I Choose to Be Cheerful

by Lee Ryan Miller翻译：浅由吴雨奇

I Choose to Be Cheerful

by Lee Ryan Miller翻译：浅由吴雨奇

每一天都是崭新的开始。早上起来的时候，给自己一个大大的笑容，用愉悦的心情迎接新的一天吧。也许生活中有很多事不由得我们选择，但至少我们可以选择以怎样的心情去面对。新的一天，我们要给自己更多的快乐与幸福。

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 ['ekstrækt] v. 拔出

2) proceed to 接着，继续

3) approach [ə'prəʊtʃ] v. 对待，看待

4) freeway ['friːweɪ] n. 高速公路

5) Drive [draɪv] n.（用于路名）路，大道

6) fasher ['flæʃə] n. 闪光灯，应急灯

7) march [mαːtʃ] v.（快步）行走

8) tow truck（故障车的）牵引车，拖车

9) secretary ['sekrɪtərɪ] n. 秘书

10) provost ['prəʊvəʊst] n. 教务长

11) fashion ['fæʃən] n. 方式

12) scan [skæn] v. 细看，审视

13) lecture hall 大教室

注1：内华达大学拉斯维加斯分校（University of Nevada，Las Vegas，简称UNLV）是一所历史悠久、男女合校的公立大学，始建于1957年，以酒店管理、美术、法律和历史等学科而闻名。

注2：亨德森市（Henderson），美国内华达州的一个城市，也是内华达州人口第二多的城市。

注3：美国汽车协会（The American Automobile Association，简称AAA），于1902年成立。尽管它的服务范围包括参与评定五星级旅馆和饭店，以及为会员提供购车贷款、保险、租车等方面的优惠，但其最主要且最著名的服务项目还是汽车紧急救援。

那是个周一，我在内华达大学拉斯维加斯分校上八点的课刚开始时，我兴致勃勃地问班上的学生周末过得怎么样。一个男生说他的周末过得不太好，因为他拔掉了智齿。接着他又问我为什么看起来总是这么愉快。

他的问题让我想起了之前不知道在哪里读到的一句话—每天早上起床时，你可以选择如何面对这一天的生活。我和这男生说：“因为我选择快乐地面对。”

“让我给你们举个例子吧，”我接着说道。

“除了在这儿给你们上课，我还在亨德森的一所社区大学里任教，从那儿沿着高速公路开17英里就能到我家了。几周前的一天，我沿着那段高速公路驶向亨德森，下了高速公路后就转进大学路。我只需再开四分之一英里路就能到学校了—但就在这时，车熄火了。我试着重新启动它，但引擎不转了。于是我打开应急灯，拿上我的书，径直向学校奔去。”

“我一到学校就打给美国汽车协会，让他们派辆拖车过来。教务室的秘书问我发生了什么事。‘这是我的幸运日，’我笑着回答说。”

“‘你的车都坏了，你还说今天是你的幸运日？’她很困惑。‘这是什么意思呢？’”

“‘我住在离这儿17英里远的地方，’我回答说。‘我的车其实也有可能坏在高速公路上的任意一段路，但它没有。相反地，它在一个最完美的地点发生故障：这地点不在高速公路上，并且步行就可以到达学校。我依然来得及给学生们上课，还能安排好拖车在课后进行处理。如果我的车注定要在今天发生故障的话，现在这样便是最省事的方式了。’”

“那个秘书听得目瞪口呆，然后她就笑了。我也冲她笑了一下，便上课去了。”

我扫视了一下教室里那六十张脸。虽然是在大清早，但没有一个学生在打瞌睡。不知怎地，我的故事触动了他们—或许触动他们的并不是故事本身。

一位智者曾说，“行胜于言。”我认为这的确是真理。