lt’s Never Too Late永远都不晚

相信很多人都遇到过这样的困惑：你有很多事想做，但内心总有一个声音在说：“现在做是不是太晚了？”其实，人到底该在什么时候做什么事，并没有明确的规定。如果我们总因为开始得太晚而放弃，势必一事无成。任何时候，只要你有热情与信心，永远都不晚！

It was an unusually busy day for the hospital staff on the sixth floor. Ten new patients were admitted and Nurse Susan spent the whole day checking them in.

Her friend Sharron， an aide， prepared ten rooms for the patients and made sure they were comfortable. After they were finished she grabbed Sharron and said，“We deserve a break. Let’s go eat.”

Sitting across from each other in the noisy cafeteria， Susan noticed Sharron absently wiping the moisture off the outside of her glass with her thumbs. Her face reflected a weariness that came from more than just a busy day.

“You’re pretty quiet. Are you tired， or is something wrong？” Susan asked.

Sharron hesitated.However， seeing the sincere concem in her friend’s face， she confessed，“I can’t do this the rest of my life， Su-san. I have to find a higher-paying job to provide for my family. If it weren’t for my parents keeping my kids， well， we wouldn’t make it.”

Susan noticed the bruises on Sharron’s wrists peeking out from under her jacket.

“Sharron， you’re so good with patients， and you love working here. Why don’t you go to school and become a nurse？ There’s financial help available， and I’m sure your parents would agree to keep the kids while you are in class.”

“lt’s too late for me，Susan； I’m too old for school.”

Susan pointed at the bruises on Sharron’s wrists.“I’m familiar with‘problems’like these. Honey， it’s never too late to become what you’ve dreamed of， Let me tell you how I know.”

“l first married when I was thirteen years old and in the eighth grade.”

【译文】

对这所医院六层的医护人员来说，这一天，他们可算忙得不可开交。刚有十位新患者人院就医，一整天，苏珊护士都在为他们办理入院手续。

与她要好的护士助理莎朗小姐为能让他们住得舒适，准备了十间病房。当一切安排妥当，她拽着莎朗的胳膊说：“歇会儿犒劳犒劳自己吧，咱出去吃点东西。”

她俩对坐在嘈杂的自助餐厅，苏珊注意到，莎朗心不在焉地用拇指擦拭着玻璃杯外壁的水雾，身心俱疲写在脸上，仅仅忙了一天，绝不会是这副模样。

于是苏珊问她：“你闷着不吭声，是不是累了？还是出了什么事？”

莎朗犹豫了一下，但看到自己朋友由衷关切的神态，她还是把心里话倒了出来：“这工作我不能干一辈子，苏珊，我得找份工资更高的，我得养家。如果不是父母替我养着孩子，我们早就负担不起了。”

苏珊注意到莎朗夹克下面微微露出两只手腕上的青紫痕迹。

“莎朗，你对病人那么好，也挺喜欢这儿的工作。为什么你不去学校进修，当个护士呢？你可以申请到资助，而且在进修期间，我肯定，你爸妈也愿意帮你带孩子。”

“太晚了，苏珊，”莎朗答道：“我都这岁数了，还上什么学呀。”

苏珊指着莎朗手腕上的青紫，说：“亲爱的，你这些伤，我心里再清楚不过了。成就自己的心愿，什么时候都不晚。我告诉你我是怎么明白这个道理的。”

她说道：“我八年级时，才13岁，就初婚了。”

Sharron gasped.

“My husband was twenty-two. I had no idea he was violently abusive. We were married six years and I had three sons. One night my husband beat me so savagely he knocked out all my front teeth. I grabbed the boys and left.

“At the divorce settlement， the judge gave our sons to my husband because I was only nineteen and he felt I couldn’t provide for them.To make things worse， my ex-husband took the boys and moved， cutting all contact I had with them.

“ found work as a waitress， working for tips only. Many days my meals consisted of milk and crackers. The most difficult thing was the emptiness in my soul. llonged to play with my babies and hear them laugh.”

Susan continued，“I soon discovered that waitresses with grim faces didn’t get tips， so I hid behind a smiling mask and pressed on. I remarried and had a daughter. She became my reason for living.”

“Then I was back where I started， not knowing what to do with myself-until the day my mother had surgery. I watched the nurses care for her and thought： I can do that. The problem was， I only had an eighth-grade education. Going back to high school seemed like a huge mountain to conquer. I decided to take small steps toward my goal. The first step was to get my General Equivalent Diploma.”

Susan paused and looked directly in Sharron’s eyes.“l received my diploma when I was forty-six years old.”

Tears streamed down Sharron’s cheeks. Here was someone offering the key that might unlock the door in her dark life.

“The next step was to enroll in nursing school. For two long years I studied， cried and tried to quit. But I insisted. Sharron， I can’t tell you how wonderful it felt when I received my cap and pin.”

Reaching across the table and taking Sharron’s hands， Susan said，“You don’t have to put up with abuse. Don’t be a victim-take charge. You will be an excellent nurse. We will climb this mountain together.”

Susan continued，“Sharron，promise me that you will go to school and become a nurse.Then help others by sharing your experiences.”

Sharron promised.In a few years she became a registered nurse and worked alongside her friend until Susan retired.Sharron never forgot her colleague or the rest of her promise.

Now Sharron sits across the table taking the hands of those who are bruised in body and soul， telling them，“lt’s never too late. We will climb this mountain together.”

莎朗闻言，惊得倒吸了一口气。

“我丈夫22。我根本不知道他是个暴虐狂。我们结婚六年，生了三个儿子。一天晚上，我老公对我一通毒打，打掉了我所有门牙。我拽着几个孩子，就离家出走了。”

“离婚时，因为我才19岁，法官觉得我也养不起儿子，于是，儿子都判给了他。这还没完，我前夫带着孩子搬了家，断了我和孩子们的一切联系。

“我当过侍者，上班只挣小费。靠饼干、牛奶当饭，我熬了很长一段时间。最心酸的是，我受不了内心的空虚。我想和孩子们一起玩，想听他们笑。”

苏珊继续说着：“当侍者没多久，我发现，如果自己摆着张哭丧脸就挣不到小费，于是，我强颜欢笑，让泪往心里流。我再婚，生了个女儿。她就是我活下去的精神支柱。

“之后，我又回到了原点，又不知道自己该怎么过了，直到有一天，我妈妈做了手术。我看着护士照顾我妈妈，自己就想：这活儿我也能做。可问题是，我只上到八年级。再回去上高中，谈何容易！于是，我决定‘积小胜为大胜’，奔向自己的目标。第一步，我先拿一般同等学历。”

苏珊顿了顿，直视着莎朗的眼睛，说：“我在46岁的时候拿到了文凭。”

就像黑夜中有人拿钥匙打开了莎朗的心锁，泪水扑簌簌地从她的面颊淌下来。

苏珊接着说：“第二步，我进了护士学校。苦学两年，读书伴着眼泪，我都想退学算了。但最终，我坚持下来了。莎朗，我接过护士帽和胸徽那一刻，说不出自己心里有多甜！”

苏珊从桌对面伸过手来，握住莎朗的手，说：“不必非得逆来顺受，不要当别人的出气筒――对自己的生活负起责任来。你会成为优秀的护士。面前这道坎儿，咱俩一起闯过去。”

苏珊继续说道：“莎朗，向我保证，你去上学深造，当个护士。然后，你再用自己的经历唤醒其他人。”

莎朗向苏珊做了保证。几年后，她成了注册护士，与苏珊一起工作，直到苏珊退休。莎朗从没忘记她这位同事，也没忘记履行自己余下的诺言。

现在，莎朗坐在其他人对面，轻抚着那一只只青紫淤痕的手臂，抚慰着那一颗颗创伤满布的心灵，她跟他们每个人说：“永远都不晚。咱们一起闯过面前这道坎儿。”