I was 18 years old―― determined it was time to spread my wings， to set out on my own， to get my own place.

　　So， this particular art show was more fun than most. I looked around through my most critical eye for just the right piece to put in the new apartment I was going to rent.

　　Many of the pieces I saw were beautiful， but far too expensive for someone with more dreams than money. However， one picture caught my eye. It was a bright yellow sun in a faded1 red frame2――fairly abstract3， more cartoon than art. A face was painted on the sun…… blue eyes， big red mouth， turned upwards in a smile. It was happy， and looking at it made me happy.

　　A name was scrawled4 in the bottom left corner. Billy Williams.

　　Stepping back a little to study it further， I told myself I'd never spend money on a painting like that， because after all， I could paint one just like it if I really wanted one. There didn't seem to be a lot of artistic talent， and in fact， it looked like a child had done it. If a child could do something that caught my attention， I could do the same thing， only better！

　　Yeah. That's what I' do. I' paint my own sun picture！

　　As I began to move away from the booth5， something caught my ear. Was someone talking to me？ I didn't see anyone.

　　I stopped and looked at the picture again. This time， I saw a fellow in a wheelchair trying to get my attention.

　　" Like it？" I thought I heard him ask.

　　It was hard for me to hear him. The tent was crowded and very loud. I moved closer to him.

　　" Do I like it？ Yes， I really do， but……"

　　He started talking again， but it was hard for me to understand him. He talked very softly and slowly， drawing his words out to the point where my mind had a hard time following them.

　　" I liiiiike to paaaaaint，" he said.

　　" Really？" I asked， noticing for the first time that there were many other paintings in his booth.

　　" I like your paintings very much." I continued. " How do you come up with6 so many things to paint？"

　　" It's eeeeasy." he replied. " Aaaanyone can dooooo it. All youuu have to dooooo is get an ideeeeea in your heeeead， deciiiiide what you waaant to do， and dooooo it."

　　He then shared with me how he had painted the sun picture. The entire conversation took about 15 minutes. Fifteen painful minutes. As he struggled to get the words out and I struggled to understand them， I learned a lesson I have never forgotten.

　　" How much for this painting？" I asked.

　　" Fiiiiive dollaaaaars，" was the reply.

　　I gave him the＄5， put my prize7 under my arm， and left.

　　It had taken Billy Williams 15 painful minutes to teach me a lesson I've kept close to my heart for the following 28 years. This awkward-looking young man， hands gnarled8， legs twisted， tongue thick9， had broken the code10 on a part of life I hadn't even known existed.

　　The man who made one of the greatest impacts on my life is someone who will never know it. I've never seen him again.

　　He would never be able to overcome his physical challenges， but he had learned to deal with them. He had learned that doing what he wanted to do was simply a matter of getting an idea， deciding what he wanted the outcome to look like， and making it happen.

　　He said anyone could do it. He was right

　　我18歲了――該是我展翅高飛的時候了，自己外出闖蕩，構筑自己的窩。

　　所以對我來說參觀這個畫展就有了更重要的意義。我用我那雙非常挑剔的眼睛四周張望，想找一張合適的畫掛在我將要租的新公寓里。

　　我看到的許多作品都是美麗的，但對于我這么一個夢想多于金錢的人來說，它們實在是太貴了。但是，有一幅畫引起了我的注意。那是一輪明亮黃色的太陽嵌在一個褪了色的紅框子里――相當抽象，更像是卡通畫而非藝術品。太陽上畫了一張臉……藍眼睛，大紅嘴，嘴角上翹露出笑意。這畫是歡快的，看著它一種快樂的感覺在我心中油然而生。

　　畫的左下角有畫家潦草的簽名。比利?威廉斯。

　　我后退一步再來好好端詳這幅畫，我想我絕不會花錢買這樣一幅畫，因為畢竟如果我真想要這么一幅畫的話，我自己就可以畫嘛。那畫也沒顯出多少藝術天賦， 事實上，它看上去像是小孩子畫的。如果一個小孩子畫的東西就能吸引我的注意力，那我自己也能畫，而且只會畫得更好。

　　是的，就這么辦了。我來畫我自己的太陽畫！

　　正當我準備離開那間展棚時，有一個聲音引起我的注意。有人在跟我說話嗎？但周圍并沒有人。

　　我停下來又看了看那幅畫。這次，我看見一個坐在輪椅上的人在努力引起我的注意。

　　"喜歡嗎？"我想他是在問我。

　　聽他說話不大容易。展棚里又擁擠又喧鬧。我向他靠近一步。

　　"我喜不喜歡？是的。我真是很喜歡，但是……"

　　他又開始說話了，但我真是難以聽懂他在說些什么。他輕聲細語的，而且說得很慢，我豎起耳朵，吃力地試著聽懂他慢慢吐出來的每一個字。

　　"我喜……歡畫畫……畫，"他說。

　　"真的？"我問，第一次注意到他的展棚里還有許多其他作品。

　　"我非常喜歡你的畫。"我接著說。"你怎么有這么多東西可畫呢？"

　　"容……容……易。"他回答。"任……任何人都可以做……做得到。你……所要做……的只是腦……子里先要有一個想……法，決……定你要……做什么，然后動手去做。"

　　然后他告訴我他是怎么畫這幅太陽畫的。整個交談持續了大概15分鐘。痛苦的15分鐘。他費力說出每一個字，我則努力地設法聽懂他說出的每一個字，這是我終生難忘的一堂課。

　　"這幅畫多少錢？"我問。

　　"5……美元，"他回答。

　　我給他5美元，把覓得的珍品夾在腋下，離開了展棚。

　　比利?威廉斯花了痛苦的15分鐘給我上的那一課，我在之后的28年里一直牢記在心。這位年輕人其貌不揚，四技扭曲，說話結巴，卻破譯了我生命中某一部分的密碼，而在這之前我甚至不知道它的存在！

　　給我帶來如此深遠影響的這個人永遠不會知道這一切。我以后再也沒見過他。

　　他永遠無法克服他身體殘疾的障礙，但他已學會如何應付它們。他知道，做他想要做的，不過是先要有個想法，在腦子中繪出最終成品，然后動手去畫。

　　他說任何人都能做得到。他說得對。

　　注釋：

　　1.faded adj.褪了色的

　　2.frame n.畫框

　　3.abstract adj.抽象的

　　4.scrawl vi.潦草地寫，涂寫

　　5.booth n.（隔開的）小房間，展棚

　　6.come up with想出，提供，提出

　　7.prize n.珍品，（值得）追求的東西

　　8.gnarled adj.扭曲的，拗彎的

　　9.thick adj.口齒不清的，（音）濁的

　　10.break the code破譯密碼

更多 英文美文、英語美文、英文短文、英語短文，請繼續關注 英語作文大全