TEXT B

Begin Again

To begin again means that you won't give up.

To begin again means you're trying.

You can either start over and live your life

Or spend the rest of your life slowly dying.

It is never the falling that makes us fail.

It is never the pain or the crying.

You can never fail in life, my friend,

Unless you give up trying.

---- Bob Perks

It seems lately that more and more of my friends are facing some seemingly insurmountable challenges in their lives. A few have lost their jobs and some have failed marriages. All too many have health issues or are battling cancer.

I don't know if it is desperation that causes them to turn to me for advice or whether they have come to value our friendship. But it is difficult, to say the least, to offer words of hope when all they feel is hopelessness. They expect answers, some magic waving of a wand, or a roadmap to get them back on their feet again.

I have often struggled with what to say. Mostly because I have faced many of the same challenges in my own life, I remember how empty I felt after someone cheerfully offered words like, "Keep your chin up!" "Things will get better!" "Hang in there!" "it's always darkest…," etc.

Yes, even those who were quick to quote the Bible to me found me quite unreceptive at the time.

Now, as an inspiration writer, being thought of as a resource of hope or a good (or bad) example of what to do in life, I have even more people contacting me.

So, what do I say?

"What can I do, Bob? I've lost my job. What do you suggest?"

"Begin again."

"He walked out on me. My whole world just ended. What should I do?"

"Begin again."

"Bob, I know both your son and your wife had cancer. I found out my wife does, too. What did you tell them?"

"Begin again."

It almost sounds too simple. I imagine in the darkest hours of one's life, those words would seem useless or uncaring. But it is indeed the answer.

All life challenges bring about an ending - and the chance for a beginning. A job loss presents an opportunity to start over somewhere else and maybe even in another career.

A failed marriage does not mean you are through loving or being loved. It means there are others just like you needing to be loved. Find them.

A life-threatening disease does not mean giving up. It means starting a new path to recovery and discovering within yourself the ability to fight back and win.

And if you are a person of faith, even death does not mean it's over. It means, "to begin again."

参考翻译：

重新开始

重新开始意味着你不会放弃。

重新开始意味着你在努力。

你可以重新开始过你的生活

或者用余生慢慢死去。

让我们失败的绝不是失败。

它从来不是痛苦或哭泣。

生活中你永远不会失败，我的朋友，

除非你放弃尝试。

——鲍勃津贴

最近，我有越来越多的朋友在生活中面临着一些看似无法克服的挑战。一些人失去了工作，一些人婚姻失败。很多人都有健康问题，或者正在与癌症作斗争。

我不知道他们是出于绝望才向我寻求建议，还是已经开始重视我们的友谊。但是，至少可以说，当他们感到绝望时，要说出充满希望的话是困难的。他们期待着答案，一些魔杖的魔法挥动，或者一个路线图，让他们重新站起来。

我常常不知道该说些什么。主要是因为我自己的生活中也遇到过许多同样的挑战，所以我现在还记得，当有人兴高采烈地说“挺起你的下巴!”这样的话时，我感到多么空虚。“事情会好起来的!”“坚持住!”“这总是最黑暗的……”等等。

是的，即使是那些很快引用《圣经》给我听的人，也发现我在当时很不受欢迎。

现在，作为一个充满灵感的作家，人们认为我是希望的源泉，或者是生活中应该做什么的好(或坏)榜样，甚至有更多的人与我联系。

那么，我该怎么说呢?

“我能做什么，鲍勃?”我失业了。你有什么建议吗?”

“重新开始”。

“他抛弃了我。我的整个世界都结束了。我该怎么办?”

“重新开始”。

“鲍勃，我知道你的儿子和妻子都得了癌症。我发现我妻子也是。你跟他们说了什么?”

“重新开始”。

这听起来太简单了。我想，在一个人生命中最黑暗的时刻，这些话似乎毫无用处或漠不关心。但这确实是答案。

所有的人生挑战都会带来一个结束，也会带来一个开始的机会。失业给你提供了一个重新开始的机会，也许是另一种职业。

一段失败的婚姻并不意味着你在爱或被爱。这意味着还有其他人像你一样需要被爱。找到他们。

一种危及生命的疾病并不意味着放弃。这意味着开始一条恢复的新道路，发现自己有能力反击并赢得胜利。

如果你是一个有信仰的人，即使死亡也不意味着一切都结束了。它的意思是“重新开始”。