梦想够大,就无惧现实

I used to watch her from my kitchen window and laugh. She seemed so small as she muscled1) her way through the crowd of boys on the playground. A sea of children, and yet to me, she stood out from them all.

I remember the first day I saw her playing basketball. I watched in wonder as she ran circles around the other kids. She managed to shoot jump shots2) just over their heads and into the net. The boys always tried to stop her but no one could.

I began to notice her at other times, on that same blacktop3), basketball in hand, playing alone. She would practice dribbling4) and shooting over and over again; sometimes until dark. One day I asked her why she practiced so much. Without a moment of hesitation she said, "I want to go to college. My dad wasn't able to go to college and he has talked to me about going for as long as I can remember. The only way I can go is if I get a scholarship. I like basketball. I decided that if I were good enough, I would get a scholarship. I am going to play college basketball. I want to be the best. My daddy told me if the dream is big enough, the facts don't count." Then she smiled and ran towards the court to recap5) the routine I had seen over and over again.

Well, I had to give it up to her6)―she was determined. I watched her through those junior high years and into high school. Every week, she led her varsity7) team to victory. It was always a thrill to watch her play.

One day in her senior year, I saw her sitting in the grass, head cradled8) in her arms. I walked across the street and sat down in the cool grass beside her. Quietly I asked what was wrong. "Oh, nothing," came a soft reply. "I am just too short." The coach told her that at 5'5" she would probably never get to play for a top ranked team―much less offered a scholarship―so she should stop dreaming about college.

She was heartbroken and I felt my own throat tighten as I sensed her disappointment. I asked her if she had talked to her dad about it yet.

She lifted her head from her hands and told me that her father said those coaches were wrong. They just did not understand the power of a dream. He told her that if she really wanted to play for a good college, if she truly wanted a scholarship, that nothing could stop her except one thing―her own attitude. He told her again, "If the dream is big enough, the facts don't count."

The next year, as she and her team went to the Northern California Championship game, she was seen by a college recruiter who was there looking at the opposing team. She was indeed offered a scholarship; a full ride9) to a Division I, NCAA10) women's basketball team. She accepted. She was going to get the college education that she had dreamed of and worked toward for all those years. And that little girl had more playing time as a freshman and sophomore than any other woman did in the history of that university.

Late one night, during her junior year of college her father called. "I'm sick, Honey. I have cancer. No, don't quit school and come home. Everything will be okay. I love you."

He died six weeks later―her hero, her dad. She did leave school those last few days to support her mother and care for her father. Late one night, during those final hours before his death, he called for her in the darkness.

As she came to his side, he reached for her hand and struggled to speak. "Rachel, keep dreaming. Don't let your dream die with me. Promise me," he pleaded. "Promise me."

In those last few precious moments together she replied, "I promise, Daddy."

Those years to follow were hard on her. She was torn between11) school and her family, knowing her mother was left alone with a new baby and three other children to raise. The grief she felt over the loss of her father was always there, hidden in that place she kept inside, waiting to raise its head at some unsuspecting moment and bring her again to her knees12).

Everything seemed harder. She struggled daily with fear, doubt and frustration13). A severe learning disability had forced her to go to school year-round for three years just to keep up with requirements. The testing facility on campus couldn't believe she had made it through even one semester. Every time she wanted to quit, she remembered her father's words, "Rachel, keep dreaming. Don't let your dream die. If the dream is big enough, you can do anything! I believe in you." And of course, she would remember the promise she made to him.

She kept her promise and completed her degree. It took her six years, but she did not give up. She can still be found sometimes as the sun is setting, bouncing a basketball. And often I hear her tell others, "If the dream is big enough, the facts don't count."

以前，我常常透过厨房的窗户看着她，边看边笑：操场上，她在一群男孩子中间挤来挤去，显得那样瘦小。尽管孩子们非常多，但在我眼里，她却是最突出的那一个。

我还记得第一次看见她打篮球的情景。她在其他孩子中间灵活穿梭，看得我目瞪口呆。然后，她一个跳投，球飞过那些孩子的头，命中篮筐。那些男孩总是竭力拦截她，却没人能拦得住她。

我开始注意到，在其他一些时候，也是在那片柏油操场上，她手里拿着球，一个人在那里玩。她总是一遍又一遍地练习运球和投篮，有时会一直练到天黑。有一天，我问她为什么要这么苦练。她不假思索地说：“我想上大学。我爸爸没能圆他的大学梦，从我记事起，他就一直跟我说，今后一定要上大学。但我只有拿到奖学金才能上大学。我喜欢打篮球，所以我下定决心，只要我打得够好，就一定能拿到奖学金。上了大学后，我要去打大学篮球联赛，我要做最棒的球员。爸爸告诉过我，只要梦想够大，就不惧怕现实。”说完她莞尔一笑，转身朝球场跑去，一遍遍地重复着我之前看过许多次的动作。

是的，我必须为她鼓掌――她的确意志坚定。我看着她从初中升入了高中。每个星期，她都带领着学校的篮球队打球，而且场场必胜。看她打球总是那么精彩刺激、痛快淋漓。

在她上高中的某一天，我看见她坐在草地上，头埋在胳膊里。我穿过马路，在她身边冰凉的草地上坐了下来，轻声问她出了什么事。“哦，没什么，”她柔声回答，“只是我太矮了。”原来，教练告诉她，就凭她5.5英尺(约1.68米)的身高，她很可能根本没有机会去一流的球队打球，更不用说靠打球拿到奖学金了，所以她不应该再做大学梦了。

她伤心不已，我感受到她的失落，觉得自己的喉咙也一阵发紧。我问她是否和她的爸爸说过这件事。

她抬起头，告诉我，她父亲说那些教练错了，他说他们根本不知道梦想的力量有多大。他告诉她，如果她真想上好大学、进校队，如果她真想得到奖学金，那么除了她自己的态度以外，其他任何事情都不能阻止她。她的父亲再一次告诉她：“只要梦想够大，就不惧怕现实。”

第二年，她随球队参加北加利福尼亚州锦标赛时，一位大学招生人员在那里观看对手球队的比赛，结果却一眼看中了她。这所大学真的给她提供了全额奖学金，可以进入NCAA (美国大学体育联合会)女子篮球队第一组打比赛。她接受了。她就要去上大学了，这么多年来，这一直是她的梦想，也是她努力的方向。上大学后，她如愿进入篮球队，头两年里，她花在打篮球上的时间比那所大学历史上其他所有女生花的时间都多。

大三的一天深夜，她的父亲打电话给她：“我病了，宝贝。是癌症。不，千万不要退学回家。一切都会好起来的。我爱你。”

六个星期后，他――她的英雄、她的父亲离开了人世。在父亲生命最后的日子里，她还是请假离校了，回家帮助母亲、照顾父亲。一天深夜，父亲在弥留之际的那几个小时里，在黑暗中把她叫到了床前。

当她来到父亲身边时，他伸出手，握住她的手，挣扎着对她说：“雷切尔，不要放弃你的梦想。不要让你的梦想随我一同逝去。答应我。”他恳求着：“答应我。”

与父亲相守的时间已经所剩无几，在那宝贵的最后时刻，她向父亲承诺：“我答应你，爸爸。”

接下来的日子对她来说异常艰辛。她知道现在就剩母亲一人，而母亲要独自抚养一个新生儿和其余三个孩子，这让她在学校和家庭之间左右为难。丧父之痛也并未消失，而是深藏在她心底的某个角落，等待着在某个她始料未及的时刻探出头来，再次将她击垮。

一切似乎都变得越来越难。她每天都在与内心的恐惧、怀疑和挫败斗争。她学习很吃力，为了达到学业要求从而顺利毕业，她一年到头都去学校上课，坚持了整整三年。学校考试部门的人都不敢相信她能顺利完成哪怕一个学期的学业。每一次当她想要放弃的时候，她就会想起父亲最后的叮嘱，“雷切尔，不要放弃你的梦想。不要让你的梦想逐渐消失。只要梦想够大，就能做到一切！我相信你。”当然，她也不会忘记自己对父亲的承诺。

她信守了自己的承诺，取得了学位，尽管这花了她整整六年的时间，但她没有放弃过。现在，我有时仍能看见她在夕阳下打篮球的身影。我还时常听到她对别人说：“只要梦想够大，就不惧怕现实。”