A Lesson for Living
"Everything happens for the best," my mother said whenever I faced disappointment. "If you 1)carry on, one day something good will happen. And you'll realize that it wouldn't have happened if not for that 2)previous disappointment."
Mother was right, as I discovered after graduating from college in 1932. I had decided to try for a job in radio, then work my way up to sports 3)announcer. I 4)hitchhiked to Chicago and knocked on the door of every station - and got 5)turned down every time.
In one studio, a kind lady told me that big stations couldn't risk hiring an 6)inexperienced person. "Go out in the sticks and find a small station that'll give you a chance," she said.
I 7)thumbed home to Dixon, Illinois. While there was no radio-announcing jobs in Dixon, my father said Montgomery Ward had opened a store and wanted a local 8)athlete to manage its sports department. Since Dixon was where I had played high school football, I applied. The job sounded just right for me. But I wasn't hired.
My disappointment must have shown. "Everything happens for the best," Mom reminded me. Dad offered me the car to job hunt. I tried WOC Radio in Davenport, Iowa. The program director, a wonderful Scotsman named Peter MacArthur, told me they had already hired an announcer.
As I left his office, my frustration boiled over. I asked aloud, "How can a fellow get to be a sports announcer if he can't get a job in a radio station?"
I was waiting for the elevator when I heard MacArthur calling, "What was that you said about sports? Do you know anything about football?" Then he stood me before a microphone and asked me to broadcast an 9)imaginary game.
On my way home, as I have many times since, I thought of my mother's words: "If you carry on, one day something good will happen. Something wouldn't have happened if not for that previous disappointment."
I often wonder what direction my life might have taken if I'd gotten the job at Montgomery Ward.
词汇注释
1) carry on 坚持
2) previous a. 以前的
3) announcer n. 广播员
4) hitchhike v. 搭便车
5) turn down 拒绝
6) inexperienced a. 无经验的
7) thumb v. 作搭车姿势
8) athlete n. 运动员
9) imaginary a. 想像的
参考译文
生活的一课
每当我遇到挫折时，母亲就会说：“一切都会好的。如果你坚持下去，总有一天会有好事发生。你会认识到，如果没有以前的挫折就不会有现在的一切。”
母亲是对的，发现这个时是在1932年，我刚从大学毕业。我已决定试着在电台找个事儿做，然后争取做体育节目的播音员。我搭便车到了芝加哥，挨家电台地敲门推销自己--但每次都被拒绝了。
在一个播音室里，一位好心的女士告诉我，大的广播电台是不会冒险雇佣没经验的新手的。“去乡下找一家给你机会的小电台吧，”她说。
我搭车来到我的家乡，那是伊利诺斯州的迪克森。在迪克森当时还没有电台播音员这样的工作，父亲说，蒙哥马利?沃德开了一家新商店，想雇请一个本地的运动员管理店里的体育部。我中学时曾在迪克森打过橄榄球，出于这个原因我去申请了这份工作。工作听起来挺适合我的，但是我没被聘用。
我的沮丧心情一定表现出来了。“一切总会好的，”母亲提醒我说。爸爸给我买了一辆汽车找工作用。我试到爱荷华州达文波特的WOC电台去求职。那里的电台节目负责人是一个很棒的苏格兰人，名叫彼得?麦克阿瑟，他告诉我他们已经雇到播音员了。
离开他办公室时，我愤怒极了。我大声地说：“一个连在电台都找不到工作的家伙又怎么能成为体育节目的播音员呢？”
等电梯时，我听见麦克阿瑟喊道：“你说什么体育？你了解橄榄球吗？”接着他让我站到麦克风前，请我解说一场想象中的比赛。
在回家的路上--以后也有很多次地，我思考着母亲的那句话：“如果你坚持下去，总有一天会有好事发生。如果没有以前的挫折，就不会有现在的一切。”
我常想，如果我当年得到了蒙哥马利?沃德的那份工作，我的人生之路又会怎样走呢？
