當(dāng)我還是個(gè)10幾歲的少年的時(shí)候,覺(jué)得自己總是讓人失望。從外表上看,我似乎很叛逆,但是在內(nèi)心深處,我是如此地渴望被人疼愛(ài)。
Once I left home to hitch-hike2 to California with my friend Penelope. The trip wasn’t easy,and there were many times I didn’t feel safe. One situation in particular kept me grateful to still be alive. When I returned home, I was different, not so outwardly sure of myself.
有一次我離開(kāi)了家和我的朋友佩內(nèi)洛普搭便車(chē)去了加利福尼亞。這次旅行并不輕松,而且有很多次我感覺(jué)不安。有一次的突發(fā)狀況讓我一直慶幸自己還活著。回到家,我發(fā)覺(jué)自己變了,看上去不那么自信了。
I was happy to be home. But then I noticed that Penelope,who was staying with us,was wearing my clothes. And my family seemed to like her better than me. I wondered if I would be missed if I weren’t there. I told my mom, and she explained that though Penelope was a lovely girl, no one could replace me. I pointed out,” She is more patient and is neater than I have ever been.” My mom said these were wonderful qualities, but I was the only person who could fill my role. She made me realize that even with my faults—and there were many-I was a loved member of the family who couldn’t be replaced.
我很高興能回到家,但不久我注意到和我們一起的佩內(nèi)洛普穿著我的衣服,而且我父母看上去更喜歡她,我想知道如果我不在家的話(huà)他們是否會(huì)想念我。后來(lái),我把我的想法告訴了母親,她說(shuō)盡管佩內(nèi)洛普是個(gè)可愛(ài)的女孩,但她始終不能取代我,我說(shuō):“她比我有耐心而且無(wú)論何時(shí)看上去她都比我要整潔大方。”母親說(shuō)這些都是非常好的優(yōu)點(diǎn),但我卻是惟一個(gè)能扮演好自己角色的人。母親讓我感到盡管我有缺點(diǎn)———似乎還很多———但是,我被家中每一個(gè)人愛(ài)著,誰(shuí)也無(wú)法取代。
I became a searcher, wanting to find out who I was and what made me unique. My view of myself was changing. I wanted a solid base to start from. I started to resist3 pressure to act in ways that I didn’t like any more, and I was delighted by who I really was. I came to feel much more sure that no one can ever take my place.
我成了一個(gè)探尋者,想要知道自己到底是誰(shuí),又是什么讓我變得獨(dú)一無(wú)二。我的人生觀(guān)開(kāi)始改變。我需要一個(gè)堅(jiān)固的基礎(chǔ)來(lái)發(fā)展,我忍受住壓力,不再做自己不喜歡做的事。而且我為真實(shí)的我感到高興。漸漸地我越發(fā)肯定自己無(wú)可替代。
Each of us holds a unique place in the world. You are special, no matter what others say or what you may think. So forget about being replaced. You can’t be.
每個(gè)人在這個(gè)世界上都占有一個(gè)獨(dú)一無(wú)二的位置。無(wú)論別人說(shuō)什么,你自己怎么想,你都是特別的。所以,不要擔(dān)心自己會(huì)被取代,因?yàn)槟阌肋h(yuǎn)是惟一的。