(Beautiful Essay)美文+录音20篇
来源：英语周报
发布时间：2009-09-02 18:21:00
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内容提要：Is it worth it?Put first things firstThe power of encouragement
Pushers and pullers
（第13期）
A woman lost her dog. After searching diligently, she placed a “Lost Dog” advertisement in the local newspaper.
The following morning her phone rang and a weak voice began, “I’m calling about your dog.” Then the caller coughed and cleared her voice a few times. She explained that she wasn’t feeling well and that, in fact, she had not felt well since her husband died three years ago. She went on to tell that her parents had passed away, and her sister was diagnosed with a fatal illness. Even her friends were not doing well.
After 30 minutes of listening, sympathizing and even trying offers of help, the dog owner steered the conversation back to the original subject. “About the dog,” she said.
“Oh,” the caller replied, “I don’t have him. I just thought I’d call to cheer you up.”
Maybe her technique needed improving, but her intentions were right on. And though “cheering up” may not be exactly what we require, we certainly need encouragement — pulling up — at times. The need for sincere encouragement is basic among human beings.
Do you need encouragement? There are those who will support your side. Educator Booker T. Washington observed, “There are two ways of exerting one’s strength: one is pushing down; the other is pulling up.” There are people ready to pull you up when others are pushing down. We need those people in our lives — those who exert their strength by pulling us up.
I believe these people can be found everywhere. I believe that we can all become “pullers”, lifting one another from dark pits of discouragement to the light of hope. And when that happens, the world will never be the same.