没有人知道当他推开一扇门,等待他的是什么。即便是最熟悉的房间,时钟滴答滴答地走着,壁炉的红色火焰在暮色中闪烁,也有可能会发生令人吃惊的事。水管工人可能已经拜访过(就在你不在家的时候),把坏了的水龙头修好了。厨娘没准儿正烦恼郁闷,想请你准予她离开。有头脑的人总是抱着谦虚接受的态度推开他面前的那扇门。
哪个人没有在某间接待室坐过,双眼紧盯着那扇无法预测的意味深长的门?或许你要应聘,或许你迫切地想要成交一笔生意。你看着机密速记员出来进去,毫不在意地旋转着那扇关系着你命运铰链的神秘大门。然后,那个年轻女人说:“克雷伯里先生现在想要见你。”就在你抓住门柄的时候,一个念头一闪而过:“当我再次推开这扇门的时候,将会发生什么呢?”
门的种类有许多。有旅馆、商店和公共建筑的十字形旋转门,这是轻快且繁忙的现代生活方式的象征。你能想象得出约翰?弥尔顿或威廉?佩恩从一扇旋转门匆匆走过吗?还有一些古怪而倾斜的小门,依然在变了质的酒吧外摇摆,并且只有膝盖到肩膀这么高。还有活板门、滑门、双折门、舞台门、监狱门和玻璃门。但是一扇门的象征和神秘之处就体现在它的隐蔽性上。玻璃门仅仅是一扇窗,根本就不是门。门的意义就是把门内的一切隐藏起来,让你的心处于焦虑之中。
与此同时,开门的方式也有许多。其中一种是用胳膊肘轻快地一推,比如服务员端着你的晚餐,打开厨房的门时。一个不开心的书商或小贩拉开门时,是犹豫和存有戒心的。上流社会细心、谨慎的男仆会退步而出为重要人物敞开栎木大门。或者富有同情心的女牙医助手轻轻推开手术室的门,然后什么也不说,暗示你医生已经准备好了。此外还有,大清早,护士轻快且忽然地推开门进来,喊道:“是个男孩!”
门意味着隐私、退却、心灵退避到幸福的平静或伤心的秘密挣扎。一个房间没有门就不算房间,只是一个走廊。一个人待在一扇关闭着的门后,不管是在哪儿,他都能让自己感觉像是在家里。人的思维在关闭着的门后状态最为活跃。人不是马,要成群地在一起。狗知道门所带来的意义和苦恼。你是否留意到一只小狗对一扇关着的门充满向往?这象征着人类的生活。
开门的动作是神秘的,充满着一些不可预知的滋味,投进新的一瞬的感觉,一种人类冗长繁乱的新形式。它显示出最高境界的快乐:团圆、和解、久别重逢的恋人的欣喜。即使是悲哀,打开的门也会给你以安慰,它改变并重组人的力量。可是,关门是骇人的,它彰显的是结束。每一扇门的关闭都意味着一些事情的终结。关门也有着不同程度的悲哀。“砰”地把门关上是虚弱的象征,轻轻把门带上往往是一生中最悲壮的动作。每个人都明白,苦痛随后即到。就在关上门后,深爱的人虽近在咫尺,仍能听到声音,却已渐渐远去。
开门和关门是严肃且匆匆而逝的一生中的一部分。生命不会停滞不前,弃我们于不顾。我们满怀希望不断地开门,却常常带着失望关门。人的一生不过一管烟的长度,我们就像烟灰一样被命运击倒。
关上一扇门是不可避免的。它猛然折断心脏的血管,重新打开,再放回去,也是徒劳。皮尼罗让波拉?坦克瑞说:“未来只是过去通过另一道门进来了。”这简直是谬论。唉,没有其他的门!当这扇门关上了,它就永远地闭上了。那消失了脉搏的时间,再也没有其他的入口。“手指运动,在纸上写下字迹……”
我们都会遇到这么一类关门。这种门是静静关上的,打破寂静的只有弹簧锁的咔嗒声。但愿当时他们所想的不是我们曾经做过的坏事,而是我们尚未完成的正事。那么,他们将会走出去……
门,象征着隐私,意味着神秘。一扇门的开启,总给我们以无限遐想。人的一生有无数次的开门关门,有的门开了可以关,关了还可以再开。但有一扇门开了,就再也关不上了,这就是死亡之门。所以,我们要珍惜活着的每分每秒,珍爱生命。
1. Which one of us has not_________ in some anteroom and watched the inscrutable panels of a door that was full of ? Perhaps you were waiting to apply for a job;_________you had some “deal” you were ambitious to put over.
2. No matter where he is, a man can make himself at home behind a_________ door. The mind works_________behind closed doors. Men are not horses to be herded . Dogs know the meaning and anguish of .
3. Alas, there is no other . When the door is , it is shut forever. There is no other entrance to that vanished pulse of .
1. 开门的动作是神秘的,充满着一些不可预知的滋味,投进新的一瞬的感觉,一种人类冗长繁乱的新形式。
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
2. 可是,关门是骇人的,它彰显的是结束。
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
3. 开门和关门是严肃且匆匆而逝的一生中的一部分。
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
1. ...perhaps you had some “deal” you were ambitious to put over.
put over:推迟;驶过;使被接受
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
2. Perhaps you were waiting to apply for a job...
apply for:申请;请求
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
铭记微笑的力量
Remember the Power of a Smile
佚名 / Anonymous
I placed the items on the moving belt. Slowly my packages moved towards the cash register.
The cashier was tired. I could see it on her face. It was towards the end of her shift. She had no doubt been standing and ringing the cash register all day. I know the cash registers don’t ring anymore, they are computerized, but when I worked as a cashier, they rang.
My two-year-old son, Josees, was with me.
She performed her job with all of the speed-tired muscles and weary spirit could summon.
Josees stood in front of her across the belt. His tiny frame was inches below the top of the moving belt. I don’t know what made him move away from me and stand there. Children can at times move more on instinct than logic.
He stood there looking up. Sensing something.
She looked down. “Oh, my God, look at that smile!” she exclaimed.
She changed. The tiredness left. The dreariness left. She appeared as fresh as if she had just walked through the door.
Josees continued standing and smiling. She continued to revived.
I saw not the power of a child, but the power of a pure smile.
Remember, you have the same power.
Each day you will meet someone who is tired, weary, and dreary. For many, the tired, weary, dreary person you meet will be in the mirror.
Even in the mirror, the power of a smile still works.
When you smile, the muscles of your face contract on a special gland in the brain which release a hormone in the brain that eases stress and causes a slight euphoric high.
Smile real big right now and see if that gland is in your brain too.
She was still bubbling as we walked out of the store.
Josees never said a word. He only smiled.
Remember Josees when you meet your weary person each day. Remember someone needs smile.
我把选购的商品放在传送带上,慢慢地,我的东西移向收银员。
收银员很疲倦,我从她的脸上就看出来了。她换班的时间要到了,毫无疑问,她已经站在那里摁了一天的收银机。我知道,收银机全部是电脑化处理的,不再响铃了。要知道,我做收银员那会儿,收银机还是响铃的呢。
我两岁的儿子乔斯和我在一起。
收银员强打精神做着她的工作。
隔着传送带,乔斯站在她面前,他矮小的身材离传送带的顶部还有几英尺。我不知道是什么使他离开我,站在收银员的面前。有时候,孩子更多的是依靠本能活动,而不是逻辑思维。
他仰着头站在那里,收银员似乎感觉到了什么。
她低头看看。“哦,我的天哪,看看这微笑!”她惊叫道。
她发生了转变,疲倦和阴郁一下子消失得无影无踪,看上去就像刚开始工作一样神采奕奕。
乔斯依旧站在那里,微笑着,收银员的状态也很好。
我知道,那不是一个孩子的力量,而是一个纯真微笑的力量。
记住,你也拥有这样的力量。
每天你都会遇到某个人,他疲惫、厌烦、阴郁。而对于大多数人来说,镜子中那个疲惫、厌倦、阴郁的人正是他们自己。
即便是在镜子里,微笑的力量也依然会产生效力。
在你微笑的时候,你面部的肌肉刺激大脑中的某一特定腺体收缩,在大脑中分泌激素来减轻压力的效用,产生一种轻微的快感。
马上放声开怀大笑吧,看看你的大脑中是否也存在这样的腺体。
我们走出超市的时候,收银员依旧喜气洋洋。
乔斯一句话也没有说,他只是微笑。
每天当你遇到疲惫的人时,请想起乔斯吧。请记住,有人需要微笑。