精选英语美文阅读：Five Balls of Life 生命中的五个球

Imagine life as a game in which you are juggling some five balls in the air. You name them work, family, health, friends and spirit and you're keeping all of these in the air. You will soon understand that work is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will bounce back.

But the other four balls family, health, friends and spirit are made of glass. If you drop one of these, they will be irrevocably scuffed, marked, nicked, damaged or even shattered. They will never be the same. You must understand that and strive for balance in your life. How?

Don't undermine your worth by comparing yourself with others. It is because we are different that each of us is special.

Don't set your goals by what other people deem important. Only you know what is best for you.

Don't take for granted the things closest to your heart. Cling to them as they would be your life, for without them, life is meaningless.

Don't let your life slip through your fingers by living in the past or for the future. By living your life one day at a time, you live ALL the days of your life.

Don't give up when you still have something to give. Nothing is really over until the moment you stop trying.

Don't be afraid to admit that you are less than perfect. It is this fragile thread that binds us to each together.

Don't be afraid to encounter risks. It is by taking chances that we learn how to be brave.

Don't shut love out of your life by saying it's impossible to find. The quickest way to receive love is to give it; the fastest way to lose love is to hold it too tightly; and the best way to keep love is to give it wings.

Don't run through life so fast that you forget not only where you've been, but also where you are going.

Don't forget, a person's greatest emotional need is to feel appreciated.

Don't be afraid to learn. Knowledge is weightless, a treasure you can always carry easily.

Don't use time or words carelessly. Neither can be retrieved.

Life is not a race, but a journey to be savored each step of the way.

Yesterday is history, Tomorrow is a mystery and Today is a gift: that's why we call it 'The Present'.

想象生命是一场不停丢掷五个球于空中的游戏。这五个球分别为工作、家庭、健康、朋友和心灵，而且你很努力地掷着这五个球，不让它们落地。很快地你会了解工作是一个橡皮球。如果你不幸失手落下它，它还是会弹回来。

但是家庭、健康、朋友和心灵这四个球是用玻璃做成的。一旦你失手落下，它们可能会少了一角，留下无法挽回的记号、刻痕、损坏甚至碎落一地。它们将永远不会跟以前一样。你必须了解这个道理，并且为平衡你的生命而努力。但要怎么才做得到呢？

别拿自己和他人比较，这只会降低了你原有的价值。因为我们都是独一无二的，因为我们每一个人都很特别。

别人认为重要的事不一定是你的目标。只有你才知道什么最适合你。

不要将贴近你的心的人、事物视为理所当然的存在。你必须将他们视为你的生命一般好好地抓牢他们。没有他们，生命将失去意义。

别让你的生命总在依恋过去种种或是寄望未来中逝去。如果你活在每个当下，你就活出了生命中的每一天。

当你还能给予的时候别轻言放弃。只要你不放弃，就有无限延伸的可能。

别害怕承认你并非完美。正因如此，我们才得以藉由这脆弱的细丝紧密地串绑在一起。

别害怕遇到危险。正因如此，我们才得以藉由这些机会学习勇敢。

别以爱太难找到作为借口而紧闭你的心扉。最迅速找到爱的方法就是给予你的爱；最快速失去爱的方法就是紧紧地守着你的爱不放；维持爱的最好方式就是给爱一双翅膀。

莫要匆忙地度过你的一生，那匆忙让你忘了曾经到过哪里，也让你忘了你要去哪里。

莫忘记，人类情感上最大的需要是感恩。

莫害怕学习。知识没有重量，它是可以随意携带的珍宝。

莫漫不经心地蹉跎光阴或口无遮拦。时间与言词两者都是一放便收不回来。

生命不是一场赛跑, 而是一步一个脚印的旅程。

昨天已是历史,明天还是未知，而今天则是一个上天的礼物：那就是我们为什么称它为“现在(Present)的原因。

（编辑：薛琳）