The Lesson of the Bamboo Trees

nancy

One of my fondest memories as a child is going by the river and sitting idly on the bank. There I would enjoy the peace and quiet, watch the river rush downstream and listen to the chirps of birds and the rustling of leaves in the trees. I would also watch the bamboo trees bend under the pressure of the wind and watch them return gracefully to their original position after the wind had died away.
When I think about the bamboo tree’s ability to bounce back or return to its original position, the word “resilience” comes to mind. When used in reference to a person this word means the ability to readily recover from shock, depression or any other situation that stretches the limits of a person’s emotions.
Have you ever felt like you are about to snap? Have you ever felt like you are at your breaking point? Thankfully, you have survived the experience to live to talk about it.
During the experience you probably felt a mix of emotions that threatened your health. You felt emotionally drained, mentally exhausted and you most likely endured unpleasant physical symptoms.
Life is a mixture of good times and bad times, happy moments and unhappy moments. The next time you are experiencing one of those bad times or unhappy moments that take you close to your breaking point, bend, but not break. Try your best not to let the situation get the best of you.
A measure of hope will take you through the unpleasant ordeal. With hope for a better tomorrow or a better situation, things may not be as bad as they seem to be. The unpleasant ordeal may be easier to deal with if the end result is worth having.
If the going gets tough and you are at your breaking point, show resilience. Like the bamboo tree, bend, but not break.

译文：记得孩提时代，我最喜欢做的事情之一就是悠闲地坐在小河岸边。在那里望着河水顺流而下，听着鸟儿啁啾，树叶沙沙，我享受着这份宁静。我还常常看到竹林被大风吹弯了腰，而等到风儿平息他们又优雅地恢复了原来笔直的姿态。
每当想到竹子的弹性，这种能恢复原状的能力，我的脑海中就会浮现“韧性”一词。若用这个词来形容人，它的意思是指一个人从震惊、沮丧或其它极度折磨人的情感状态中恢复过来的能力。
你是否曾经感到自己痛苦地要死掉？你是否曾经感到自己濒临崩溃？谢天谢地，你熬过了这些痛苦，现在可以活着讲你的经历。
在经受折磨时，各种复杂的情绪萦绕在你的心头，严重危害你的健康。你感到自己几乎被抽干了，精疲力竭，同时你的身体很有可能出现一些不好的症候。
生活中总是顺境与逆境并存，快乐与痛苦同在。下次当你身陷逆境或痛苦，几乎要崩溃时，不妨顺从地弯一下腰，但不要让自己崩溃。竭尽全力使自己不被所处的环境打败。
适度的希望可以帮你熬过令人不快的痛苦经历。内心充满希望——希望明天会更好，希望情况会好转——你会发现事情或许没有那么糟糕。如果最终的结果值得拥有，那么痛苦的经历也就没那么痛苦了。
如果事情变得很难，你将要崩溃，就发挥一下你的韧性吧。像竹子一样，适时弯腰，避免折断。
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