Where Dreams Come True

張恒

It all started with an advertisement. I watched the baby take his first steps on TV， right before his family left for a trip to Disney World. The wheels in my head were set in motion and an idea came to my mind. When I was about 4 years old， I wanted to go to Disney World. For most young kids， its a normal request， but I wanted to spice things up a little： I would walk into Disney World.

一切都是從一個(gè)廣告開始的。我在電視上看到嬰孩邁出了他的第一步，就在他的家人去迪斯尼樂園旅行之前。我腦子開始轉(zhuǎn)動(dòng)，想到了一個(gè)主意。當(dāng)我4歲的時(shí)候，我想去迪斯尼樂園。對(duì)大多數(shù)孩子來說，這是一個(gè)正常的要求，但我想讓事情變得有趣一點(diǎn)：我會(huì)走進(jìn)迪斯尼世界。

What do you mean， “walk in”？ Doesnt everyone walk into places？ What makes you so special？ Im glad you asked. I was born three months premature1， and because of this， I have cerebral palsy2. CP is a condition that doesnt allow me to walk on my own. Walking into anywhere， let alone a crowded， busy place like Disney World was， to put it lightly， a tall order3. Even so， my dad and I struck the deal， and the real work began. I had to become stronger; I had to grow more persistent4; I had to have confidence. Luckily， I had people in my corner to help with all of that. Over the next three years or so， I worked with physical therapists5， got a walker， and practised walking， standing， and balance—all skills that I would need to turn my goal into a reality.

“走進(jìn)”是什么意思？不是每個(gè)人都是“走進(jìn)”不同地方的嗎？是什么讓你如此獨(dú)特？我很高興你這樣問。我早產(chǎn)了三個(gè)月，因此患上了腦癱。腦癱是不允許我獨(dú)自行走的一種狀況。我沒辦法走到任何地方，更不用說像迪斯尼世界這樣擁擠、繁忙的地方了，說得輕松點(diǎn)，這是一個(gè)離譜的要求。即便如此，我和爸爸達(dá)成了協(xié)議，真正的努力開始了。我必須變得更強(qiáng)壯;我必須變得更堅(jiān)持不懈;我必須有信心。幸運(yùn)的是，在我的身邊總有人幫忙。在接下來三年左右的時(shí)間里，我和理療師一起鍛煉，買了一個(gè)步行器練習(xí)走路，學(xué)會(huì)了站立和平衡——所有我需要的技能都能把我的目標(biāo)變成現(xiàn)實(shí)。

I remember the feeling when my legs would be against doing any more work， practically turning to jelly. Despite6 this， everyone else told me I could do it， so I stuck to it. I walked， stood， balanced， until the time came. I was ready. We had worked so hard to get to this point. It was all because of people like my parents， brothers， teachers， and therapists that I was able to grow so much， both physically and mentally. Constantly pushing me to “walk on”， yet encouraging me whenever I needed it.

我記得我的腿抗議做更多練習(xí)，尤其是一直顫抖的感覺。盡管如此，其他人都告訴我可以做到，所以我堅(jiān)持了下來。我走著、站著，保持平衡，直到時(shí)間到來。我準(zhǔn)備好了。我們?yōu)榱诉_(dá)到這個(gè)目標(biāo)如此努力。正是因?yàn)橄裎业母改?、兄弟、老師和治療師這樣的人，我才能夠在身體和精神上成長，不斷地強(qiáng)迫我“繼續(xù)走”，但在我需要的時(shí)候鼓勵(lì)我。

On June 9， 2008， as I stood in the tunnel7 leading into Main Street， looking around at my adoring fans， otherwise known as my family and friends. My dad asked me if I wanted any help doing this thing. I quickly replied， “No！” and made myself face the end of the tunnel， feet planted firmly， heart most likely beating out of my chest. Then I went， walking ever so slowly at first， then gradually speeding up， comforted and encouraged by all my friends and family supporting me. From the start， they had my back on this， no matter what. Step， step， step， step， bump8. I realized quickly what had happened： I lost my momentum9 and my focus， bumping into something. Luckily， we had practised and planned for this type of situation beforehand. Holding fast onto the handlebars， I mustered10 up all of my six-year-old strength， picked up my walker and straightened out， picking up my pace once again. It wasnt too long before the cheering crescendoed11 because I had made it to the end， where my mom was waiting with tears in her eyes and arms open wide ready to hug her son and tell him how proud she was.

2008年6月9日，我站在通往大街的隧道里，環(huán)顧四周，看著崇拜我的粉絲，也就是我的家人和朋友。我爸爸問我做這件事是否需要幫助，我立刻回答：“不！”面對(duì)著隧道的盡頭，我雙腳穩(wěn)穩(wěn)地站著，心臟幾乎要從胸口跳出來。然后我走了，一開始走得很慢，然后逐漸加速，所有支持我的朋友和家人都在安慰和鼓勵(lì)我。從一開始他們就支持我，不管遇到什么情況。一步，一步，一步，一步，碰撞。我很快意識(shí)到發(fā)生了什么：我失去了動(dòng)力和重心，撞上了什么東西。幸運(yùn)的是，我們事先已經(jīng)針對(duì)這種情況進(jìn)行了練習(xí)和計(jì)劃。我緊緊抓住車把，集中我六歲的力氣，扶起步行機(jī)，站直了身體，又一次加快了步伐。不久，歡呼聲就達(dá)到了頂點(diǎn)，因?yàn)槲易叩搅私K點(diǎn)，在那里我媽媽含淚等待著，張開雙臂，準(zhǔn)備擁抱她的兒子，告訴他她有多驕傲。

Looking back on that experience， I realize something pretty profound12. Every once in a while， life will throw a few bumps in the road. Though it may set you back for a bit， dont let it stop you. Pick yourself back up and finish. Its worth it. Besides， there just might be someone there cheering you on along the way.

回顧那段經(jīng)歷，我意識(shí)到某些非常深刻的東西。生活偶爾會(huì)在路上出現(xiàn)幾次顛簸，盡管這可能會(huì)讓你有點(diǎn)挫折，但不要讓它阻止你，要振作起來，完成目標(biāo)，這是值得的。另外，沿途會(huì)有人在為你加油。

Notes

1. premature [? ? ? ?] adj. 早產(chǎn)的;不成熟的;比預(yù)期早的

2. cerebral palsy n. [醫(yī)] 大腦性麻痹;腦性癱瘓

3. tall order離譜的要求;難以完成的任務(wù);苛求

4. persistent [?? ? ?] adj. 固執(zhí)的，堅(jiān)持的;持久穩(wěn)固的

5. therapist [?? ? ?] n. 治療學(xué)家;（尤指心理療法的）治療師

6. despite [?? ? ?] prep. 盡管，不管

7. tunnel [?? ? ?] n. 隧道;坑道;洞穴通道

8. bump [?? ? ?] n. 腫塊，隆起物;撞擊;碰撞

9. momentum [?? ? ?] n. 勢(shì)頭;[物] 動(dòng)量;動(dòng)力;沖力

10. muster [?? ? ?] vi. 召集;聚集

11. crescendo [?? ? ?] vi. 音量逐漸增強(qiáng)

12. profound [?? ? ?] adj. 深厚的;意義深遠(yuǎn)的;深刻的 [強(qiáng)調(diào)]