介绍:
快乐的玛吉
During my childhood I experienced greater hardships than most people go through in a lifetime.
我童年时经历了比大多数人一辈子经历的都要多的磨难。
In my short 17 years of life, I have been through five divorces of my parents.
在短短17年的岁月里，我经历了父母的五次离婚。
Having a new stepmother or stepfather every few years was rough, but the constant moving was worse.
每隔几年就有一个新的继母或继父，这就够痛苦的了，但更糟糕的是还要不断地搬家。
My father’s cancer diagnosis tore me apart, and his two heart attacks and battle with diabetes ) put a huge strain on the family.
爸爸被诊断出癌症令我痛苦万分，他的两次心脏病发作以及与糖尿病的斗争给全家带来巨大的压力。
By age 13, I was depressed and emotionally scarred.
到13岁时，我变得郁闷沮丧，内心伤痕累累。
I felt like I had no one to turn to and that nothing would ever get better.
我觉得自己孤立无助，觉得一切永远都不会好起来了。
Then I met Maggie, and my perspective on life changed.
就在那时，我遇见了玛吉，我的人生观从此发生了改变。
For many summers, I volunteered at a horseback riding camp for people with
special needs.
我连续很多年夏天在一个为有特殊需求人士开办的骑马训练营里当志愿者。
We taught children and adults specialized skills based on their disabilities.
我们根据这些儿童和成人的残障状况教他们一些专门的技能。
For example, we would teach a child with autism ) communication skills, or a
child with cerebral palsy ) strength-building exercises.
例如，如果一个孩子患有自闭症，我们会教他/她沟通技巧，如果一个孩子患有脑瘫，我们就教他/她一些力量训练方法。
Each volunteer was assigned a specific child during the eight-week session in
order to build a trusting relationship with them.
在为期八周的课程时间里，每一名志愿者被分配一名指定的孩子，以便和他们建立信任关系。
Seeing the improvement in the kids day after day and the smiles on their faces whenever they saw me was heartwarming.
看着孩子们一天一天地进步，还有他们脸上那无论什么时候看见我都洋溢着的灿烂笑容，我觉得心里暖洋洋的。
A few weeks into one summer session, I was asked to cover for ) another volunteer who was out sick.
有一期暑假课程开始几周后，一位志愿者生病无法上班，我被叫去替他。
That was the day my outlook on life changed forever.
正是在那一天我的人生观彻底改变了。
I was assigned to Maggie, a girl with a severe brain injury. At first I didn’t
know what to expect.
我被指派给玛吉，她是一个患有严重脑损伤的女孩。起初，我不知道对她能抱有什么期望。
She had almost no verbal ability and very limited physical mobility, but she was in no way shy.
她几乎完全丧失了语言能力，身体活动能力也非常有限，但她一点儿也不腼腆。
As I began to work with her, I looked through her file to get more information.
接手她这份工作后，我翻阅了她的档案，以了解更多的信息。
It was heartbreaking. She had been physically abused as a newborn and throughout her infancy.
她的故事令人心碎。她从一生下来到整个婴儿期身体受尽虐待。
Her birth parents abused her so badly that they caused a serious brain injury by the age of two.
她的亲生父母无所不尽其极地虐待她，在她两岁时造成了一次严重的脑损伤。
Her skull had been broken, and the damage was irreversible ).
她颅骨骨折，其损伤不可逆转。
She had gone from foster home to foster home and never had a sense of stability.
她被送到了一个又一个领养家庭，从未有过稳定感。
But the amazing thing about Maggie was her unsinkable attitude.
但在玛吉身上有一种惊人的东西——永不消沉的人生态度。
When I met Maggie, she was 12, and the only thing she would say was, “I’m happy!”
我认识玛吉时，她12岁，她唯一会说就是“我很快乐！”
That was the extent of her vocabulary.
这是她所有的词汇量。
Everyone at the camp referred to her as Happy Maggie.
训练营里的每个人都叫她“快乐的玛吉”，
Everyone loved her.
每个人都喜欢她。
She was never in a bad mood and was always up for trying anything.
她永远不会心情不好，而且总是愿意尝试一切。
She was the happiest girl I have ever met.
她是我见过的最快乐的女孩。
The answer to any question I asked her was “I’m happy!”
我问她任何问题她的回答都是“我很快乐！”
What did you eat for breakfast? How was your day? What’s your favorite color?
你早饭吃了什么？你今天过得怎么样？你最喜欢的颜色是什么？
How old are you? “I’m happy!” she replied each time.
你几岁了？“我很快乐！”每一次她都这么回答。
She loved life. She loved everyone and everything she came in contact with.
她热爱生活，她爱她接触到的每一个人、每一样事物。
I remember wondering if it was all an act —if on the inside she was broken,
or if her brain was so far gone that the only emotion she could express or feel
was happiness.
记得那时我在想，这是不是都在演戏——是不是在内心深处她已经心灰意冷，又或者她的大脑受损太过严重以至于她唯一能够表达或感受到的情绪只有快乐。
I could only hope. In a twisted way, her brain injuriehelped her get through
the trauma of her childhood.
我只能如此希望。她的脑损伤以...
