如果一個人，在適當的時候、合適的地方因為一句話而改變了他的人生，你會感到不可思議嗎？然而這的確是真的，它就發生在我14歲那年。那時，我正在從得克薩斯州的休斯敦，經由愛坡索市前往加利福尼亞州去的旅途中……
Isn't
it amazing how one person, sharing one idea, at the right time and place can
change the course of your life's history? This is certainly what happened in my
life. When I was 14, I was hitchhiking from Houston, Texas, through El Paso on
my way to California. I was following my dream, journeying with the sun. I was a
high school dropout with learning disabilities and was set on surfing the
biggest waves in the world, first in California and then in Hawaii, where I
would later live.
Upon reaching downtown El Paso, I met an old man, a bum, on the street
corner. He saw me walking, stopped me and questioned me as I passed by. He asked
me if I was running away from home, I suppose because I looked so young. I told
him, "Not exactly, sir," since my father had given me a ride to the freeway in
Houston and given me his blessings while saying, "It is important to follow your
dream and what is in your heart. Son. "
The bum then asked me if he could buy me a cup of coffee. I told him, "No,
sir, but a soda would be great." We walked to a corner malt shop and sat down on
a couple of swiveling stools while we enjoyed our drinks.
After conversing for a few minutes, the friendly bum told me to follow him.
He told me that he had something grand to show me and share with me. We walked a
couple of blocks until we came upon the downtown El Paso Public Library.
We walked up its front steps and stopped at a small information stand. Here
the bum spoke to a smiling old lady, and asked her if she would be kind enough
to watch my things for a moment while he and I entered the library. I left my
belongings with this grandmotherly figure and entered into this magnificent hall
of learning.
The bum first led me to a table and asked me to sit down and wait for a
moment while he looked for something special amongst the shelves. A few moments
later, he returned with a couple of old books under his arms and set them on the
table. He then sat down beside me and spoke. He started with a few statements
that were very special and that changed my life. He said, "There are two things
that I want to teach you, young man, and they are these:
"Number one is to never judge a book by its cover, for a cover can fool you.
"He followed with, "I bet you think I'm a bum, don't you, young man?"
I said, "Well, uh, yes, I guess so, sir. "
"Well, young man, I've got a little surprise for you. I am one of the
wealthiest men in the world. I have probably everything any man could ever want.
I originally come from the Northeast and have all the things that money can buy.
But a year ago, my wife passed away, bless her soul, and since then I have been
deeply reflecting upon life. I realized there were certain things I had not yet
experienced in life,one of which was what it would be like to live like a bum on
the streets. I made a commitment to myself to do exactly that for one year. For
the past year, I have been going from city to city doing just that. So, you see,
don't ever judge a book by its cover, for a cover can fool you.
"Number two is to learn how to read, my boy. For there is only one thing that
people can t take away from you, and that is your wisdom. " At that moment, he
reached forward, grabbed my right hand in his and put them upon the books he'd
pulled from the shelves. They were the writings of Plato and Aristotle-immortal
classics from ancient times.
The bum then led me back past the smiling old woman near the entrance, down
the steps and back on the streets near where we first met. His parting request
was for me to never forget what he taught me.
（來源：洋腔洋調美語網 英語點津姍姍編輯）
