It may have been that mother was responsible.Being a schoolteacher she had no doubt read books and magazines.She had，I presume，read of how Garfield，Lincoln，and other Americans rose from poverty to fame and greatness and as I lay beside her--in the days of her lying-in--she may have dreamed that I would some day rule men and cities.At any rate she induced father to give up his place as a farm-hand，sell his horse and embark on an independent enterprise of his own.She was a tall silent woman with a long nose and troubled Grey eyes.For herself she wanted nothing.For father and myself she was incurably ambitious.
我相信父亲天生就是一个快活、和善的人。他当过农场雇工，在俄亥俄州比德韦尔镇附近为一个名叫托马斯·巴特活斯的人干活，一直干到三十四岁。那时他自己有一匹马。星期六晚上，他总要骑着它到镇上去，跟其他雇工们一起聊上几个小时。在镇上，他总泡在本·黑兹酒吧间里，喝上几杯啤酒。每适星期六晚上，酒吧间里总是挤满了前来消遣的雇工，到处是歌声和酒杯碰击酒吧的声音。一到十点，父亲就沿着一条人迹稀少的乡间小道骑马回家。安顿好马以后，自己也就上床睡觉了。他对他所处的地位是相当满意的。那时他还没有要在这个世道上向上爬的念头。
在他三十五岁那年的春天，他和我母亲结婚了。当时母亲是乡村学校的一名教师。第二年春天，我就呱呱坠地了。从那时起，他俩也发生了变化，开始变得雄心勃勃了。美国人的那种要出人头地的强烈欲望占据了他们的心灵。
可能这要怪我母亲。她是一个教师，肯定读过一些书和杂志。我猜想，她读过有关伽菲尔德、林肯和其他一些美国人是怎样从穷苦人变成有声望的伟人的书籍；或许，在她的产期里，她也梦想过躺在她身边的我，有朝一日也会去统治人们和城市。不管怎么说，是她劝说父亲辞掉雇工工作，卖掉那匹马，去从事一项独立的事业。她个子挺高，沉默寡言，长长的鼻子，一双灰眼睛，流露出忧郁的神情。她为她自己并无所求，可为父亲和我，却有着无法遏制的勃勃野心。
The meaning of life
生命的意义
Once upon a time there was a young man who used to meditate all day about the meaning of life.Most of the time he was pondering about what is the most important thing in life.He thought the importance could more easily lead people beyond the exterior of existence，and disclose to them the reason of things.
No matter how long he meditated and observed，he could get no result.To clear his doubts，he decided to go and visit an old sage，who lived alone in a faraway forest.
When he finally met the old sage，he was asked what brought him there.The young man replied he was searching for the most precious deed a man could do to get close to God.
"What did you do on your way here？"asked the sage.
The young man thought the old man did not get the question，and repeated his demand.
Then the sage asked again，"What did you do on your way here？"
"I toiled，"said the young man，"because the road up the hill was very steep.I gasped and felt very thirsty.But I made an effort to patiently endure that troublesome walking."
"What did you do next？"
"I meditated，as I do every day.Today I pondered about imperturbability 3 that can be both a virtue and a fault."
"What did you do next？"
"I helped an old man by taking his bundle of wood to his place.This meant a long detour on my route，but he was too weak for that burden."
"What did you do next？"
The young man hesitated，then admitted，"I sat on a stone for a moment，and played with a marble that my father gave me when I left school.I apologize for wasting my time like that."
"What action made you feel lighter？"asked the old man.
The young man，puzzled，looked at the sage，"I came to you with a demand."
The sage repeated，as if he had not heard this last objection，"What action made you feel lighter？"
"Playing with the marble，"said the confused young man，"I was really free and happy；I had no thoughts，no worries."
"That was the best time today，"said the sage，"when you yielded to play."Play is a light yet serious activity，because then God is near you.You go beyond the surface of existence in the very same moment as you rise above it.
从前有一个年轻人成天思考着生命的意义。大多数时间他都在思考什么才是生命中最重要的事情，因为他认为事件的重要性能够更容易地引导人们超脱事物的外表，揭露事情的本质。
不管他怎么思考和观察，都得不到答案。为了解决自己的疑问，他决定去拜访一个独居在森林的老圣人。
当他最后见到老圣人的时候，圣人问他有什么事情。年轻人回答说他正在寻找能接近上帝的最有价值的事情。
“在你来这里的路上，你做了什么？”圣人问道。
年轻人以为老人没有明白他的问题，就又重复了他的问题。
然而圣人依然问道：“路上你做了些什么？”
“我很辛苦地来到了这里，”年轻人说道，“因为上山的路非常的陡峭，搞得我气喘吁吁，并且非常渴，但我奋力地、耐心地坚持走完了这段艰苦的路程。”
“然后你做了什么？”
“就和每天一样，我在思考。今天我在思考关于冷静的问题，我认为冷静既是优点也是一种缺陷。”
“然后你做了什么？”
“我帮助一个老人把一捆柴送到他住的地方，这意味着我要绕一大圈路，但是老人已经疲弱得背不动了。”
“然后你做了什么？”
年轻人犹豫了一下，然后说道：“我在一个大石头上坐了一会，还玩了一会儿弹球，那弹球是我离开学校的时候父亲给我的。我对我那样的浪费时间感到抱歉。”
“什么事情能够让你感到更轻松一点？”老人问道。
年轻人感到很困惑，看着圣人，问道：“请回答我的问题，我是来问你问题的。”
圣人就像没有听到年轻人的抗议一样，继续重复他的问题：“什么东西能够让你感到轻松一点？”
“玩弹球，”困惑的年轻人回答道，“玩弹球的时候，我感到很放松，很快乐，不思考和担忧什么。”
“当你沉浸于玩乐的时候，”圣人说，“那是今天最美好的时候。”玩是非常轻松但又严肃的事，因为上帝就在你身边。每次当你能从中看到更远的时候，你就已经超越了表层的东西。
You must have good luck
你一定会有好运
It was a hot，muggy August afternoon，and I had every reason to feel sorry for myself.A comedy of has-sles began with the normal airport security gauntlet，followed by a random drug test，and a missed flight home due to a number of mechanical，weather problems.
During the usual pandemonium at the gate，I no ticed a 5-year-old boy standing by his mother and watching me.He looked at me，then my bag，then back at me.
Cautiously，he left his mother's side and slowly began to walk toward me，glancing between my bag，his mother，and me.As he came closer，I was both relieved and alarmed that it wasn't me he was after.It was my hat.
I started to tell him not to bother my things，but something made me stop and watch.He stopped in front of my bag，looking at my hat，then up at me.
With wide eyes，he gently touched the bill of my hat，running his index finger slowly along the edge，carefully touching the emblem.
Again，he looked up at me，now smiling，but saying nothing.I asked him if he would like to wear my captain hat.He excitedly nodded his head，still smiling.I placed my hat on his head，but it fell down around his ears.He didn't seem to mind and held it up in the proper position with both hands.He ran to show his mother，then back to me still smiling from ear to ear.
With much reverence and ceremony，he slowly removed my hat with both hands and presented it to me as though it were the crown jewels.
I put my hat on and gave him an airplane card.This，too，he held with both hands in awe.
After this exchange，he still hadn't spoken，although I knew he was excited.I also was happy that I had been briefly distracted from my self-pity fester.
Still holding the card carefully with both hands，he looked up at me and said，"Mister，you sure are lucky."
