人生不設限·熱情洋溢的沖浪黑狗兄

每當生活出狀況，并一點一點啃噬你的計劃或夢想時，請想起這個神奇女孩的信心。不幸的事總會發(fā)生。我們偶爾會被一些意想不到的浪打到，你的問題可能不會是鯊魚，但無論是什么擊倒了你，想想這位勇敢的十多歲女孩吧，她不但在被自然界最兇猛殘酷的掠食者攻擊之后活了下來，還恢復了健康，比以往更堅定地過著一個非凡的人生。

Remember this amazing girl's faith whenever life jumps up and takes a bite out of your plans and dreams. It will happen. We all get hit by unexpected waves now and then. Chances are your problem won't be a shark, but whatever knocks you down, think of this gritty teenage girl who not only survived an attack from one of nature's most ferocious predators but bounced back more determined than ever to lead an awesome life.

貝詩妮大大鼓舞了我，所以我請她幫助我做一件我一直想做的事——我問她愿不愿意教我沖浪，而讓我驚訝的是，她立刻提議帶我去威基基海灘。

Bethany inspired me so much that I asked her to help me do something I'd always wanted to try. Would she teach me to surf? To my amazement, she promptly offered to take me out on Waikiki Beach.

想到可以在夏威夷的國王和皇后們第一次騎在浪頭上的歷史地點學沖浪，就讓我超級興奮，當然也非常緊張。當貝詩妮在為我準備的長板上打蠟[9]時，她介紹了兩位沖浪明星——東尼·莫尼茲(Tony Moniz)和藍斯·胡卡諾(Lance Ho'okano)——給我認識，他們也會一起下水。

I was psyched at the prospect of learning to surf in the historic place where Hawaiian kings and queens first rode atop waves. I also was more than a little nervous. As Bethany waxed a longboard for me, she introduced me to surfing stars Tony Moniz and Lance Hookano, who would be joining us in the water.

我說過，當你懷疑自己能否實現(xiàn)人生的目標時，請信任那些愿意助你一臂之力，以及能夠指引你的人。這就是我為了學會沖浪所做的，我不可能有更好的沖浪伙伴了。他們先教我在草皮上練習如何在板子上保持平衡。

As I've mentioned, when you find yourself wondering whether you will be able to accomplish your goals in life, trust in people who are willing to lend you a hand and who can serve as your guide. That's exactly what I did in approaching this goal. I could not have asked for better surfing buddies. They started me practicing by balancing on my board in the grass.

他們輪流陪我，教導我，鼓勵我。當我們沖進海浪時，我突然有個讓人驚慌的想法：我們兩個人加起來只有三肢——而且，全部都是貝詩妮的耶!我很愛當個沖浪黑狗兄，而且我很會游泳，所以也不怕水，但我還是不太確定，就算有專家?guī)兔?，我可以在浪頭的沖擊下保持平衡嗎?有一次，老師在我的沖浪板上時，我做了個360度的回轉;還有一次，我在沖浪時跳下自己的板子，然后跳上貝詩妮的沖浪板!

They took turns riding with me, giving me instructions and cheering me on. As we were wading into the ocean waves, I was struck by the scary thought that the two of us had only three limbs between us—and they were all Bethany's! I loved the idea of being a surfer dude, and as a strong swimmer, I have no fear of the water, but I wasn't sure I could stay on a board atop the waves even with all the expert help. On one trip I did a 360-degree turn with one of my instructors on board. On another I hopped off my board and onto Bethany's board while surfing!

很自然地，我想要靠自己秀一下——沒辦法，我就是愛表現(xiàn)。最后，大家都同意我可以來場個人秀。為了讓我在追到浪時可以自己站起來，他們折了幾條毛巾，做成小平臺，放在我的沖浪板前方，這樣我在波浪中加速時，就可以用肩膀靠著這個毛巾平臺，然后慢慢直立起來。有志又有浪，成功在前方!

Eventually I wanted to try it by myself. I can't help it—I'm a ham. Finally everyone agreed I was ready to surf solo. To help me get up on my own once I caught a wave, they created a small platform by duct-taping a few folded towels to the front of my surfboard, which I felt confident would help me bring myself up. Then, once I built up some speed on a wave, I could leverage my shoulders against the towels and inch up into a standing position. Where there is a will and a wave, there is a way!

當天在威基基海灘有個沖浪比賽，人群開始聚集，全都看著我們。這些專家給了我不少建議——雖然他們的建議讓我更加緊張。

A surfing competition was being held that day at Waikiki, and a crowd began to gather, watching us. Though it made me nervous, I was getting plenty of advice from the experts.

“你真的要下水啊，老兄?”

"Are you really going to try this on the water, dude?"

“老兄，我搞不懂你沒手沒腳，怎么保持平衡?”

"Dude, I don't know how you can stay balanced without arms and legs!"

“你會游泳嗎，老兄?你游得比鯊魚快嗎?”

"Can you swim, dude? Can you swim faster than a shark, dude?"

下水后，我感覺好多了。我很輕，所以漂浮跟游泳都不成問題。我還很容易漂流，所以最后會到哪里去，我也不知道，說不定我會一路漂回澳大利亞，被沖進我父母家的后院。

Once we were out on the water, I actually felt better. I am very buoyant, so floating and swimming is not a problem. I also tend to drift, so I never know where I might end up. I had visions of floating back to Australia and washing up in my parents' backyard!

那天真是快活啊。貝詩妮在水中陪著我、鼓勵我，但一開始我試著要追浪并站起來時，總是從沖浪板上掉下去。我試了六次，掉了六次。

It was a gorgeous day. Bethany was in the water alongside me, encouraging me, but whenever I tried to catch a wave and stand up, I'd fall off my board. Six times I tried. Six times I wiped out.

不，我不能放棄。那么多人在看，還有一堆相機在那里照個不停，我可不想被放到You Tube上面，然后影片標題寫著“撐不住兩個浪頭的身障黑狗兄”。小時候我整天在溜滑板，所以對板子還是很能掌握的。終于，在第七次嘗試時，我追到一個大浪，并成功地在板子上站了起來。那個感覺真的超刺激，所以我不諱言，當我站在沖浪板上，一路進入海灘時，我像個小女生一樣尖叫了起來。

I couldn't give up. Too many people were watching. Too many cameras were rolling. I was not about to be featured on YouTube as the disabled dude who couldn't hang two. As a kid I'd spent a lot of time skateboarding, so I was getting a good feel for it. Finally on my seventh attempt I caught a big wave and brought myself up. It was such a thrill, I don't mind telling you that I screamed like a schoolgirl as I stood atop that board coming into the beach.

當我沖進海灘時，每個人都在看，并且對著我歡呼、吹口哨。我整個人都熱起來了——這個我很清楚，因為每個人都沖著我說：“老兄，你真是個火熱的黑狗兄!”

Everyone watching along the beach cheered and whistled as I surfed in. I was stoked! I know that because everyone told me, "Dude, you are a stoked dude!"

接下來的兩個小時，我們追了一道又一道的浪，來回將近二十趟。因為比賽的關系，岸邊有好幾位攝影師，結果我成了第一個登上《沖浪客》雜志封面的菜鳥沖浪客。結束水上美好的一天之后，我擦干身體。

For the next two hours we caught wave after wave, making nearly twenty rides. There were several photographers on the beach because of the competition, so I became the first rookie surfer ever to be featured on the cover of Surfer magazine. I toweled off from a great day on the water.

稍后，藍斯·胡卡諾在訪問中提出一個有趣的看法：“我已經(jīng)在這個海灘上待了一輩子，卻從沒參與過這種事。力克是我見過最熱情洋溢的人，他真的愛沖浪，他的血管里流的就是海水。這件事讓我覺得，一切都是可能的。”

Later in an interview Lance Hookano made an interesting observation. "I've been on this beach my whole life," he said, "and I've never been a part of something like this. Nick is one of the most stoked people I have ever seen. He loves it. He's got salt water running through his veins. It makes me think anything's possible."

請抓住這個想法：一切都是可能的。當你覺得自己被某個巨大的挑戰(zhàn)摧毀了、打敗了，請相信任何事都是可能的。當下你也許看不到出路，也許覺得全世界都聯(lián)合起來跟你唱反調，但請你相信，環(huán)境會改變，答案會出現(xiàn)，而你會獲得意想不到的幫助。然后，任何事都會有可能!

Hold that thought: Anything is possible. When you feel wiped out and blown away by a huge challenge, trust that anything is possible. You may not see a way out at the moment. You may feel that the whole world is lined up against you. But believe that circumstances can change, solutions can appear, and help can arrive from unexpected places. Then anything is possible!

如果一個沒手沒腳的家伙也能在全世界最頂尖的海灘沖浪，那么任何一件事對你都是有可能的!

If a bloke with no arms and no legs can learn to surf on one of the world's greatest beaches, anything and everything is possible for you!