Everybody can be great...because anybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.
Mark was walking home from school one day when he noticed the boy ahead of him had tripped and dropped all of the books he was carrying, along with two sweaters, a baseball bat, a glove and a small tape recorder. Mark knelt down and helped the boy pick up the scattered articles. Since they were going the same way, he helped to carry part of the burden. As they walked Mark discovered the boy’s name was Bill, that he loved video games, baseball and history, that he was having a lot of trouble with his other subjects and that he had just broken up with his girlfriend.
They arrived at Bill’s home first and Mark was invited in for a Coke and to watch some television. The afternoon passed pleasantly with a few laughs and some shared small talk, then Mark went home. They continued to see each other around school, had lunch together once or twice, then both graduated from junior high school. They ended up in the same high school where they had brief contacts over the years. Finally the long awaited senior year came, and three weeks before graduation, Bill asked Mark if they could talk.
Bill reminded him of the day years ago when they had first met. “Do you ever wonder why I was carrying so many things home that day?” asked Bill. “You see, I cleaned out my locker because I didn’t want to leave a mess for anyone else. I had stored away some of my mother’s sleeping pills and I was going home to commit suicide. But after we spent some time together talking and laughing, I realized that if I had killed myself, I would have missed that time and so many others that might follow. So you see, Mark, when you picked up my books that day, you did a lot more. You saved my life.”
【日积月累】
generate v. 产生，导致，发生
trip v. 失足，绊倒
bat n. 球棒
scatter v. 散布，布满;使……四散;分散
locker n. 衣物柜
【参考译文】
一个简单的动作
每个人都可以成为伟大的人……因为任何人都可以为他人效劳。为他人服务，你不要大学文凭，不需要语法无误。你需要的仅是满心的仁慈，还有爱心铸成的灵魂。
一天，马克在放学回家的路上发现前面有个男孩绊了一跤，拿着的所有书，还有毛衣、棒球球拍、手套和小录音机全掉地上了。马克蹲下身帮男孩捡东西。因为顺路，所以马克帮他拿着。一起走的时候，马克知道了那个男孩叫比尔，喜欢电动游戏、棒球和历史，但他其他科目成绩都不好，还刚和女朋友分了手。
他们先到比尔家。马克被请进去喝可乐、看电视。那个下午过得很愉快，他们说了不少话，时不时还笑了起来。之后马克就回家了。他们在学校也继续见面，一起吃过一两次饭，后来两人都从那个初中毕了业，又进入了同一个高中，几年里有过几次短暂的交流。最后期待已久的高三到了，在毕业的三周前，比尔问马克是否能谈一谈。
比尔提起多年前他们初次见面的那天。比尔问：“你想过为什么那天我要拿那么多东西吗?我清空了我的柜子，因为我不要给别人留下一个烂摊子。我偷偷拿了一些我妈的安眠药，正打算回家自杀。但是在我们待在一起说说笑笑之后，我发现如果自杀了，我将错过和你度过的那段时间还有其他可能到来的经历。所以，马克，当你那天帮我捡起书时，你捡起的不仅仅是书，你还救了我的命。”
【人生启迪】
子曰：“勿以善小而不为。”但是在现实生活中，我们却常常认为诸如让座这样的小忙过于稀疏平常，而不肯出手。其实，一个在你看来微不足道的一个小忙，可能对对方来说却无比重要。请随时准备伸出你的援助之手吧。