Heart of The Watermelon

JOYPEACE

When I was a kid in Minnesota, watermelon was a delicacy. One of my father's buddies, Bernie, was a prosperous fruit-and-vegetable wholesaler who operated a warehouse in St. Paul. Every summer, when the first watermelons rolled in, Bernie would call us. Dad and I would go to Bernie's warehouse and sit on the edge of the dock, with our feet dangling over the edge. Bernie would take his machete, crack our first watermelon, hand us both a big piece and sit down next to us. Then we'd bury our faces in watermelon, eating only the heart--the reddest, juiciest, firmest, most seed-free, most perfect part--and then throw away the rest of the melon. Bernie was my father's idea of a rich man. I always thought it was because he was such a successful businessman. Years later, I realized that what my father admired about Bernie's wealth was not the money as much as his wholesome attitude. Bernie knew how to stop working, get together with friends and eat only the heart of the watermelon. What I learned from Bernie was that being rich is a state of mind. Some of us, no matter how much money we have, will never be free enough to eat only the heart of the watermelon. Others are rich without ever being more than a paycheck ahead. If you don't take the time to dangle your feet over the dock and chomp into life's small pleasures, your career is probably overwhelming your life. I hope I always have time left to enjoy the accomplishments of others and to take pleasure in the day. That's the heart of the watermelon. I have learned again to throw the rest away.

[此贴子已经被作者于2005-6-8 8:27:50编辑过]

黄丽群

I can not understand .Can you help me？

JOYPEACE

being rich is a state of mind.

富有是一种心态，

If you don't take the time to dangle your feet over the dock and chomp into life's small pleasures, your career is probably overwhelming your life.

如果你不能坐在凉台上荡着双脚咀嚼生活中的小乐趣，说明你的职业可能成为了你生活的负担。

I hope I always have time left to enjoy the accomplishments of others and to take pleasure in the day. That's the heart of the watermelon. I have learned again to throw the rest away.

我希望总是有时间分享别人的成就，满足于今日的生活。这就是西瓜的芯。我也学会了扔掉其它的一切。

xiaochao

以下是引用黄丽群在2005-6-7 20:36:00的发言：

I can not understand .Can you help me？

西瓜的精华部分 我的童年在明尼苏达州读过，在那里西瓜是一种可口的水果。我父亲的一个兄弟叫Bernie，他是一个富有的果蔬批发商，在St.Paul.拥有一个仓库。每逢夏天，当西瓜从四面八方蜂拥而至时，Bernie就会邀请我们。爸爸和我会去Bernie的仓库，坐在码头的边上，让我们的脚在岸边随意轻轻摇摆。Bernie用他的弯刀打开第一个西瓜，分我们一人一大块，然后坐在我们身旁。我们就开始把头埋在西瓜里拼命地吃起来了。我们只吃最中心的，最红，最多汁，最firm（这里不懂，不晓得firm是啥意思，为啥中间会是最firm的呢？不是瓜皮才是最firm的么？凑合着看吧，反正这里不是很关键），没有瓜核，最棒的一部分，然后把其他的部分扔掉。 Bernie是因为我父亲的一个主意而成为一名富有的人的。我经常认为他是一个如此成功的商人。数年后，我意识到，我父亲所羡慕Bernie的财富并不是金钱而是他良好的心态。我从Bernie身上学到富有只是一种心态。我们有些人，无论拥有多少钱，却从不会有足够的时间去吃西瓜最中间的部分，而另一部分人放弃了对金钱的追求反而显得更富有。如果你不花点时间在码头边轻摆你的双脚细细品味（洋人这里写chomp，真可怕~！俺觉得还是品味比较好）一下生活中的小乐趣，你的事业可能对于你的生命来说是毫无用处的。我希望我总能有时间享受一下他人的成就并在生活中找寻快乐，这正是西瓜精华的部分，我再次学到了如何扔掉多余的部分。（锄禾日当午，汗滴禾下土......小孩子千万不要学，吃完了瓜，瓜皮还可以用来擦脸） 俺就这水平了，看不看得懂就看你造化了。

[此贴子已经被作者于2005-6-8 15:59:02编辑过]