English Original
It was the end of my exhausting first day as a waitress in a busy New York restaurant. My cap had gone awry, my apron was stained, and my feet ached. The loaded trays I carried felt heavier with each trip. Weary and discouraged, I felt incapable of doing anything right. As I wrote up a complicated check for a family whose children had changed their ice-cream order numerous times, I was ready to quit.
Then the father smiled as he handed me my tip. "Well done," he said. "You've looked after us really well."
Suddenly, my tiredness vanished. I smiled back. Later, when the manager asked how I'd liked my first day, I replied, "Fine!" Those few words of praise had changed everything.
中文翻译
那是我在纽约一家繁忙餐厅当服务员的第一天，结束时我已精疲力竭。我的帽子歪了，围裙脏了，双脚疼痛。我端着的满载餐盘感觉一次比一次沉重。疲惫又沮丧，我觉得自己什么都做不好。当我为一家人结算复杂的账单时——他们的孩子们把冰淇淋订单改了无数次——我几乎想要放弃。
这时，那位父亲在给我小费时露出了微笑。"干得好，"他说，"你把我们照顾得非常周到。"
突然间，我的疲惫感消失了。我也对他报以微笑。后来，当经理问我第一天感觉如何时，我回答："很好！"那几句简单的赞扬改变了一切。