I Choose to Be Cheerful

by Lee Ryan Miller翻譯：淺由吳雨奇

I Choose to Be Cheerful

by Lee Ryan Miller翻譯：淺由吳雨奇

每一天都是嶄新的開始。早上起來的時候，給自己一個大大的笑容，用愉悅的心情迎接新的一天吧。也許生活中有很多事不由得我們選擇，但至少我們可以選擇以怎樣的心情去面對。新的一天，我們要給自己更多的快樂與幸福。

At the beginning of my 8:00 a.m. class one Monday at UNLV注1, I cheerfully asked my students how their weekend had been. One young man said that his weekend had not been very good. He’d had his wisdom teeth1)extracted. Then he2)proceeded to ask me why I always seemed to be so cheerful.

His question reminded me of something I’d read somewhere before—Every morning when you get up, you have a choice about how you want to3)approach life that day. I said to the young man, “I choose to be cheerful.”

“Let me give you an example,” I continued.

“In addition to teaching here at UNLV, I also teach out at the community college in Henderson注2, about seventeen miles down the4)freeway from where I live. One day, a few weeks ago, I drove those seventeen miles to Henderson. I exited the freeway and turned onto College5)Drive. I only had to drive another quarter-mile down the road to the college. But just then my car died. I tried to start it again, but the engine wouldn’t turn over. So I put my6)fashers on, grabbed my books, and7)marched down the road to the college.”

“As soon as I got there I called AAA注3and asked them to send a8)tow truck. The9)secretary in the10)Provost’s offce asked me what had happened. ‘This is my lucky day, ’ I replied, smiling. ”

“‘Your car breaks down and today is your lucky day?’ She was puzzled. ‘What do you mean?’”

“‘I live seventeen miles from here,’ I replied. ‘My car could have broken down anywhere along the freeway. It didn’t. Instead, it broke down in the perfect place: off the freeway, within walking distance of here. I’m still able to teach my class, and I’ve been able to arrange for the tow truck to meet me after class. If my car was meant to break down today, it couldn’t have been arranged in a more convenient11)fashion.’”

“The secretary’s eyes opened wide, and then she smiled. I smiled back and headed for class.”

I12)scanned the sixty faces in the13)lecture hall. Despite the early hour, no one seemed to be asleep. Somehow, my story had touched them. Or maybe it wasn’t the story at all.

A wise man once said, “Who you are speaks louder to me than anything you can say.” I suppose it must be so.

1) extract ['ekstr?kt] v. 拔出

2) proceed to 接著，繼續

3) approach [?'pr??t?] v. 對待，看待

4) freeway ['fri?we?] n. 高速公路

5) Drive [dra?v] n.（用于路名）路，大道

6) fasher ['fl???] n. 閃光燈，應急燈

7) march [mα?t?] v.（快步）行走

8) tow truck（故障車的）牽引車，拖車

9) secretary ['sekr?t?r?] n. 秘書

10) provost ['pr??v??st] n. 教務長

11) fashion ['f???n] n. 方式

12) scan [sk?n] v. 細看，審視

13) lecture hall 大教室

注1：內華達大學拉斯維加斯分校（University of Nevada，Las Vegas，簡稱UNLV）是一所歷史悠久、男女合校的公立大學，始建于1957年，以酒店管理、美術、法律和歷史等學科而聞名。

注2：亨德森市（Henderson），美國內華達州的一個城市，也是內華達州人口第二多的城市。

注3：美國汽車協會（The American Automobile Association，簡稱AAA），于1902年成立。盡管它的服務范圍包括參與評定五星級旅館和飯店，以及為會員提供購車貸款、保險、租車等方面的優惠，但其最主要且最著名的服務項目還是汽車緊急救援。

那是個周一，我在內華達大學拉斯維加斯分校上八點的課剛開始時，我興致勃勃地問班上的學生周末過得怎么樣。一個男生說他的周末過得不太好，因為他拔掉了智齒。接著他又問我為什么看起來總是這么愉快。

他的問題讓我想起了之前不知道在哪里讀到的一句話—每天早上起床時，你可以選擇如何面對這一天的生活。我和這男生說：“因為我選擇快樂地面對。”

“讓我給你們舉個例子吧，”我接著說道。

“除了在這兒給你們上課，我還在亨德森的一所社區大學里任教，從那兒沿著高速公路開17英里就能到我家了。幾周前的一天，我沿著那段高速公路駛向亨德森，下了高速公路后就轉進大學路。我只需再開四分之一英里路就能到學校了—但就在這時，車熄火了。我試著重新啟動它，但引擎不轉了。于是我打開應急燈，拿上我的書，徑直向學校奔去。”

“我一到學校就打給美國汽車協會，讓他們派輛拖車過來。教務室的秘書問我發生了什么事。‘這是我的幸運日，’我笑著回答說。”

“‘你的車都壞了，你還說今天是你的幸運日？’她很困惑。‘這是什么意思呢？’”

“‘我住在離這兒17英里遠的地方，’我回答說。‘我的車其實也有可能壞在高速公路上的任意一段路，但它沒有。相反地，它在一個最完美的地點發生故障：這地點不在高速公路上，并且步行就可以到達學校。我依然來得及給學生們上課，還能安排好拖車在課后進行處理。如果我的車注定要在今天發生故障的話，現在這樣便是最省事的方式了。’”

“那個秘書聽得目瞪口呆，然后她就笑了。我也沖她笑了一下，便上課去了。”

我掃視了一下教室里那六十張臉。雖然是在大清早，但沒有一個學生在打瞌睡。不知怎地，我的故事觸動了他們—或許觸動他們的并不是故事本身。

一位智者曾說，“行勝于言。”我認為這的確是真理。