does it have on our psyche? The power of sunshine brings

    us a lot of comfort, optimism, self-confidence and of course a smile. Imagine

    how great it would be if we were so positive all year round!

    Living like this is possible if you really think about it. In order to exist in

    such a state of happiness though, we must have sunshine radiating from

    within ourselves, shining from our hearts, our minds and from our souls. I bet

    many of you are reading this now and saying, Yeah, that is easier said than

    done! And what do we say to that? Well, in the end that's your choice, and if

    you think that way then your own life will reflect that attitude of yours!

    In order to make sunshine or rather, light a part of our being, it is so

    important that you watch your thoughts, your words and your actions so that

    you do not contradict what you really feel you'd like to create in your own

    life. Watch your thoughts and really become aware of how many negative

    thoughts pass through your mind about yourself and other people around you.

    Watch to see how often you gossip about other people, and when you become

    aware of it you will see how often it is actually attached with feelings of

    jealousy, envy and insecurity about yourself.You should also take a close look at your intention. How many of you

    do something for another person without expecting to receive something in

    return? It might not even have to be a material or physical thing you expect;

    expecting recognition or acknowledgement for what you have done is

    enough to create conditions on your intention. Think about it! We may not

    always pay attention to what our true intentions are behind our words,thoughts and actions because many of us are not aware of the power and

    effect they have when it comes to creating our lives.

    Putting all of these together, it seems that most of us are creating

    monsters inside of us just by simply talking, thinking and not putting our

    heart out with the right intention towards helping someone else. All of these

    things are born from a negative attitude and will not help us in any way at

    all when it comes to bringing a brighter sunshine into our lives. If you took

    all your negative attitudes in one hand and measured your need to feel

    sunshine in the other, you would see how both these elements really

    contradict each other.

    Be brave and break your patterns and your habits this spring, and by

    doing so you will allow the true sunshine to take place by radiating out from

    your heart and into your life and the lives of the people who are around you!

    optimism n. 乐观

    radiate v. 发出(光或热)

    contradict v. 抵触

    acknowledgement n. 感谢

    在如此漫长的冬季过后，置身于春天会让你有不同的感觉。当你生活中有一点儿阳光时，你感觉有多好？阳光对我们的精神到底有什么作

    用？阳光能带给我们许多安慰、乐观和自信，当然还有微笑。想象一

    下，如果一年到头我们都这么积极那该多好!

    如果你真想的话，是有可能像这样生活的。要想保持这种快乐的状

    态，我们必须让阳光发自内心，发自心灵、头脑和灵魂。我相信很多人

    读到这里都会说：“是啊，说起来容易做起来难!”对此我们该如何回答

    呢？好吧，怎么生活最终是你自己的选择。如果你真那么想，你自己的

    生活就会反映出你的态度!

    要想使“阳光”——或者说是“光明”——成为我们生命的一部分，你

    得注意自己的思想和言行，这样你才不会和你真正想要在生活中创造出

    的东西相矛盾，这一点非常重要。要审视自己的思想，明白自己头脑中

    出现过多少有关你自己和周围其他人的消极想法。注意自己是否经常说

    别人的闲话，当你意识到自己那么做时，你就会明白那是伴随着你自身

    的嫉妒、羡慕和不安全感而来的。

    你还应该好好审视自己的“动机”。有多少人为别人做事却不求回

    报？你期待的回报可能不一定非得是物质上的；期待得到认可或感谢已

    经足以为你的动机创造条件了。想一想吧!我们可能不会总是注意言行

    和思想背后的真正动机，因为大多数人并没有意识到动机在创造生活的

    过程中所发挥的力量和影响。

    综上所述，似乎我们中的绝大多数人仅仅是说说闲话，仅仅是想

    想，或是在帮助他人时不是出于正确的动机付出真心，就会在内心中创

    造出一个个怪物。所有这些都源于一种“否定”的态度，而当需要给生活

    带来更为明亮的“阳光”时，这些因素不会对我们有任何帮助。如果你把

    所有的消极态度都放在一只手中，用另一只手衡量你对“阳光”的需要，你就会发现，这些因素彼此之间是多么矛盾。

    勇敢些，在这个春天打破你的模式和习惯，真正的阳光会从你内心

    散发出来，照亮你的生活，也照亮周围人的生活!Follow Your Dream

    追随你的梦想

    Don't let anyone steal your dreams. Follow your heart, no matter what.

    I have a friend named Felix who owns a horse ranch in San Ysidro. He

    has let me use his house to put on fund-raising events to raise money for

    youth at risk programs.

    The last time I was there he introduced me by saying, I want to tell you

    why I let Jack use my house. It all goes back to a story about a young man

    who was the son of an itinerant horse trainer who would go from stable to

    stable, race track to race track, farm to farm and ranch to ranch, training

    horses. As a result, the boy's high school career was continually interrupted.

    When he was a senior, he was asked to write a paper about what he wanted to

    be and do when he grew up.

    That night he wrote a seven-page paper describing his goal of someday

    owning a horse ranch. He wrote about his dream in great detail and he even

    drew a diagram of a 200-acre ranch, showing the location of all the buildings,the stables and the track. Then he drew a detailed floor plan for a 4, 000-

    square-foot house that would sit on a 200-acre dream ranch.

    He put a great deal of his heart into the project and the next day he

    handed it into his teacher. Two days later he received his paper back. On thefront page was a large red F with a note that read, 'See me after class.'

    The boy with the dream went to see the teacher after class and asked,'Why did I receive an F?'

    The teacher said, 'This is an unrealistic dream for a young boy like you.

    You have no money. You come from an itinerant family. You have to buy the

    land. You have to pay for the original breeding stock and later you'll have to

    pay large stud fees. There's no way you could ever do it.' Then the teacher

    added, 'If you will rewrite this paper with a more realistic goal, I will

    reconsider your grade.'

    The boy went home and thought about it long and hard. He asked his

    father what he should do. His father said, 'Look, son, you have to make up

    your own mind on this. However, I think it is a very important decision for

    you.'

    Finally, after sitting with it for a week, the boy turned in the same

    paper, making no changes at all. He stated, 'You can keep the F and I'll keep

    my dream.'

    Felix then turned to the assembled group and said, I tell you this story

    because you are sitting in my 4,000-square-foot house in the middle of my

    200-acre horse ranch. I still have that school paper framed over the fireplace.

    He added, The best part of the story is that two summers ago that same

    school teacher brought 30 kids to camp out on my ranch for a week. When

    the teacher was leaving, he said, 'Look, Felix, I can tell you this now. When I

    was your teacher, I was something of a dream stealer. During those years I

    stole a lot of kids' dreams. Fortunately you had enough gumption not to give

    up on yours.'

    Don't let anyone steal your dreams. Follow your heart, no matter what.ranch n. 大牧场

    itinerant adj. 流动的；漂泊的

    interrupt v. 中断

    stud n. 种畜

    gumption n. 魄力

    不要让别人偷走你的梦想。追随你心中所向往的，无论那是什么。

    我有个朋友叫费利克斯，他在圣伊西德罗有一个牧马场。他允许我

    用他的房子举办募款活动，为那些想进行冒险活动的年轻人筹款。

    上一次活动时，他向大家介绍我说：“我想告诉你们我为什么让杰

    克用我的房子。这要从一个年轻人的故事讲起，这个年轻人是一个流动

    驯马员的儿子，流动驯马员的工作是到处驯马，从一个马厩到另一个马

    厩，从一个赛场到另一个赛场，从一个农场到另一个农场，从一个牧场

    到另一个牧场。所以这孩子的高中生活常常被打断。当这个孩子进入毕

    业班后，他被要求写一篇文章，说说他长大以后想成为什么样的人以及

    想做什么工作。”

    “那个晚上，他用了7页纸来描述他的目标，那就是将来某一天他会

    拥有一个牧马场。他详细地写下了他的梦想，甚至画了一幅图，描绘了

    这座占地200英亩的牧场，并展示了所有的房子、马厩和跑道的位置。

    然后他又画了一幅详细的平面图，图上是坐落在200英亩梦想中的牧场

    上的房子，面积有4,000平方英尺。”

    “他对这个作业花了很多心思，并且在第二天交给了老师。两天后

    他拿回了自己的文章。在第一页上有一个大大的红色的‘F’，并且还写

    着批语‘下课后来找我’。”

    “课后，怀揣梦想的男孩去见老师，他问道：‘为什么给我‘F’？’”“老师说：‘对于一个像你这样的小孩来说这是一个不切实际的梦

    想。你没有钱。你来自一个四处漂泊的家庭，你要买地，要支付最初养

    牲畜的钱，之后你将要支付一大笔钱购买种畜。你根本没办法做到这

    些。’然后老师又说：‘如果你重新写这篇文章，写一个更现实点的目

    标，我会重新考虑你的分数。’”

    “男孩回到家，冥思苦想了很长时间。他问父亲他应该怎么做。他

    父亲说：‘听着，儿子，你必须自己决定这件事。不过，我认为这对于

    你来说是一个非常重要的决定。’”

    “最终，男孩在想了一周之后，又把原来那篇文章交了上去，没有

    作任何改动。他说：‘你可以保留这个‘F’，但我要坚持我的梦想。’”

    然后，费利克斯转向众人说：“我之所以告诉你们这个故事，是因

    为你们现在正坐在我这座200英亩的牧场上4,000平方英尺的房子里。我

    还留着上学时写的那篇文章，我把它镶好了挂在壁炉的上方。”他接着

    说：“故事最精彩的部分是，两年前，当年那位老师带了30名学生来我

    的牧场露营一周。当老师要走时，他说：‘听着，费利克斯，现在我可

    以告诉你，当我是你的老师时，我有点儿像偷梦者。在这些年间，我偷

    了很多孩子的梦想。幸运的是你有足够的魄力不放弃你的梦想。’”

    不要让别人偷走你的梦想。追随你心中所向往的，无论那是什么。How to Grow Happiness

    怎样播种幸福

    Step one:

    Plant yourself deep in a bed of faith, and pack it down solid and tight.

    Drench daily with positive thinking, and keep saturated just right. Mulch

    often with forgiveness, for this will help you grow. Quickly remove ......