A few years ago, my husband Dawn and I were in Key West for a long weekend with our three- and four-year-old daughters. As we went back and forth about what to do next, our girls jumped right in and told us exactly what they wanted to do. "We want to go to a museum of butterflies," said Ariela and Eliana.
幾年前，我和丈夫道恩帶著我們?nèi)龤q和四歲大的兩孩子去西鎖島度小長假。當(dāng)我們還在猶豫接下來該玩什么時(shí)，孩子們直接表達(dá)了她們的意見。艾瑞爾拉和埃利安娜說：“我們想去蝴蝶博物館!”
注：西鎖島是美國佛羅里達(dá)州的一小島，它屬于佛羅里達(dá)州南部一串島鏈中最南部和最西部的小島。
Having never been to a museum of butterflies, Dawn and I looked at the map, and sure enough there it was: a museum of butterflies. We looked at each other and said, "Let’s go."
道恩和我都沒去過蝴蝶博物館，我和道恩查看地圖：的確有一家蝴蝶博物館。我們相視一眼后，說：“咱們出發(fā)吧。”
As soon as we walked into the main area we were immediately surrounded by thousands and thousands of beautiful butterflies, all flapping their multicolored wings.
一走進(jìn)博物館的主展示區(qū)，我們便發(fā)現(xiàn)自己被成千上萬只美麗的蝴蝶圍繞，它們扇動(dòng)著色彩斑駁的翅膀。
I looked down at our girls. They were jumping up and down and clapping their hands. I knew we had made the right decision to come to the museum. They were having so much fun.
我低頭看看孩子們，她們蹦噠著，開心地拍手。我便知道來博物館的這個(gè)決定沒錯(cuò)。她們玩得很開心。
I turned to our museum tour guide--just because I was curious--and asked, "How long do butterflies live?"
只因好奇心使然，我轉(zhuǎn)過身問博物館導(dǎo)游：“蝴蝶能存活多久?”
She said, "About ten days."
她回答說：“十天左右。”
I thought to myself, "Ten days. What can you do in ten days?" So I asked her, "What do butterflies do in ten days?"
我對(duì)自己說：“十天，十天能做什么?”于是我又問她：“蝴蝶這十天里會(huì)做什么?”
The guide stopped, looked at me, and said, "They make the world a more beautiful place."
導(dǎo)游停了下來，看著我說：“它們讓這個(gè)世界變得更美麗。”
"Wow," I said, "I never thought about butterflies like that. Thank you."
“哇!我從沒有把蝴蝶想象成這樣，謝謝你!”我對(duì)她說。
After we said goodbye, I couldn’t stop thinking about what the guide had said. She was right: We all have something to offer the world with the time we have. When we focus our natural gifts on taking care of each other every day, we Make a Difference.
我們道別后，不禁想著導(dǎo)游說過的話：她說的沒錯(cuò)。我們都能用自己的時(shí)間為這個(gè)世界做點(diǎn)事。當(dāng)我們每天發(fā)自內(nèi)心、自然而然地關(guān)愛彼此，我們便能讓世界有所改變。
Appreciate the impact you have on your family, friends, coworkers, and neighbors. Like a butterfly, you have your own way of making the world a little better for everyone.Embrace the opportunity to contribute to others. Your life matters. Make it a point in coming days to demonstrate the impact you have on others by offering a hand to people in need.
享受你對(duì)親朋好友，同事與鄰居產(chǎn)生的影響吧。像蝴蝶般，你能用自己的方式使世界更美好。熱情把握造福他人的機(jī)會(huì)。你的人生是有意義的，從今以后，請(qǐng)給需要幫助的人伸出援手，展現(xiàn)你對(duì)他人的影響力吧。
