生命中的意外收获

张倩

I was about 12 years old when my neighbor asked me to help her out. She was an elderly woman， too frail1） and sick to be living on her own. I agreed， but was not exactly excited， considering that I have a hard time being around new people for long periods of time.

On my first day， I was nervous and awkward； I didnt know where to start. I even stuttered2） when I greeted her. She welcomed me with a warm hug and directed me to the living room， not seeming to notice how nervous I was. We made idle3） chat for a little bit about the weather and school.

Eventually she had me begin cleaning. I scrubbed4） walls， dusted shelves， vacuumed5） stairs. When I was in the same room with her she talked to me about her younger days， and it was nice. I learned interesting things about the 1930s， and it was really neat6） to hear them from someone directly， rather than a history book or website.

When I was finished I was tired， and my body felt painful. My hands were scrubbed raw and I had managed to stub7） my toe while moving a couch. Still during those three hours I learned an important trait8）： patience. I learned to focus on what I was doing， and to go slow rather than rush it.

Her house sparkled and I felt so proud. She offered me money， and even though she insisted， I didnt take it. Instead I pulled her into a warm embrace， like she had with me， and thanked her.

Im 15 now and were the best of friends. Shes almost like another grandmother to me， and Im glad to have her in my life.

邻居找我帮忙时，我大概12岁。她是一位上了年纪的女士，体弱多病，生活难以自理。我答应了，但是考虑到我很难长时间与刚认识的人相处，我并不是太高兴。

头一天去她家时，我感到局促不安，不知从哪开始，甚至连问候她时都结结巴巴的。而她用温暖的拥抱向我表示欢迎，并将我领进客厅，似乎并未注意到我有多么紧张。我们闲聊了一会儿天气、学校之类的。

终于，她让我开始打扫卫生了。我擦了墙壁，除掉了书架上的灰尘，用真空吸尘器清理了楼梯。当我打扫到她所在的房间时，她就跟我讲起她自己年轻时的事情。那感觉很好。我了解了20世纪30年代的一些趣闻。直接从一个人嘴里听到而非从历史书上或者网页上看到这些趣闻，这种感觉真的很爽。

打扫完屋子，我全身酸痛，觉得很累。我的双手磨得生疼，搬动沙发时我还弄得踢到了脚趾。尽管如此，我却从那三小时中收获了一个重要品质：耐心。我学会了专注眼前事，学会了放慢节奏，而不是急于求成。

看着她的房间焕然一新，我内心无比自豪。她主动付我工钱，尽管她再三坚持，我还是没有接受。相反，我给了她一个温暖的拥抱，就像她拥抱我那样，并向她道谢。

现在我15岁了，我们成了至交好友。对我来说，她几乎就像我的另一个奶奶。有她在我的生命中，我很开心。

1. frail [fre?l] adj. 虚弱的；体弱的

2. stutter [?st?t?（r）] vi. 口吃；结结巴巴地说话

3. idle [?a?dl] adj. 琐碎无聊的；毫无意义的

4. scrub [skr?b] vt. 擦掉（灰尘、污渍）

5. vacuum [?v?kju?m] vt. 用真空吸尘器打扫

6. neat [ni?t] adj. 很好的；很棒的

7. stub [st?b] vt. 使脚趾碰伤

8. trait [tre?t] n. （个人的）特征；特性；品质