Everyone wants a blue ribbon. Blue. First place. The best. Even kindergarteners want that blue ribbon. In sports， I was never a blue-ribbon person. In a race I was always last. In baseball I was as likely to get hit on the head as to drop the ball. In basketball I was fine as long as there weren't nine other players on the court with me. Where I got my horrible sports ability， I don't know， but I got it. And I got it early.

　　During the spring of my kindergarten year， our class had a fieldtrip to a park in a town about 20 miles away. Making that drive now is no big deal， but when you're six and you've lived in a town of 300 all your life， going to a town of a couple thousand is a very big deal. Nonetheless， looking back now， I don't remember much of that day. I'm sure we ate our little sack lunches， played on the swings， slid down the slide ― typical six-year-old stuff. Then it was time for the races.

　　These no ordinary races. Some parent had come up with the idea to have the picnic kind of races， like pass the potato under your neck and hold an egg on a spoon while you run to the other side. I don't remember too much about these， but there was one race that will forever be lodged in my memory ― the three-legged race.

　　The parents decided not to use potato sacks for this particular race. Instead， they tied our feet together. One lucky little boy got me for a partner. Now what you have to know about this little boy is that he was the second most athletic boy in our class. I'm sure he knew he was in trouble the second they laced his foot to mine. As for me， I was mortified. This guy was a winner. He almost always won， and I knew that， with me， he didn't have a chance

　　However， apparently he didn't realize that as deeply as I did at the time. He laced his arm with mine， the gun sounded， and we were off to the other side. Couples were falling and stumbling all around us， but we stayed on our feet and made it to the other side. Unbelievably when we turned around and headed back for home， we were in the lead！ Only one other couple even had a chance， and they were a good several yards behind us.

　　Then only feet from the finish line， disaster struck. I tripped and fell. We were close enough that my partner could have easily dragged me across the finish line and won. He could have， but he didn't. Instead， he stopped， reached down， and helped me up ― just as the other couple crossed the finish line.

　　I still remember that moment， and I still have that little red ribbon. When we graduated 13 years later， I stood on that stage and gave the Valedictory address to that same group of students， none of whom even remembered that moment anymore. So， I told them about that little boy who had made a split-second decision that helping a friend up was more important than winning a blue ribbon. In my speech I told them that I wouldn't tell which of the guys sitting there on that stage was the little boy although he was up there with me. I wouldn't tell because in truth at one time or another all of them had been that little boy ― helping me up when I fell， taking time out from their pursuit of their own goals to help a fellow person in need.

　　And I told them why I've kept that ribbon. You see to me， that ribbon is a reminder that you don't have to be a winner in the eyes of the world to be a winner to those closest to you. The world may judge you a failure or a success， but those closest to you will know the truth. That's important to remember as we travel through this life.

　　You may not have a red ribbon to prove it， but I sincerely hope you have at least a few friends who remember you for taking time out from your pursuit of that blue ribbon to help them. I'm thinking those will be the ones that really count ― I know it's the one that counted the most to me.

　　每個人都想要一個藍絲帶。藍色。第一。最好的。連上幼稚園的孩子都想要一個藍絲帶。在體育方面，我不是一個夠擁有藍絲帶的人。賽跑時，總跑倒數第一；打壘球時，打著頭的幾率和丟球的幾率一樣高；打籃球時，只要球場上沒有其他九個人，我打得還不錯。我如此糟糕的體育能力是怎么得道的，我不知道，但是應該是從很早的時候。

　　在我上幼稚園的那年春天，我們班舉行了一場田徑賽，終點是在一個城鎮的公園，距此有二十多英里遠。現在開車去那兒不是大問題，但當你才六歲，一輩子都住在一個有三百人的城鎮里，去一個有兩千多人的城鎮里確實是一個大問題。然而，現在回想起來，那些日子我差不多都忘記了。可以肯定一點的是，我們就吃一點午飯，然后就蕩秋千，滑滑梯――都是六歲孩子的游戲。之后就快到比賽的時間了。

　　這些不平常的競賽。有些父母想出了一些點子，舉行一個野餐式的競賽，比如在你跑到另一個方的時候，把土豆從你脖子后傳遞給他人，勺子里放個雞蛋。這些我記得不太清楚了，但有一個比賽我將永遠不能忘記――三腿比賽。

　　父母們決定在這次比賽中不用土豆袋。他們把我們的腳綁在一起。一個小男孩有我做伴，他真幸運。現在關于這個小男孩你要知道的是，在體育方面他是我們班里的第二名。我確定的是他遇到麻煩了，他們把那個小男孩的腳捆在我的腳上。至于我，可遭殃了。這個家伙是個贏家，他幾乎總是贏，可是我明白，和我在一起他就沒有機會了。

　　然而，看上去，這個時候他并沒有我領悟得那么深。他把他的胳膊綁在我胳膊上，鳴槍后，我們跑想另一邊。在我們旁邊，一對對選手要么摔倒了要么被絆倒了，但我們倆腳步穩妥跑道了終點。難以想象的是，當我們轉身回家的時候，我們倆在最前面！只有一對有超越我們的機會，他們只在我們身后幾碼遠。

　　在腳快到終點線的那有時刻，厄運發生了，我被絆倒了。我們離得很近，他本可以輕而易舉地把我拉過終點線的。他本可以，可他并沒有那么做，相反，他停下來，伸手把我扶起來――正好另一對穿過了終點線。

　　我仍記得那個時刻，現在還有那個紅絲帶。畢業十三年后，我站在舞臺上，向同一組的學生做告別發言，他們之中已沒有一個人記得那一時刻了。因此，我告訴他們：男孩剎那間做出決定去把朋友扶起來，那比贏一個藍絲帶還有意義。在演講時，我對他們說，就算他和我一起站在這里，我也不能分清哪位是當年的那個小男孩。我不能分清，事實上是因為當時，或者其他人都曾經是那位小男孩，把我扶起來，幫助一個需要幫助的伙伴，卻浪費了時間放棄了他們自己的目標。

　　同時，我還告訴他們為什么我一直保存著這個絲帶。向我這看，這個絲帶是一個提醒，你沒有必要在世人的眼里是一個成功者，在你最親密的人眼里要是個成功者。這個世界可以判給你成功或者失敗，但是只有你最親近的人知道真相。記住它，這在我們一生中都很重要。

　　你可能沒有紅絲帶來證明這，但是，我真心地希望你至少有這么幾個朋友，就是放棄了贏得藍絲帶的機會去幫助你并且還在想念你的那些朋友。我認為那些朋友才是真正有價值的朋友――我知道他對我來說非常重要。

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