人生不設(shè)限·充滿挑戰(zhàn)的童年

我剛來到這個世界時，媽媽曾害怕自己無力照顧我，爸爸則擔心我前途坎坷，不曉得將來會過什么樣的日子。他們思考過幾種選擇，甚至包括放棄我，送給別人收養(yǎng)，但最后認定全力撫養(yǎng)我是他們的責任。

In recent years my parents have been candid in describing their fears and nightmares immediately following my birth. As I was growing up, of course, they did not let on that I was not exactly the child of their dreams. In the months following my arrival, my mum feared she could not look after me. My dad could not see a happy future for me and worried about the kind of life I would have. If I was helpless and unable to experience life, he felt I would be better off with God. They considered their options, including the possibility of giving me up for adoption. Both sets of my grandparents offered to take me and care for me. My parents declined the offers. They decided it was their responsibility to raise me as best they could.

他們哀傷過，然后試著盡量把我這個身體有障礙的兒子當個“正常”孩子來養(yǎng)。我父母擁有堅定的信心，他們總是想著，上帝給了他們這樣一個孩子，肯定是有理由的。

They grieved, and then they set about raising their physically challenged son to be as "normal" as he could possibly be. My parents are people of strong faith, and they kept thinking that God must have had some reason for giving them such a son.

受傷后如果能多動一動，有些傷口會復原得比較快，人生的挫敗也是如此。你或許失業(yè)了，結(jié)束了一段親密關(guān)系，或是賬單堆積如山，但不要讓你的人生停留在這里，因為這樣你會一直想著過去的傷痛，你應該去尋找前進的方法。也許前面有更好、更能讓你發(fā)揮所長并獲得回報的工作等著你;也許你的親密關(guān)系需要“改組”，或者還有更適合你的人;也許財務(wù)上的困難會刺激你用更具創(chuàng)意的方式節(jié)省開支、累積財富。

Some injuries heal more quickly if you keep moving. The same is true of setbacks in life. Perhaps you lose your job. A relationship might not work out. Maybe the bills are piling up. Don't put your life on hold so that you can dwell on the unfairness of past hurts. Look instead for ways to move forward. Maybe there is a better job awaiting you that will be more fulfilling and rewarding. Your relationship may have needed a shake-up, or maybe there is someone better for you. Perhaps your financial challenges will inspire you to find new creative ways to save and build wealth.

人生的遭遇難以控制，有些事情不是你的錯，也不是你可以阻止的。你能選擇的不是放棄，而是繼續(xù)努力爭取更好的生活。我希望你知道，事情會發(fā)生總有理由，而最后，結(jié)果會是好的。

You can't always control what happens to you. There are some occurrences in life that are not your fault or within your power to stop. The choice you have is either to give up or to keep on striving for a better life. My advice is to know that everything happens for a reason and in the end good will come of it.

年紀還小的時候，我想當然地認為自己是個可人兒，就像世上任何一個迷人的可愛小孩一樣——我的天真無知在那個年紀真是個福氣。我并不知道自己跟別人不同，也不知道人生路上有各種挑戰(zhàn)等著我，我甚至不認為我會被賦予處理難題的權(quán)利。我向你保證，每一個你自認無能為力之處，其實都有祝福，里頭有著足夠的能力，帶你度過挑戰(zhàn)。

As a child, I just assumed I was a perfectly adorable baby, naturally charming and as lovable as any on earth. My blissful ignorance was a blessing at that age. I didn't know that I was different or that many challenges awaited me. You see, I don't think we are ever given more than we can handle. I promise you that for every disability you have, you are blessed with more than enough abilities to overcome your challenges.

上帝也為我配備了驚人的決心和其他恩賜。很快地，我證明了即使沒有手腳，我依然行動敏捷，并具備良好的協(xié)調(diào)性。我整個人只有軀干，但也像個小男嬰，是個滾動、到處沖撞的危險人物。我學著讓身體直立，方法是用前額頂住墻面，然后使勁向上移動。長久以來，父母試著教我各種比較舒服的方法，但我總堅持要自己解決問題。

God equipped me with an amazing amount of determination and other gifts too. I soon proved that even without limbs I was athletic and well coordinated. I was all trunk but all baby boy too; a rolling, diving daredevil. I learned to haul myself into an upright position by bracing my forehead against a wall and scooting up it. My mum and dad worked with me for a long time trying to help me master a more comfortable method, but I always insisted on finding my own way.

媽媽試著在地板上放軟墊，這樣我就可以用墊子撐住自己，再爬起來。不過基于某些理由，我還是決定用額頭抵住墻壁，再一寸一寸地立起身子。用自己的方法起身雖然很困難，但現(xiàn)在也成了我的注冊商標啰!

My mum tried to help by putting cushions on the floor so I could use them to brace myself and get up, but for some reason I decided it was better just to bash my brow against the wall and inch my way up. Doing tasks my way, even if it was the hard way became my trademark!

早年，善用我這顆頭是我唯一的選擇，這讓我在頭腦發(fā)達(開玩笑了)之余，也賦予我的脖子如印度圣牛般的力量，還讓我的額頭硬如子彈。

Using my head was my only option in those early days; a fact that developed my massive intellect (kidding!) while also giving me the neck strength of a Brahma bull and a forehead hard as a bullet.

當然，我的父母常常為我擔心。其實就算孩子四肢健全，為人父母也是一個充滿驚嚇的體驗。新手父母常開玩笑說，希望孩子出生時能附上使用手冊，但就算史波克醫(yī)師[4]的暢銷書也沒有任何一章談到該怎么帶我這種嬰兒。不過，我還是頑強地長大了，愈來愈健康，膽子也愈來愈大;到了“貓狗都嫌”的兩歲階段，我給父母帶來的恐怖經(jīng)驗，比一組八胞胎還多呢。

My parents worried about me constantly, of course. Parenthood is a shocking experience even with full-bodied babies. New mothers and fathers often joke that they wish their first child came with an operating manual. There was no chapter even in Dr. Spock for babies like me. Yet I stubbornly grew healthier and bolder. I closed in on the "terrible twos" stage, packing more potential parental terrors than a set of octuplets.

他要怎么吃東西?他要如何上學?如果我們發(fā)生了什么事，誰來照顧他?他要怎么獨立生活?

How will he ever feed himself? How will he go to school? Who would take care of him if something happened to us? How will he ever live independently?

人類的推理能力可以是個祝福，也可以是個詛咒。你可能也像我父母一樣，想到未來就苦惱、發(fā)愁。不過，事情通常不會如我們想象的那么嚴重。未雨綢繆沒什么不好，但你要知道，最可怕的夢魘可能變成最棒的驚喜，人生很多事的最后結(jié)果，經(jīng)常是美好的。

Our human powers of reasoning can be a blessing and a curse. Like my parents, you have probably fretted and worried about the future. Often, though, that which you dread turns out to be far less a problem than you imagined. There is nothing wrong with looking ahead and planning for the future, but know that your worst fears could just as easily prove to be your best surprise. Very often life works out for the good.

我童年最棒的驚喜之一，是學會掌控我那只小小的左腳。起先，我出于本能地用它來滾、踢、推和撐住自己，但父母和醫(yī)生認為這只便利小左腳應該可以發(fā)揮更大的作用。我的小左腳有兩個趾頭，不過自我出生時它們就黏在一起，而父母和醫(yī)生認為動個小手術(shù)分開這兩個趾頭，會讓它們使用起來更像手指，可以做些握筆、翻頁之類的事。

One of the best surprises of my childhood was the control I had over my little left foot. Instinctively I used it to roll myself around, to kick, shove, and brace myself. My parents and doctors felt that the handy little foot might be of greater use. There were two toes, but they were fused together when I was born. My parents and doctors decided that an operation to free the toes might allow me to use them more like fingers to grip a pen, turn a page, or perform other functions.

當時我們住在澳大利亞的墨爾本，這里可以提供某些這個國家最棒的醫(yī)療照護，但我?guī)淼奶魬?zhàn)超過大部分醫(yī)護人員所受的訓練。當醫(yī)生準備為我的腳動手術(shù)時，媽媽提醒他們，我大部分時間都在發(fā)燒，一定要特別提防我身體過熱的狀況。她知道有一個沒有四肢的孩子在手術(shù)時因為體溫過高引發(fā)腦部癲癇，而留下腦傷的后遺癥。

We then lived in Melbourne, Australia, which offered some of the best medical care in the country. I did present challenges beyond the training of most health care professionals. At the time when doctors were preparing me for foot surgery, my mum kept emphasizing to them that I ran hot most of the time and that they would have to be especially attentive to the possibility of my body overheating. She knew about another child without limbs who overheated during an operation and was left with brain damage after suffering a brain seizure.

因為我的身體常常會自動發(fā)熱，所以我家很流行一句話：“當力克覺得冷的時候，鴨子都凍僵了。”這可不是開玩笑，如果我運動得太厲害、壓力大，或者在炙熱的光線下待太久，我的體溫會上升到危急狀態(tài)，所以我必須一直提防自己別被融化了。

My self-roasting tendencies prompted an oft-repeated family saying: "When Nicky's cold, the ducks must be freezing." Still, it is no joke that if I exercise too much, get stressed out, or stay too long under hot lights, my body temperature will rise dangerously. Avoiding a meltdown is one of the things I have to always be on guard against.

“請小心監(jiān)控他的體溫。”媽媽提醒醫(yī)療團隊。盡管知道我媽是護士，醫(yī)生們還是沒把她的話當一回事。我腳趾的分割手術(shù)很成功，但媽媽警告過的事還是發(fā)生了。離開手術(shù)室時，我全身濕透，因為醫(yī)護人員沒有采取任何預防我體溫過熱的措施。因此當他們猛然發(fā)現(xiàn)我體溫失控時，就趕緊用濕毯子包住我，想讓我冷卻下來，甚至用好幾桶冰塊降溫，以防我發(fā)生癲癇。

"Please monitor his temperature carefully," my mum told the surgical team. Even though the doctors knew my mother was a nurse, they still didn't take her advice seriously. They managed a successful surgery separating my toes, but what my mum had warned them about came to pass. I emerged from the operating room soaked because they hadn't taken any precautions for keeping my body from overheating, and when they realized that my temperature was getting out of control, they tried to cool me with wet sheets. They also put buckets of ice on me to avoid a seizure.

媽媽氣炸了，醫(yī)生確確實實地感受到我媽杜許卡的憤怒!

My mum was furious. No doubt the doctors felt the wrath of Dushka!

不過，當我冷靜下來(真的是“冷”靜下來哦)，我的生活品質(zhì)的確因為兩個腳趾頭分開而提升了。它們沒辦法像醫(yī)生期望的那么好用，但我會調(diào)適。對一個沒手沒腿的小伙子來說，這么一只小腳和兩個趾頭已經(jīng)非常管用了。這個手術(shù)加上新科技，使我得以操作量身定做的電動輪椅、電腦和手機，行動更加自由。

Even still, once I chilled out (quite literally), my quality of life received a big boost from my newly freed toes. They didn't work exactly as the doctors had hoped, but I adapted. It's amazing what a little foot and a couple of toes can do for a bloke with no arms and no legs. That operation and new technologies liberated me by giving me the power to operate custom-built electronic wheelchairs, a computer, and a cell phone too.

我不知道你的重擔是什么，也不會假裝自己碰過類似的難關(guān)，但看看我父母在我出生時所經(jīng)歷的，想象一下他們當時的感受吧。對他們來說，未來是多么凄涼無望啊。

I can't know exactly what your burden is, nor do I pretend that I've ever been through a similar crisis, but look at what my parents went through when I was born. Imagine how they felt. Consider how bleak the future must have looked to them.

或許你目前正處于黑暗的隧道中，看不到盡頭的光明，但你知道嗎?當年我父母也無法想象有一天我會過著如此美妙的人生。他們當時一定不知道，兒子不但可以自給自足，而且還過著快樂、充實、喜悅且有目標的生活。

You may not be able to see a bright light at the end of your own dark tunnel right now, but know that my parents could not envision what a wonderful life I would have one day. They had no idea that their son would be not only self-sufficient and fully engaged in a career but happy, and full of joyful purpose!

我父母最害怕的事，其實大部分都沒發(fā)生。養(yǎng)育我當然不容易，但我相信他們會告訴你，即使經(jīng)歷種種挑戰(zhàn)，我們的生活還是充滿歡笑與喜樂?？偟膩碚f，我的童年生活很正常，很愛折磨弟弟亞倫和老妹蜜雪兒，就像大部分的哥哥一樣。

Most of my parents' worst fears never materialized. Raising me was certainly not easy, but I think they'll tell you that for all the challenges, we had plenty of laughter and joy. All things considered, I had an amazingly normal childhood in which I enjoyed tormenting my siblings, Aaron and Michelle, just like all big brothers!

你現(xiàn)在的生活或許一團亂，不知道明天是否會更好，但我要告訴你，只要拒絕放棄，就會有超乎想象的美好在前方等著你。請把焦點放在你的夢想上，盡你所能去逐夢;你有改變環(huán)境的力量，所以就去追求你真心的渴望吧，無論那是什么。

Life may be kicking you around right now. You may wonder if your fortunes will improve. I'm telling you that you can't even imagine the good that awaits you if you refuse to give up. Stay focused on your dream. Do whatever it takes to stay in the chase. You have the power to change your circumstances. Go after whatever it is you desire.

我的人生是個還在書寫中的冒險——你的也是。現(xiàn)在就開始書寫你生命的第一章，用冒險、愛和快樂填滿它，并好好活出你所寫的人生故事。

My life is an adventure still being written—and so is yours. Start writing the first chapter now! Fill it with adventure and love and happiness. Live the story as you write it!