Happy Maggie快樂的瑪吉

During my childhood I experienced greater hardships than most people go through in a lifetime. In my short 17 years of life， I have been through five divorces of my parents. Having a new stepmother or stepfather every few years was rough， but the constant moving was worse. My father's cancer diagnosis tore me apart， and his two heart attacks and battle with diabetes1） put a huge strain on the family. By age 13， I was depressed and emotionally scarred. I felt like I had no one to turn to and that nothing would ever get better. Then I met Maggie， and my perspective on life changed.

For many summers， I volunteered at a horseback riding camp for people with special needs. We taught children and adults specialized skills based on their disabilities. For example， we would teach a child with autism2） communication skills， or a child with cerebral palsy3） strength-building exercises. Each volunteer was assigned a specific child during the eight-week session in order to build a trusting relationship with them. Seeing the improvement in the kids day after day and the smiles on their faces whenever they saw me was heartwarming.

A few weeks into one summer session， I was asked to cover for4） another volunteer who was out sick. That was the day my outlook on life changed forever. I was assigned to Maggie， a girl with a severe brain injury. At first I didn't know what to expect. She had almost no verbal ability and very limited physical mobility， but she was in no way shy.

As I began to work with her， I looked through her file to get more information. It was heartbreaking. She had been physically abused as a newborn and throughout her infancy. Her birth parents abused her so badly that they caused her a serious brain injury by the age of two. Her skull had been broken， and the damage was irreversible5）. She had gone from foster6） home to foster home and never had a sense of stability. But the amazing thing about Maggie was her unsinkable attitude.

When I met Maggie， she was 12， and the only thing she would say was， \"I'm happy！\" That was the extent of her vocabulary. Everyone at the camp referred to her as Happy Maggie. Everyone loved her. She was never in a bad mood and was always up for trying anything. She was the happiest girl I have ever met. The answer to any question I asked her was \"I'm happy！\" What did you eat for breakfast？ How was your day？ What's your favorite color？ How old are you？ \"I'm happy！\" she replied each time. She loved life. She loved everyone and everything she came in contact with. I remember wondering if it was all an act—if on the inside she was broken， or if her brain was so far gone that the only emotion she could express or feel was happiness. I could only hope. In a twisted way， her brain injuries helped her get through the trauma of her childhood.

My life growing up was a huge struggle， but Maggie taught me to not let anything get in the way of happiness. Nothing bad in life should be enough to change who I am， or who I could be. She gave me strength. If I learned anything from Maggie， it would be， no matter what， be happy.

我童年時經(jīng)歷的磨難比大多數(shù)人一輩子經(jīng)歷的都要多。在短短17年的歲月里，我經(jīng)歷了父母的五次離婚。每隔幾年就有一個新的繼母或繼父，這就夠痛苦的了，但更糟糕的是還要不斷地搬家。爸爸被診斷出癌癥，令我痛苦萬分，他的兩次心臟病發(fā)作以及與糖尿病的斗爭給全家?guī)砹司薮蟮膲毫Α５?3歲時，我變得郁悶沮喪，內(nèi)心傷痕累累。我覺得自己孤立無助，覺得一切永遠都不會好起來了。就在那時，我遇見了瑪吉，我的人生觀從此發(fā)生了改變。

我連續(xù)很多年夏天都在一個為有特殊需求人士開辦的騎馬訓(xùn)練營里當(dāng)志愿者。我們根據(jù)這些兒童和成人的殘障狀況教他們一些專門的技能。例如，我們會教一個患有自閉癥的孩子溝通技巧，會教一個腦癱的孩子一些力量訓(xùn)練方法。在為期八周的課程時間里，每一名志愿者會被分配一名特定的孩子，以便和他們建立信任關(guān)系。看著孩子們一天一天地進步，還有他們臉上那無論什么時候看見我都洋溢著的燦爛笑容，我覺得心里暖洋洋的。

有一期暑假課程開始幾周后，一位志愿者生病無法上班，我被叫去替他。正是在那一天我的人生觀徹底改變了。我被指派給瑪吉，她是一個患有嚴重腦損傷的女孩。起初，我不知道對她能抱有什么期望。她幾乎完全喪失了語言能力，身體行動能力也非常有限，但她一點兒也不靦腆。

接手她這份工作后，我翻閱了她的檔案，以了解更多信息。她的故事令人心碎。她從一生下來到整個嬰兒期，身體就受盡虐待。她的親生父母無所不盡其極地虐待她，在她兩歲時造成了一次嚴重的腦損傷。她顱骨骨折，其損傷無法恢復(fù)。她被送到了一個又一個領(lǐng)養(yǎng)家庭，從未有過穩(wěn)定感。但在瑪吉身上有一種驚人的東西——永不消沉的人生態(tài)度。

我認識瑪吉時她12歲，她唯一會說的就是“我很快樂！”這是她所有的詞匯量。訓(xùn)練營里的每個人都叫她“快樂的瑪吉”，每個人都喜歡她。她永遠不會心情不好，而且總是愿意嘗試一切。她是我見過的最快樂的女孩。我問她任何問題，她的回答都是“我很快樂！”你早飯吃了什么？你今天過得怎么樣？你最喜歡的顏色是什么？你幾歲了？“我很快樂！”每一次她都這么回答。她熱愛生活，愛她接觸到的每一個人、每一樣事物。記得那時我在想，這是否只是在演戲——是不是在內(nèi)心深處她已經(jīng)心灰意冷，又或者她的大腦受損太過嚴重以至于她唯一能夠表達或感受到的情緒只有快樂。我只能如此希望。她的腦損傷以一種扭曲的方式幫助她熬過了童年的創(chuàng)傷。

我的成長歷盡艱辛，但瑪吉教會我不要讓任何事情阻擋快樂。生活中的不順應(yīng)該都不足以改變現(xiàn)在的我和我能成為什么樣的人。她給了我力量。如果說我從瑪吉那兒學(xué)到了什么的話，那就是，無論怎樣，快樂地活著！