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Saturday
Though we all agree that “To err is human”, each of us believes that she is the exception. We’re supposed to be perfect (We were also supposed to be rich and famous.). 尽管我们都认同 “人无完人”这个说法，但每个人都相信自己是个例外。 我们总认为自己应该很完美 （同样我们总认为自己应该富有和出名。）。 But learning from our mistakes-and accepting our plain-old averageness-is an art. So next time you break a plate or lose your keys, why not take it in stride? Consider the possibility that there is a hidden pattern behind the mistakes in your life. 但是，从我们的错误中吸取教训，接收我们的平凡—— 和普通人一样—— 是一门艺术。 所以，你下次再摔坏了一个盘子或丢了钥匙，何不泰然处之呢？想想，在你的生活中，也许有一些奥妙正隐藏在这些错误的背后。 1. The art of being neither rich nor famous 无钱无名的艺术 In order to be perceived as special and different, celebrities today strive to shun the limelight and become average folks. (Admit it: Don’t you love knowing that Sharon Stone shops at the Gap?) 为了让人觉得自己与众不同，现在的名人尽力躲避人群的视线，变成普通人。（承认吧，难道你不想知道莎朗斯通在GAP店购物吗？） But regardless of how much money they have in the band, or how much of a buzz they create when they show up at a club or charity ball, famous folks will never be able to enjoy the life you and I cherish. Small, reassuring pleasures are off-limits to them. You never see them borrowing books from the library, lingering in a coffee shop or window shopping on Main Street. 但是，不论他们在银行里有多少存款，或者，当他们出现在俱乐部和慈善舞会上，无论会引起多大的骚动，你我在平常生活中所享受到的点滴安心的乐趣，名人们永远都享受不到。 你永远不可能看见他们从图书馆借书、泡咖啡馆，或者在商业街闲逛。 One of the saddest things about acquiring fame and fortune is that once you realize you have plenty, you may want plenty more. Often, life is no longer as good as it gets. You never say, “Enough already”. 获得了财富和名声后，最可悲的一件事是，一旦你意识到自己拥有了很多，你就希望拥有更多。通常，得到了太多，生活就不再那么美好了。你永远都不会说 “已经够了”。 The only difference between a wise man and a fool is that the wise man knows he is a fool. In the same way, the only difference between an extraordinary life and an ordinary one is the extraordinary pleasures you find in ordinary things. 明智之人和愚蠢之人的唯一区别是，前者知道自己很愚蠢。同理，特殊的生活和平凡的生活的唯一区别是，你能在平凡的生活中找到独特的乐趣。 2. Be foolish in public 在公共场合表现笨拙 Honest and gullible, trusting yet reckless, playful but insecure. These are what it takes to be silly. It is usually the result of a combination of our sterling qualities and our quirky personality traits. We are truer to ourselves when we stop making sense. 诚实却老实，轻信甚至草率，滑稽但不能自持，这些都是笨拙的表现。这是因为，我们自身既有真诚的一面，又有个人怪异的独特性格，两者的结合就会出现行为笨拙的现象。当我们停止理性思考，就更接近真实的自我。 Unlike stand-up comics who set out to be funny and get heckled if they are not silly people become lovable simply by embracing the role of the other guy, the character who bumps into walls and shows up at parties with socks that don’t match. 这与单口喜剧演员不同， 他们表现出滑稽的样子，如果不够笨拙，人们就会喜欢其他角色了，比如说有人撞到了电线杆，或者，宴会时穿了两只不配对的袜子。 So next time you are caught talking to yourself in an elevator, don’t apologize. The silent gratitude you generate when you reveal your most vulnerable side to others is well worth the temporary blush. 所以，下次你在电梯里自说自话被人撞见时，无须道歉。向别人表现出自己最脆弱的一面，你大可不必尴尬、脸红，只要闭上嘴巴，沉默下来就可以。 Flaunting your flaws, not your cleverness, is what will make you popular with your friends. 展现你的缺点，而不是机灵，这样会让你大受朋友们的欢迎。 3. Ask for help 寻求帮助 We all need to be reminded from time to time that we probably don’t have what it takes to solve all the problems of the world. But we are wonderfully equipped to marvel at its existence. To this end, we must get rid of the idea that we are indispensable. 偶尔，我们都需要被人提醒——我们可能无法解决世界上所有的问题。但我们对它们的存在感到极大的惊奇。因而，我们要摆脱认为自己不可或缺的思想。 The fastest way to break this illusion is to drop your act in front of others. Begin by striking the word entertain from your vocabulary. When you invite friends to your home, don’t think that you have to be the emcee for the evening. Act helpless on occasion so that people can come to your rescue and shine in front of you. 消除这种想法的最快方法是： 不要再别人面前过于表现。首先，从你的字典中划掉 “款待” 这个词。当你邀请朋友来家里做客，不要认为自己必须做好一切安排。偶尔表现出无助，这样别人就会来帮你，在你面前表现自己。 Don’t ever assume that you have to be helpful in order to be useful to others. Your skills aren’t always needed. Why is it so hard for us to accept that sometimes just showing up is enough to brighten everyone’s mood? 不要总以为你必须帮助别人，才能对他人有用。你的技能不一定总是有需要。有时候，仅仅是你的出现就能让别人心情愉悦，可我们接受这一点为什么如此艰难呢？
Rejoice in the unexpected perfect moments happen at the most imperfect times. 在大部分不尽人意的日子里，都会发生许多意想不到的完美瞬间让我们欢欣不已。 On a rainy afternoon, while waiting for the locksmith you called to retrieve the ignition key you accidentally locked inside your car, you have a bowl of soothing homemade chicken soup at the counter of a quaint coffee shop. 在一个雨天的午后，你叫来的锁匠，不得不等待他为你重新找到钥匙，因为你意外地将它锁在车里。但同时，你也在一家幽静的咖啡馆享用了一碗美味的鸡汤。 Impatiently rummaging through papers while in search of the receipt for your defective answering machine, you find a picture of yourself with your best friend at age ten. 当你烦躁地在旧报纸堆里翻来翻去，寻找自动应答电话保修卡时，却找到一张照片，是你10岁时和最好的朋友的合影。 As you put down the receiver after a successful conversation with your sister about family members, you notice how pretty the garden looks in winter. 当你在和姐姐聊了一堆压抑的家庭琐事，放下听筒后，却注意到自己的花园在冬天看起来也非常漂亮。 Don’t hold your breath any longer: perfect moments happen every day. 不必惊讶，每天都会出现完美的瞬间。 Word Explanation（单词解析）
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