
来自内心的礼物The hardest arithmetic to master is that which enables us to count our blessings.世界上最难的算术题是如何清点我们的祝福。According to legend, a young man while roaming the desert came across a spring of delicious crystal-clear water. The water was so sweet, he filled his leather canteen so he could bring some back to a tribal elder who had been his teacher.据传说,一个年轻的男子在漫游沙漠途中看到一泉如水晶般清澈而可口的水。水的味道非常甜美,于是他灌满了他的皮水壶,这样就可以带一些回去,送给曾经是他老师的部落长老。 After a four-day journey he presented the water to the old man who took a deep drink, smiled warmly and thanked his student lavishly for the sweet water. The young man returned to his village with a happy heart.经过四天的旅程,他把水呈献给老人。老人深饮一口,和蔼地笑了笑,并深切感激学生赠予他甜美的水。年轻人怀着愉快的心情回到了村庄。 Later, the teacher let another student taste the water. He spat it out, saying it was awful. It apparently had become stale because of the old leather container.后来,老师让他的另一个学生品尝水。学生吐了出来,说水太难喝了。它显然已经因为陈旧的皮革容器而变得不再新鲜。 The student challenged his teacher: “Master, the water was foul. Why did you pretend to like it?”学生质疑他的老师:“师父,水是臭的,你为什么要假装喜欢它?” The teacher replied, “You only tasted the water. I tasted the gift. The water was simply the container for an act of loving-kindness and nothing could be sweeter.”老师回答说,“你只品尝了水的味道,我却是在品尝礼物的味道。水仅仅是装载善与爱之行为的容器,而没有什么东西比善与爱更甜美了。” I think we understand this lesson best when we receive innocent gifts of love from young children. Whether it’s a ceramic tray or a macaroni bracelet, the natural and proper response is appreciation and expressed thankfulness because we love the idea within the gift.我认为当我们从天真的孩子们那里收到爱的礼物时,能够最透彻地明白这个道理。无论它是一个陶瓷托盘或通心粉手镯,我们自然而恰当的反应是欣赏,并表示感激,因为我们喜欢礼物所包含的心意。 Gratitude doesn’t always come naturally. Unfortunately, most children and many adults value only the thing given rather than the feeling embodied in it. We should remind ourselves and teach our children about the beauty and purity of feelings and expressions of gratitude. After all, gifts from the heart are really gifts of the heart.感恩并不总是自然而来的。不幸的是,大多数儿童和成人只看重被赠予的东西本身,而不是它体现的情谊。我们应该提醒自己,并教导我们的孩子,感情和对感激之情的表达是美丽而纯洁的。毕竟,发自内心给与的礼物才是真正的礼物。爱在日出时Sunrise on the eastern coast is a special event. I stood at Dolphin’s Nose, a spur jutting out into the Bay of Bengal, to behold the breaking of the sun’s upper limb over the horizon of the sea. As the eastern sky started unfolding like the crimson petals of a gigantic flower, I was overcome by a wave of romantic feelings and nostalgia—vivid memorie not diminished by the fact that almost ten years had passed. 东海岸的日出是一道特别的景观。我站在海豚鼻——一块向外延伸至孟加拉海湾的地方——观看太阳的上半边缘冉冉升起在海平面上。当东边的天空开始如一朵巨大的花展开深红色的花瓣般逐渐红透时,我被一股浪漫的感觉和怀旧之情征服了——如此清晰的记忆,并没有因为近乎十年的光阴已经逝去这个事实而褪去。 I was a young bachelor then, and Visakhapatnam did not have much to offer. Every Sunday morning, I used to rise before dawn and head for Dolphin’s Nose, to enjoy the dazzling spectacle of the sun majestically rising out of the sea. The fresh, salty sea breeze was a panacea for all the effects of hangovers caused by Saturday night excesses. 那时,我还是一个年轻的单身汉,维萨卡帕特南市对我来说并没有太多好玩的东西。每个周日早晨,我习惯天不亮就起床,前往海豚鼻,享受太阳从海面上庄严升起的壮丽景观。清新又有一丝咸味的海风不啻是一种万能药,能够缓解周六晚上因尽情玩乐而引发的宿醉后的不适感。 After viewing the metamorphosis at sunrise, I would walk downhill along the steep mountain-path, towards the rocky beach, for a brief swim. Each time, I noticed a flurry of activity in a distant compound with a single decrepit building. I used to ignore it, but curiously, one day I decided to take a closer look. It was a fish market. Most customers were housewives from the nearby residential complexes. They were at their “Sunday-worst”—sans make-up, slovenly dressed, faces unwashed, and unkempt hair—in stark contrast with their carefully made-up appearances at the club the previous evening. 在观看了日出时奇妙的变化以后,我会沿着陡峭的山路下行,走到一个遍布岩石的海滩,游一会儿泳。每次,我都注意到远处有一个居民区,里面有一座破旧的建筑物,人声沸沸扬扬。我通常都对它视而不见,但很奇怪的是,有一天,我竟决定走过去看看。这是一个鲜鱼市场。大部分顾客都是附近居民楼里的家庭主妇。她们完全是一副最糟糕的周日装扮——不施粉黛,衣着邋遢,脸也没洗,头发蓬乱——这与她们前一晚在夜店里那副精心装扮的外表形成了鲜明的对比。 I had began to walk away, quite dejected, when I saw her for the first time. I stopped, dead in my tracks. She was a real beauty—tall, fair and freshly bathed, her long lustrous hair dancing on her shoulders. She had large, expressive brown eye and her sharp features were accentuated by the rays of the morning Sun. I can’t begin to describe the sensation she evoked in me; it was the first time in my life that I felt my heart ache with such intense yearning. I knew this was love. Yet, in my heart, I knew that Istood no chance—she had a mangalsutra around her neck. She was married—maybe happily, too. Nevertheles I drew closer to her and made the pretence of buying some fish. Smiling guardedly at me, she selected a couple of pomfrets and held them out to me. I managed to briefly touch her soft hands—the feeling was electric and a shiver of thrill passed through me. She communicated an unspoken “good-bye” with her teasing, dancing eyes and briskly walked away. Too dazed to follow her, I returned to my room and had fried pomfret for breakfast. Needless to say, they tasted delicious. 我很失望,正要离开时,我第一次看见了她。我停了下来,脑子里一片空白。她真是一个美人——个子高高的,肤若凝脂,带着浴后的清新。长而有亮泽的头发在她的肩上起舞。她有一双大而有神的褐色眼睛,分明的轮廓在晨曦里更加清晰可见。我无从描述她在我内心唤起的感受。在我的一生中,我还是头一次由于强烈的渴望而感到内心疼痛。我知道这是爱。然而,我心里清楚我已经没有机会了——她脖子上戴着用来护佑婚姻的幸运项链。她结婚了——说不定还很幸福。然而,我不由地向她靠近,假装要买鱼。她警觉地朝我笑了笑,挑选了两条鲳鱼,捞出水面递给我。我设法碰了碰她柔软的双手——犹如触了电一般,一阵颤栗袭遍全身。她揶揄似的转动双眸,无声地示意“再见”,然后脚步轻快地走了。我昏昏沉沉的,以至无法跟从她,便回到自己的房间,炸了鲳鱼做早餐。不用说,味道好极了。 Soon, I was following this routine every Sunday morning with almost religious zeal. She never missed her rendezvous with me—same place, same day, at precisely the same time, Seven o’clock. Still, not a word was exchanged between us. I was too shy and she probably wanted to keep it this way—a beautiful ethereal relationship—a love so delicate that one wrong move might ruin everything. Meanwhile, I had developed a taste for fried pomfret—quite surprisingly, considering that I had never eaten fish before. 不久,每个周日早上,我都带着近乎宗教般的虔诚做着相同的事。她从没有错过与我的相聚——相同的地点,相同的日子,分毫不差的时间,七点整。我们依旧没有说过一句话。我太害羞了,而她或许是希望一切止步于此吧——一种美丽而缥缈的关系——这种爱如此微妙,以至一个错误的举动就可能毁掉一切。同时,我逐渐喜欢上了炸鲳鱼——鉴于我之前从不吃鱼,这确实让我很吃惊。 As the years went by, I left Visakhapatnam and travelled around the world, met many beautiful girls at the various exotic places I visited. But I never forgot her! A man’s first love would always have an enduring place in his heart. 时间一年一年地流逝,我离开了维萨卡帕特南市,周游世界。在异国他乡,我遇见过很多漂亮的女孩,但我从没忘记她!初恋在男人的心里总占据着一个恒久的位置。 And now, I was back in Visakhapatnam, almost ten years later. As I walked down the slope towards the beach, in my mind’s eyes I could still vividly envision the playfully sublime look on her face—her gentle smile and communicative eyes—even if ten years had passed. I could not contain the mounting excitement and anticipation in me; I was desperately yearning to see her again. It was a forlorn hope but I felt flushed with optimism.Reaching the beach, I noticed that the sun was well clear of the horizon. I glanced at my watch—almost seven o’clock. I hastened my step, almost breaking in to a run, and reached the fish market where I stood at the exact same spot, where we used to have our rendezvous at sunrise. 现在,近十年以后,我又回到了维萨卡帕特南市。当我沿着斜坡下山走向海滩,在我的脑海里,我依旧能生动地回想起她脸上那顽皮而矜持的神情——她那温柔的微笑和会说话的眼睛——尽管十年已经过去了。我无法再控制这不断堆积的兴奋和我心中的期望。我非常渴望能再见到她。尽管这个希望很渺茫,但我心中还是充满了期待。到达海滩后,我注意到太阳已经完全跃出海平面了。我瞥了一眼手表——快七点了。我加快脚步,几乎跑了起来,来到当年的鲜鱼市场,站在当年的位置上,那儿是我们过去常常在日出之时相聚的地方。 Trembling with anticipation verging on anxiety, I looked around with searching eyes. Nothing had changed. The scene was exactly the same as I had left it ten years ago. There was only one thing missing—she wasn’t there! I had drawn out the short straw! I felt crestfallen. My mind went blank and I stood motionles overcome with gloom, when suddenly, I felt that familiar electrifying touch, the same shiver and the familiar thrill. It jolted me back to reality, as quick as lighting. As she softly put two promfret fish in my hand I was feeling in the seventh Heaven. 带着近乎焦虑的期待,我不住地颤抖,用双眼四处搜寻着。一切都没变。这个场景还和我十年前离开时一模一样。只有一样东西不见了——她不在那里!倒霉透了!我感到很沮丧,大脑一片空白。我一动不动地站在那里,满怀忧郁。忽然,我感觉到那熟悉的触电似的触碰。同样的颤抖,熟悉的战栗。它闪电般把我飞快地拽回到现实。当她把两条鲳鱼轻轻放到我手里时,我感觉自己如同飘上了七重天。 Looking at her, I was not disappointed. Her beauty had enhanced with age. Yet, something had changed, indeed. Yes! It was her eyes. Her large brown eyes did not dance so teasingly anymore. There was a trace of sadnes a sense of tender poignancy in her liquid brown eye as she bid me her unspoken “good-bye”. Dumbstruck by the abruptness of the event and the enormity of the moment, I stood frozen like a statue, unable to react or say anything. It was only when she was leaving that I noticed that there was no mangalsutra around her slender neck anymore. 看着她,我并不失望。随着年龄的增长,她愈发美丽了。然而有什么东西的确已经改变了——是的!就是她的眼睛。她那大大的褐色双眼不再顾盼生姿,饱含揶揄了。她的眼里有一丝悲苦。当她向我无声地示意“再见”时,她那水汪汪的褐色眼睛里流露出一种温柔的酸楚。我被这突如其来的一切震呆了,这一瞬间是如此长久,我像泥塑木雕一般站在那里,不能回应,说不出一句话来。只有当她离开时我才注意到,她那细细的脖子上不再戴着那串用来护佑婚姻的幸运项链了。人生的蝴蝶效应“Thank you for your application. We would like to congratulate you,” the letter read. Those words can make your heart skip a beat and bring tears to your eyes. The feeling of following your dreams is inexplicable and proof that all your hard work was worth it.“感谢你的申请。我们要恭喜你,”信上写道。那些话能使你的心为之一颤,让你热泪盈眶。追随梦想的感受是难以言喻的,并且证明你所有的努力都是值得的。It is a signpost in life, a trail marker. It is a day you will never forget, the day you opened that envelope and your future was revealed. But what about all those days in-between—the ones that make and break you, the days that are nothing special.那是人生中的一个标记,人生路上的里程碑。那是你永远不会忘记的日子,那天你打开那个信封,你的未来就随之展现。但是在你获得录取信之前的所有日子呢?那些使你成功也使你崩溃的日子,那些平平淡淡的日子。Would you have received that acceptance letter had you not attended the college fair at your school? What if you had forgotten to send an essay with your application, would you have been rejected?要是你那时没有参加学校的学院展,你还会收到录取信吗?如果当时在寄申请书的时候,你忘记附上一篇个人陈述,你会被拒绝吗?In life, one step creates the next. Each day is of equal importance, no matter how good or bad. There is no moment in life that does not matter. Regardless of how insignificant, each choice, each day, each idea, is the birth of the next. Something simple can completely reshape your life. It’s just like the Butterfly Effect and you never know what is at the end. To go back in time and change one moment in the many that create your life could change everything that follows.人生中,步步相随。无论好与坏,每一天都一样的重要。人生中没有一个时刻是无关紧要的。不管如何不值一提,每个选择、每一天、每个想法,都会引出下一步。简单的事情可以完全重塑你的人生。那就像是“蝴蝶效应”,你永远不知道最后的结果是什么。若回顾从前并改变创造你人生的众多时刻中的一个,随后的一切也会被改变。If I’ve learned anything, it is that everything matters. You can struggle through life in an attempt to create the perfect path, but the truth is you will always wonder if it could have been better. Everything is important and nothing need be changed—to climb up the hill may be difficult, but you’ll reach the top no matter which path you choose.要是说我悟出什么道理,那就是任何事情都是重要的。你可以奋斗一生,试图创造完美的人生之路,但事实是你总是怀疑是否原本有更好的路可以走。每件事情都是重要的,任何事情都无需改变——攀山的过程可能是艰辛的,但无论你选择哪条道路,你终会到达顶峰。望采纳~
According to legend, a young man while roaming the desert came across a spring of delicious crystal-clear water. The water was so sweet, he filled his leather canteen so he could bring some back to a tribal elder who had been his teacher. 据传说,一个年轻的男子在漫游沙漠途中看到一泉如水晶般清澈而可口的 水。水的味道非常甜美,于是他灌满了他的皮水壶,这样就可以带一些回 去,送给曾经是他老师的部落长老。After a four-day journey he presented the water to the old man who took a deep drink, smiled warmly and thanked his student lavishly for the sweet water. The young man returned to his village with a happy heart. 经过四天的旅程,他把水呈献给老人。老人深饮一口,和蔼地笑了笑,并深 切感激学生赠予他甜美的水。年轻人怀着愉快的心情回到了村庄。Later, the teacher let another student taste the water. He spat it out, saying it was awful. It apparently had become stale because of the old leather container. 后来,老师让他的另一个学生品尝水。学生吐了出来,说水太难喝了。它显 然已经因为陈旧的皮革容器而变得不再新鲜。The student challenged his teacher: "Master, the water was foul. Why did you pretend to like it?" 学生质疑他的老师:“师父,水是臭的,你为什么要假装喜欢它?”The teacher replied, "You only tasted the water. I tasted the gift. The water was simply the container for an act of loving-kindness and nothing could be sweeter." 老师回答说,“你只品尝了水的味道,我却是在品尝礼物的味道。水仅仅是装 载善与爱之行为的容器,而没有什么东西比善与爱更甜美了。”I think we understand this lesson best when we receive innocent gifts of love from young children. Whether it's a ceramic tray or a macaroni bracelet, the natural and proper response is appreciation and expressed thankfulness because we love the idea within the gift. 我认为当我们从天真的孩子们那里收到爱的礼物时,能够最透彻地明白这个 道理。无论它是一个陶瓷托盘或通心粉手镯,我们自然而恰当的反应是欣 赏,并表示感激,因为我们喜欢礼物所包含的心意。Gratitude doesn't always come naturally. Unfortunately, most children and many adults value only the thing given rather than the feeling embodied in it. We should remind ourselves and teach our children about the beauty and purity of feelings and expressions of gratitude. After all, gifts from the heart are really gifts of the heart. 感恩并不总是自然而来的。不幸的是,大多数儿童和成人只看重被赠予的东 西本身,而不是它体现的情谊。我们应该提醒自己,并教导我们的孩子,感 情和对感激之情的表达是美丽而纯洁的。毕竟,发自内心给与的礼物才是真 正的礼物。更多自己找度娘!
“There is nothing either good or bad,but thinking makes it so.”—William Shakespeare, “Hamlet”One of the greatest sources of unhappiness, in my experience, is the difficulty we have in accepting things as they are.Without judgment, without wishing for otherwise.When we see something we don't like, we wish it could be different — we cry out for something better. That may be human nature, or perhaps it's something that's ingrained in our culture.The root of the unhappiness isn't necessarily that we want things to be different, however: it's that we decided we didn’t like it in the first place. We've judged it as bad, rather than saying, "It's not bad or good, it just is."An example: In my recent post, A Beautiful Method to Find Peace of Mind, quite a few commenters thought my outlook was negative, pessimistic, or fatalistic … because I said you should expect people to mess up, expect things to go differently than you planned, and that you should embrace that.It's too negative to expect things to go wrong, they said. However: it's only negative if you see it as negative. If you judge it as bad.Instead, you could accept it as the way the world works — as the way things actually are. And try to understand why that is, and embrace it. As it is.This can be applied to whatever you do: whether it be how other people act at work, how politics works and how depressing the news media can be. Accept these things as they are, and try to understand why they're that way.It'll save you a lot of grief, because you'll no longer say, "Oh, I wish things didn't suck!"Does it mean you can never change things? Not at all. But change things not because you can't accept things as they are, but because you enjoy the process of change, of learning and growing.Can we make this world a better place? Again, that's assuming that it's a bad place right now. But instead, you could say the world is just what it is — and that's neither good nor bad. You can say that you'll continue to try to do things to help others, to grow as a person, to make a difference in this world — not because you're such a bad person now, or the world sucks, but because that's the path you choose to take, because you enjoy that path.As you catch yourself judging, and wishing for different — and we all do it — try a different approach: accept, and understand. It might lead to some interesting results 来自英语窝 自己去找更多的吧··