從不說做不到
We Never Say We Couldn't Do It
佚名 / Anonymous
My son Joey was born with club feet. The doctors assured us that with treatment he would be able to walk normally， but would never run very well. The first three years of his life were spent in surgery， casts and braces. By the time he was eight， you wouldn't know he had a problem when you saw him walk.
The children in our neighborhood ran around as most children do during play， and Joey would jump right in and run and play， too. We never told him that he probably wouldn't be able to run as well as the other children. So he didn't know.
In seventh grade he decided to go out for the cross-country team. Every day he trained with the team. He worked harder and ran more than any of the others， perhaps he sensed that the abilities that seemed to come naturally to so many others did not come naturally to him. Although the entire team runs， only the top seven runners have the potential to score points for the school. We didn't tell him he probably would never make the team， so he didn't know.
He continued to run four to five miles a day， every day-even the day he had a 103-degree fever. I was worried， so I went to look for him after school. I found him running all alone. I asked him how he felt. "Okay，" he said. He had two more miles to go. The sweat ran down his face and his eyes were glassy from his fever. Yet he looked straight ahead and kept running. We never told him he couldn't run four miles with a 103-degree fever. So he didn't know.
Two weeks later， the names of the team runners were called. Joey was number six on the list. Joey had made the team. He was in seventh grade—the other six team members were all eighth-graders. We never told him he shouldn't expect to make the team. We never told him he couldn't do it. We never told him he couldn't do it... so he didn't know. He just did it.
兒子喬伊出生時，是畸形足。醫生很確定地說，小喬伊經過治療，像正常人一樣走路是沒問題的，但是像正常人一樣跑步幾乎是不可能的。喬伊三歲前一直與支架和石膏模子形影不離，從未間斷過治療。八歲時，他走路的樣子已趨於正常，幾乎看不出他的腿曾有過毛病。
鄰居家的孩子們總是追逐嬉戲，小喬伊也會跑去和他們一起玩。我們從未告訴過他不能像其他孩子那樣跑，我們也從未告訴他與別的孩子有什麽不一樣。所以，他也一直不知道這些。
七年級時，喬伊決定參加越野隊。每天他都要和大家一起接受訓練，比任何人都賣力，或許是因為他意識到自己天生沒有運動的天賦。訓練成績在前七名的選手有資格參加最後的比賽，有機會為學校爭得榮譽。我沒告訴他，他很可能不會勝出，對此他全然不知。
他每天堅持跑四五英裏，即使是發著高燒，也從不耽誤。那次，我很擔心，便在放學時去學校看他。我發現他獨自在跑步。我問他感覺如何。“很好啊！”他說。還剩兩英裏了，他滿頭大汗，因為發燒，眼神也失去了往日的光彩，然而他全神貫注地堅持跑步。我們從未告訴他，發著高燒不可以跑四英裏的路。我們沒告訴他，他對此也全然不知。
兩周後，入圍隊員的名單確定下來了。喬伊名列第六名。他入選了！隻有他是七年級學生，而另六名隊員都是八年級的。我們從沒有告訴他，不要對入選抱有過高的期望，我們也從沒有對他說過他不能做這，不能做那……所以，他一直認為自己什麽都可以做到，他也確實做到了！
人類最大的敵人是自己，隻要戰勝自己，便可所向披靡。我們常說“初生牛犢不怕虎”，為什麽這麽說呢？原因很簡單，成年人豐富的社會經驗，使他們更容易為自己設置心理障礙，做起事來畏首畏尾。相反，年輕人沒有那麽多經曆，也就少了很多理所當然的心理恐懼，因而更容易成功。
assure ['u] v. 使相信；使確信；向……保證
We assure you that such things will not happen again in our future
deliveries.
我們向您保證，類似的情況絕不會在今後交貨時再次發生。
surgery ['s：dri] n. 外科手術；外科學
Organ transplant not only needs accurate surgery but also have
a stable source of organs.
器官的移植不僅需要精確的外科手術，而且要有穩定的器官來源。
sense [sens] v. 感覺到；意識到；發覺
I can sense the tension before the exam.
我可以感覺到考試前緊張的氣氛。
glassy ['gl鎠i：] adj. （眼神）呆滯的；無生氣的
The woman slowly turned her head toward him and he saw that
her eyes were glassy and distant.
那女人慢慢把頭轉向他，他這才看見她的眼睛是漠然的。
每天他都要和大家一起接受訓練，比任何人都賣力，或許是因為他意識到自己天生沒有運動的天賦。
他每天堅持跑四五英裏，即使是發著高燒，也從不耽誤。
他滿頭大汗，因為發燒，眼神也失去了往日的光彩，然而他全神貫注地堅持跑步。
In seventh grade he decided to go out for the cross-country team.
go out for：（運動員、運動隊）盡力參加選拔賽
Although the entire team runs， only the top seven runners have the potential to score points for the school.
have the potential ：有潛力；有可能
擺脫失業的困擾
Getting over the Job-loss Blues
謝裏爾·理查森 / Cheryl Richardson
Pick up almost any newspaper today， and you' re bound to see a story about layoffs. If you' re one of the unlucky ones (or if a family member is)， you may find yourself feeling overwhelmed， disoriented， or just plain scared.
Losing a job is considered one of the five most stressful life changes you can experience. Those who have been there say it feels like being robbed of your identity and is as painful as the loss of a loved one. The anxiety that results can shake up your life. It' s normal to feel panicky about finances， nervous about the job search process， or lonely for your old community of coworkers. And many downsized employees are left wondering what they could have done to prevent being let go (even when it clearly wasn' t their fault). Whether you were expecting the cut or were shocked by the news， these emotions can leave you feeling paralyzed and unsure of what to do next.
During this time your family members may be dealing with their own fears and sense of loss， adding to the pressure at home. For example， your spouse may insist on keeping close tabs on your job search process. Or your children， feeling the tension， may start behaving badly at school.
The first stage of loss is denial and numbness. In this stage you may shut down and feel unmotivated. Denial is one of the mind' s ways of protecting you， but getting stuck in this stage can present additional problems. One woman I know received notice that her job would be eliminated in six months. But she never bothered to prepare a resume or begin networking until the week before she was to leave. Stuck in denial， she believed that something miraculous would happen to prevent the inevitable.
The next stage brings mixed emotion：anger， confusion， sadness， and fear. During this phase you may vacillate between extremes. When my friend Samantha lost her job unexpectedly， she went from screaming in traffic one minute to shaking and sobbing the next. Your feelings of anger or sadness may last minutes， clays， or weeks. The more you express them in healthy ways—working out your anger at the gym， for instance， or sharing your feelings with a trusted friend—the quicker they will pass.