Stand Tall
站直了
I was filled with doubts and worries until my grandfather told me to stand tall.
我一直充滿疑惑和擔憂，直到外公告訴我“站直了”。
It was no wonder I wasn't looking forward to entering ninth grade. High school is well known for being a battleground, where everyone seems to be going through awkward physical changes, emotional mood swings, and low self-esteem. For me, height was my trouble.
我並不盼望著升到九年級(編注：相當於中國的初三)，這一點也不奇怪。大家都知道中學如同一個戰場，來到這裡的每個人似乎都要經歷尷尬的身體變化、情緒波動以及自我貶低。對我來說，身高是我的煩心事。
I had always felt insecure and out of place as one of the taller members of my class in Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania, standing a head above the other girls and stooping at the back of the line to avoid sticking out .
我在賓夕法尼亞州的巴拉辛瓦伊德上學，作為班裡個頭兒最高的學生之一，我總是覺得不安全、彆扭。我比班裡的其他女孩兒高出一個頭，因此排隊時我總是站到後面並且駝著背，不想太顯眼。
I especially hated being around large groups of people, like during the social hour after services at my synagogue . Once the prayers were finished, I would leave as quickly as possible so I could avoid another well-meaning congregant squealing,"Ruthie!Look how tall you're getting!"Ugh.
我尤其討厭和一大群人待在一起，比如人們在教堂做完禱告後的寒暄和交談。禱告一做完，我總是儘快離開教堂，這樣就能避開其他人善意的尖叫：“魯絲！看你又長個兒了！”呃。
My grandfather would watch me grow increasingly uncomfortable, but he didn't laugh at my self-consciousness or try to console me. Instead, he would admonish me.
成長給我帶來的不適，外公一直看在眼裡，但他沒笑話過我的彆扭，也沒試著安慰我。相反，他會訓誡我。
Stand straight and tall, he'd say, as I unsuccessfully tried to shrink myself.
每當我努力想讓自己變得矮一些卻以失敗告終時，他總是說：“挺起腰板站直了。”
And each time, I would sheepishly comply . Even at age 15, I understood that his advice was about more than just feet and inches.
而每一次，我總是羞怯地按他說的做。甚至15歲時，我就明白外公的告誡不僅僅是指身高。
My grandfather grew up in war-torn Europe. When German soldiers occupied his hometown, the beautiful and thriving city of Tarnow, Poland,he defied them and eventually wound up joining the Soviet army to fight for his country's freedom. "Stand straight, stand tall," meant something else back then.
外公是在戰火紛飛的歐洲長大的。當時德國軍隊佔領了他的家鄉——波蘭美麗而繁華的城市塔爾諾。外公蔑視德軍，最終他加入了蘇聯軍隊，為祖國的自由而戰。“挺起腰板站直了”在當時有不一樣的含義。
I trusted my grandfather more than anyone else in my childhood. And whenever I was afraid of something, he would tell me stories of his life.
童年時，我對外公的信任超過了對其他任何人的信任。每當我感到害怕，外公總是給我講他經歷過的故事。
After the war, he boarded a boat for America, and on January 27,1947, he stepped onto the dock of Pier 86 in Manhattan. He was hungry and suffering from sickness. All alone in a new country, he was frightened about his future.
戰爭結束後，外公坐船來到了美國。1947年1月27日，他踏上了曼哈頓的86號碼頭。飢餓和疾病折磨著他，獨處異國的外公對未來充滿了恐懼。
Still, he marched head-on into the hustle and bustle of the streets of New York. Soon he met other European immigrants, each of them trying to find his or her own way.
但他仍然硬著頭皮走入了紐約繁華的大街。不久他碰到了來自歐洲的其他移民，他們每個人都試圖在美國找到自己的出路。
If they could do it, why couldn't he? "Stand straight, stand tall," he would remind himself.
既然他們都能在美國立腳，自己為什麼不能呢？“挺起腰板站直了。”外公提醒自己。
Thanks to the help of a loyal and trusting friend, my grandfather acquired a jewelry booth on Canal Street, at that time the heart of the busy diamond district in New York City. He once told me how nervous he was on that first day of work. He was not only trying to learn this tough new business, but also a new language.
多虧一位信任他的忠誠朋友提供了幫助，外公在當時紐約市繁華的鑽石區中心的堅尼街上獲得了一個珠寶攤。外公曾經告訴我，上班的第一天他有多麼緊張。他要學習的不僅是複雜的生意經，還有新的語言。
To his surprise, the men in the neighboring booths—who could have taken advantage of him—offered their help and advice. Within months, my grandfather was commanding his spot behind the counter, selling diamonds and all kinds of cultured pearls as if he'd been doing it his whole life.
讓外公感到吃驚的是，附近店鋪的同行們不僅沒有欺負自己是新來的，反而給自己提供幫助和建議。幾個月之後，外公就在櫃檯後站穩了腳跟，賣著鑽石和各種人工珍珠串，就好像他已經在這一行做了一輩子一樣。
Stand straight. Stand tall.
挺起腰板站直了。
In later years, my grandfather would escort both my mother and her sister down the aisle at their weddings. As he stood with each of them beneath the chuppah , he thought about their new beginnings, and of the adventures and challenges they would experience together. He also thought about the children who would one day carry on his family name.
後來，外公參加了我媽媽和姨媽的婚禮，陪同她們走過紅毯。當外公陪著女兒們站在婚禮慶典的綵棚下時，他想到了她們即將開始新的生活和她們將要經歷的各種挫折和挑戰。他也想到了未來還會有子孫後代將家族延續。
I am so proud to be one of those children. Listening to my grandfather's remarkable experiences has changed the way I view my own life.
我為自己能成為這個家族的一員感到非常驕傲。傾聽外公非同尋常的經歷改變了我對自己生活的看法。
His advice to me has become much more than a challenge to improve my posture. It tells me to be proud of who I am.
外公的忠告不僅僅告訴我要糾正自己的站姿。它告訴我要為自己感到驕傲。
Stand straight, stand tall, my grandfather told me.
“挺起腰板站直了。”外公這樣告訴我。
And I do.
我這樣做了。
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