凯文·霍拉维/Kevin Holloway

　　When I was growing up in St. Louis, my mother and father stressed to me that in order to succeed in life you must have patience. Take your time and observe all things, they said. I wish I had listened to what my mother and father said about patience. Without patience you pass up so many opportunities in life!

　　I wish that I had practiced patience. I used to race through life like a thief in the night without stopping to think of the dangers or consequences of my actions. It's like I was leaping into the ocean without knowing its depth. It's times like that I wished I were like a deer frozen in a car’s headlights. Then I would have had at least a moment to think about what to do.

　　I learned that patience is something you must have because in 1997 I didn’t have the patience to stay in school and finish. I was so in a rush to skip class and play with my friends that I let my impatience get the better of me, and I let my high school diploma fly by.

　　I lost my father to a heart attack in 1988.Two years later I lost my mother from a stroke. I wish now that I had taken the time to show them the love they showed me. The biggest thing I noticed was that I hadn't really paid attention to my life and I didn’t realize how important the people were in my life.

　　After they died, I went to stay with my Auntie, and I stayed with her for two months before a custody battle began with the courts. They tried to put me into a foster home, but my Auntie fought for four straight months to keep me with her. So now, I still live with her.

　　Now that I have the patience to sit and learn, I see things differently. For example, I took the time to sit down and make a blueprint of the mistakes and the poor decisions that my impatience caused me over the years.

　　Because of that I have made the decision to return to school because I got tired of racing through life without an education. I now attend the G.E.D.program at Covenant House in St. Louis, Missouri. Each morning I take a five minute bus ride to the Metrolink. Then a twenty minute ride to the Grand Station on the Metrolink, then another ten minute bus ride to get to my classes-two buses and one train to get to school each day. I come here because I like the education that Covenant House provides because the adults take the time to really sit down and help you with the potholes of your life. Now that I have the patience to sit and learn, I see things differently.

　　Now my goal is to get my G.E.D.and build a solid foundation for myself. Writing this paper has caused me to think about slowing down and looking at the whole perspective of my life, not focusing on the tempting things such as fancy cars, clothes, and immaterial things. Instead, I plan to focus on education, knowledge of many cultures and backgrounds, the heritage of the United States, and other important things that will help me to become a well-spoken businessman in my city.

　　我成长于圣路易斯，父母经常对我强调这样一句话：“要想做出一番成就，你就必须要有耐心。”他们会说：“珍惜时间，用心观察。”我多么希望当初能够听从父母那些关于耐心的话呀！缺乏耐心，你就会错过人生中的许多机会。

　　我多么希望当初能有耐心呀！过去的生活匆匆而逝，我就如夜间的贼，根本没有停下来思考自己行为的危险性及后果；我就像跳入了大海，却不知道海水有多深一样。有许多次，我都希望自己能像汽车灯前驻足的小鹿，至少有那么一点儿时间，可以容我思考下一步该如何去走。

　　我明白耐心是你必须要有的东西，因为在1997年，我没有耐心留在学校完成学业，总是想着逃课和朋友们玩乐。结果，我的不耐烦毁掉了我的一些优点，高中毕业证也泡了汤。

　　1988年，心脏病夺走了父亲的生命。两年后，母亲又死于一种突发病。如今，我对没有抓紧时间回报他们给予我的爱而后悔莫及。我意识到的最大问题就是，我没有在意我的生活，没有意识到这些人在我的生命中有多么重要。

　　父母去世后，我就和姑妈一起住。两个月以后，姑妈与法院展开了一场监护权的争斗。法院想要把我送到寄养别人孩子的家庭去，终于，姑妈通过四个月的积极争取，把我留在了她的身旁。时至今日，我仍然和她生活在一起。

　　如今我可以耐心地坐下来学习，因而看事物的角度也发生了改变。例如，我利用一些时间坐下来，细细分析、总结了过去这些年来因缺乏耐心而导致的错误和所作出的糟糕决定。

　　正因为如此，我已经决定重返校园，因为我已经厌倦了这种匆忙的生活方式，厌倦了不受教育的生活。现在，我参加了密苏里州圣路易斯盟约大楼的普通教育学位活动。每天早上，我都要坐5分钟的公共汽车到梅特罗林克，然后坐20分钟火车到中心火车站，最后再坐10分钟的公共汽车才能到班上。也就是说，每天都要倒两次汽车、一次火车才能到学校。我之所以到这里来，就是因为我喜欢盟约大楼所提供的教育方式，有人利用一些时间真正地坐在那里，来帮助你战胜生活中的挫折。因为我可以耐心地坐下来学习，因此看事物的角度也有了变化。

　　现在，获取这个学位和为自己打下坚实的基础就是我的目标。写这篇文章能够使我放慢脚步思考，把生活的全部看清楚，而不是仅仅将目光局限在那些有**力的东西上，如名车、时装以及一些无关紧要的东西。与之相反的是，我计划把精力集中在教育、不同文化和不同背景的知识、美国的传统，以及其他能够帮助我成为这个城市能言善辩的商人的重要内容上。

　　心灵小语

　　生命中有许多美好的东西，而人们往往在失去后才意识到拥有时的幸福。我们常说：“树欲静而风不止，子欲孝而亲不待。”儿时的我们面对父母的爱和教育，总是不屑一顾，而等我们历经磨难，意识到这一切后，又常常为时已晚。生活的磨难有时比父母的爱更具有教育意义，磨难会使我们更加理解爱、理解幸福。

　　词汇笔记

　　stress[stres]v.强调

　　The English teacher stressed the importance of reading aloud.

　　英语老师强调了朗读的重要性。

　　observe[?b'z?:v]v.观察；研究

　　We should observe things using a correct viewpoint to avoid making mistakes.

　　我们要学会用正确的观点来观察事物，以免犯错误。

　　consequence['k?nsikw?ns]n.结果；后果

　　No doubt my impressions were a consequence of stress and of lack of sleep.

　　毫无疑问，这种种感觉是心情紧张和睡眠不足的结果。

　　diploma[di'pl?um?]n.毕业文凭；学位证书；执照

　　I am learning all the time, the tombstone will be my diploma.

　　我终生都在学习，墓碑就是我的毕业证书。

　　小试身手

　　要想做出一番成就，你就必须要有耐心。

　　译________________________________________

　　我明白耐心是你必须要有的东西。

　　译________________________________________

　　因为我可以耐心地坐下来学习，因此看事物的角度也有了变化。

　　译________________________________________

　　短语家族

　　I wish that I had practiced patience.

　　I wish that：但愿

　　造________________________________________

　　……because I got tired of racing through life without an education.

　　get tired of：厌倦

　　造________________________________________