Everybody Has A Dream
—by Virginia Satir
Some years ago I took on an assignment in a southern county to work with people on public welfare. What I wanted to do was show that everybody has the capacity to be self-sufficient and all we have to do is to activate them. I asked the county to pick a group of people who were on public welfare, people from different racial groups and different family constellations. I would then see them as a group for three hours every Friday. I also asked for a little petty cash to work with, as I needed it.
Notewelfare: n. 福利 capacity: n. 能力,才能The first thing I said after I shook hands with everybody was, "I would like to know what you dreams are." Everyone looked at me as if I were kind of wacky."Dreams? We don't have dreams."
I said. "Well, when you were a kid what happened? Wasn't there something you wanted to do?"
One woman said to me, "I don't know what you can do with dreams. The rats are eating up my kids."
"Oh," I said. "That's terrible. No, of course, you are very much involved with the rats and your kids. How can that be helped?"
"Well, I cold use a new screen door because there are holes in my screen door."
I asked, "Is there anybody around here who knows how to fix a screen door?"
There was a man in the group, and he said, "A long time ago I used to do things like that but now I have a terribly bad back, but I'll try."
I told him I had some money if he would go to the store and buy some screening and go and fix the lady's screen door. "Do you think you can do that?"
"Yes, I'll try."
The next week, when the group was seated, I said to the woman, "Well, is your screen door fixed?"
"Oh, yes," she said.
"Then we can start dreaming, can't we?" She sort of smiled at me.
I said to the man who did the work, "How do you feel?"
He said, "Well, you know, it's a very funny thing. I'm beginning to feel a lot better."
That helped the group to begin to dream. These seemingly small successes allowed the group to see that dreams were not insane. These small steps began to get people to see and feel that something really could happen.
I began to ask other people about their dreams. One woman shared that she always wanted to be a secretary. I said, "Well, what stands in your way?"
(That's always my next question.)
She said, "I have six kids, and I don't have anyone to take care of them while I'm away."
"Let's find out," I said. "Is there anybody in this group who would take care of six kids for a day or two a week while this woman gets some training here at the community college?"
One woman said, "I got kids, too, but I could do that."
"Let's do it," I said. So a plan was created and the woman went to school.
Everyone found something. The man who put in the screen door became a handyman. The woman who took in the children became a licensed foster care person. In 12 weeks I had all these people off public welfare. I've not only done that once, I've done in many times.《分歧者3》主题曲:Scars
《疯狂动物城》主题曲:Try Everything
2016全英音乐奖金曲欣赏
里约奥运会宣传曲:Rise
双语美文之停止比较,做最好的自己
《疯狂动物城》电影精讲
Justin Timberlake: Can't Stop The Feeling
青少年的大脑与成年人的大脑有何不同?
词汇辨析之Charge, fee, fare, cost
《愤怒的小鸟》主题曲:Friends
一无所有(英文版):I Walk This Road Alone
《爱丽丝梦游仙境2:镜中奇遇记》电影精讲
实用口语之晕机
Kitchen chemistry: The science of herbs and spices
Nick Jonas: Champagne Problems
《实习生》电影精讲
《夜空中最亮的星》英文版
喝咖啡会发胖的原因
Meghan Trainor: No
格莱美年度单曲:Thinking Out Loud
威猛乐队:Carelss Whisper
该不该对陌生人说出逆耳忠言
Adam Levine: Go Now
阅读理解之聪明大脑所带来的问题
马特·达蒙90秒总结《谍影重重》系列
《独立日》电影精讲
Emma Stevens: Once
《末日崩塌》电影精讲
California earthquake swarm rattles nerves
Ariana Grande: Be Alright
不限 |
英语教案 |
英语课件 |
英语试题 |
不限 |
不限 |
上册 |
下册 |
不限 |