Five Balls in the Air
Imagine life as a game in which you are juggling1) some five balls in the air.You name them―work,family,health,friends and spirit,and you’re keeping all these balls in the air.
You understand that work is a rubber ball.If you drop it,it will bounce back.But the other four balls are made of glass.If you drop one of these,it will be irrevocably2) scuffed,marked,nicked,damaged or even shattered.They will never be the same.You must understand that and strive for balance in your life.How?
Don’t undermine your worth by comparing yourself to others.It is because we a re- different that each of us is special.Don’t set your goals by what other people deem3) important.Only you know what is best for you.Don’ t take for granted the things closest to your heart.Cling to4) them as you would to life,for without them,it’s meaningless.Don’t let life slip through your fingers by living in the past or in the future.By living your life one day at a time,you live ALL the days of your life.Don’ t run through life so fast that you forget not only where you’ve been,but also where you’ re going.Don’ t use time or words carelessly.Neither can be retrieved5).Life is not a race,but a journey to be savored each step of the way.Yesterday is history,tomorrow is a mystery,and today is a gift.That’ s why we call it―The Present.
□by Bryan Dyson
空 中 的 五 只 球
想像生命是一場你在往空中拋接五只球的游戲。你把這五只球分別稱作---工作、家庭、健康、友誼和精神,而你正在努力使這五只球都騰于空中。
你清楚工作是個橡皮球。如果你失手使其落在地上,它還會彈起。但是其他四只球都是玻璃做的,如果你掉了其中一個,它便無法挽回地受到磨損,落下疤痕,出現裂縫,遭到毀壞,甚至四分五裂。它們再也恢復不到以前的樣子。你必須懂得這一點并爭取在你的生活中把握住平衡。那應該怎么做呢?不要無謂地將自己與他人比較而低估自己的價值。要知道我們每個人都是與眾不同的,每個人都是獨一無二的。
不要把他人視為重要的東西當作你的奮斗目標。要知道只有你自己才清楚什么對你是最好的選擇。不要將你最親近的東西視為理所當然。緊緊地抓住它們正如你緊緊地抓住生命一樣。因為一旦沒有了它們,生命也就毫無意義了。不要沉緬于過去或未來而讓生命從指間悄然溜走。過好生命的每一天,你便能過好生命的全部日子。不要活得匆匆忙忙以致你不僅忘記了你的過去,也迷失了你的未來。不要漫不經心地打發(fā)你的時間和言語,兩者失不再來。生命不是一場賽跑,而是一步一個腳印走過來的一段旅程。昨天是歷史,明天是個謎,而今天則是個禮物。這就是為什么我們把今天稱為Present 。
NOTE 注釋:
1. juggle [5dVQ^l] vi. 用…玩雜耍,邊拋邊接通過輪流拋接使(兩個或兩個以上物體)同 時保持于空中
2. irrevocably [i5revEkEbl] adv. 不能取消地, 不能撤回地
3. deem [di:m] v. 認為, 相信
4. cling to 依附, 依靠, 堅持
5. retrieve [ri5tri:v] v. 重新得到