中國網站品牌欄目（頻道）
一棵小樹需要養料和水才能長成參天大樹，而一個孩子需要關心和鼓勵方可進步，最終成為棟梁之材。他（她）遇到困難，一句安慰和勉勵的話語就可以讓其心頭燃起希望之火，重振拼搏的信心……有堅強的毅力和遠大的志向，最終必將一飛沖天！
By Mary Kay Ash
方華文 譯
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If you think you can, you can. And if you think you can’t, you’re right. “Tumbling time!” I called out. My group of giggling children lined up before the sea of blue mats. Meagan trailed behind and stepped quietly into the back of the line. She was eight years old, the same age I was when I began sports acrobatics. I started the class with forward and backward rolls, cartwheels and handstand forward rolls. The children had mastered this series months ago. Two girls and a boy had even achieved back handsprings on their own. But Megan was still working on handstand forward rolls. It simply took her a little longer to learn the tumbling moves. I caught her ankles as she kicked into a handstand. While checking her body alignment, I reminded her to straighten her legs, to push against the floor and to tuck in her chin. I guided her as she rolled over, then we started the process again. Each time she stood up I made a special effort to find something to compliment. “What beautiful pointed toes you have,” or “Your legs were much straighter than last time,” or “That was the strongest handstand I’ve seen you do yet.” One day before class, Megan’s father asked to talk to me. By his somber expression I didn’t know what to expect. “I’m thinking of taking Megan out of class,” he said. “Why?” I asked. Had I done something wrong? I wondered. His arm draped protectively over Megan’s shoulders, he said, “She isn’t catching on like the other kids are. I don’t want her to hold them back.” I could see his pained expression as he said this. Megan’s eyes were downcast as if she wanted to disappear. “I think you’re making mistake,” I said. “Megan needs this class, possibly more than the other children need it. I didn’t start out as a seven-time national champion. I started out as an eight-year-old girl, just like Megan. My coach used to say, ‘There are children with talent, then there is Christine. She just works hard.’ When I look at Megan I see myself. She works hard.” “Sir, your daughter may never win a competition. She may never even compete, but I promise you that if she keeps trying and believing in herself, her self-esteem will be more important than any gold medal ever won. I believe in Megan. I believe that she can accomplish anything she sets out to do, in her own time.” As I said these words Megan looked up at me. Her eyes were filled with tears, and she was smiling like a bud flowering into bloom. Her father hugged me and whispered, “Thank you. Thank you so much.” He turned to Megan and said, “Honey, go and put on your leotard. It’s time for your class.” Megan eventually did learn handstand forward rolls as well as many other skills—in her own time. More importantly, she never again stood at the back of the line. From that day forward, whenever I asked the children to line up for tumbling, Megan ran to stand in the front. |
有志者事竟成。而缺乏意志，諸事難辦。 “該練翻筋斗了！”我高聲喊道。孩子們咯咯笑著來到那一塊塊的藍色墊子前排成隊列。梅根走在最后，悄悄溜進了隊列的尾部。她8歲，跟我開始練技巧運動時一個年齡。 上課了，我先讓孩子們做前滾翻、后滾翻、側手翻以及倒立前翻。這套動作他們幾個月前就掌握了。兩個女孩和一個男孩甚至都能獨立完成反向翻筋斗了。可梅根仍停留在“倒立前翻”的階段。她學習翻筋斗，比別人花的功夫要大一些。 她倒立踢騰腿時，我抓穩她的腳踝。我檢查了她的身體姿勢，提醒她要把腿伸直，要用力推地板和回收下巴頦兒。我引導她翻滾，一遍一遍地做。每次她站直身子，我都要費心力找好聽的話說，如“你的腳趾尖尖的，真好看”、“你的腿比上一次直得多了”或者“這個倒立特別扎實，我看是你做的最好的了”。 一天上課前，梅根的父親找來說想跟我談談。見他表情陰沉，我猜不出發生了什么事。 “我想讓梅根退學。”他啟口說道。 “為什么？”我問道。是我什么地方做錯了嗎？我心里直打鼓。 只見他保護性地用胳膊摟住梅根的肩頭說：“她和別的孩子不同，跟不上趟。我不想讓她拖大家的后腿。”他說這番話時，可以看見他表情沉痛。梅根眼簾下垂，好像恨不得找個地縫鉆進去。 “我認為這是錯誤的決定。”我說道。“梅根需要上課，或許比別的孩子更需要。我自己并非一開始就是‘七屆全國冠軍’。起步時，我和梅根一樣，也是個八歲的小女孩。我的教練曾經夸我說：‘一些孩子有天賦固然不錯，而柯里斯蒂娜有毅力，她訓練刻苦。’我看見梅根就會想起我的童年。她也很刻苦。” “先生，你的女兒也許永遠無法在比賽中奪冠，甚或與比賽無緣，但我可以告訴你：如果她持之以恒，對自己有信心，那她就會有自尊，而這比贏得任何金獎都重要。我相信梅根，相信她只要下定決心干某件事情，終究將大功告成。” 我說話時，梅根仰望著我，眼里盈盈含淚，臉上掛著微笑——那微笑猶如怒放的鮮花。 她的父親擁抱了我，口中連連低聲說：“謝謝，真的非常感謝你。”然后他轉身對梅根說：“寶貝，快去換衣服，該上課了。” 梅根最終學會了倒立前翻，還學會了許多其它的技巧。更為重要的是，她再也不躲在隊列的末尾了。自打那天起，我一讓孩子們排隊準備翻筋斗，她就跑來站在隊伍的最前列。 （來源：英語學習雜志） |
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Vocabulary: sports acrobatics: 技巧運動，是一項以翻騰、平衡、拋接等動作為主，并在此基礎上完成一定造型的體育競賽項目。 |
