Главная страница «Первого сентября»Главная страница журнала «Английский язык»Содержание №1/2007

YOUTH ENGLISH SECTION

You’d Better Stop!

Every morning you get up very early and… “Oh my God! I’m late!”, you are again in a hurry. You run to the bathroom, put on your clothes, then go to the kitchen, swallow a sandwich, drink coffee, spill it on your jeans, change your clothes, and after that, coming out of the flat, you remember that you haven’t turned off the stove and go back again. Then you find yourself in traffic, in a bus full of people, and think: ”How absent-minded I am!”, after which you miss your station.

Stop!!! Will such difficulties last forever? Why if you are not in a hurry, if you don’t fall into a bussle, talking on the phone and discussing your business plans at the same time, are you abnormal?

Just look around! Have you ever watched the sunrise with its unusual colours and beauty? Why, when it’s raining, do you always take refuge, knocking everyone down? Why don’t you stop just for a while and feel how the drops tickle your face? And do you know that it’s impossible to count all the stars in the sky? Open your eyes and look how the clouds float, how children play with a sunray.

Just stop for a minute! Everything is not so bad, is it? A bright, calm side of life is here, in front of you. Don’t forget that the sun and the stars shine, birds sing – and all this is only for you!

To convince you that all the above said is true, that life isn’t so bad, I’ll tell you a story.

One of my good friends used to be a walking problem. He constantly hurried somewhere and was always late; he was out of spirits all the time.

“Come with us, this is a starlit sky, and songs near the fire. We will have rest and fun!” – his friends told him.

“I’m pressed for time, I have a lot of things to do” – the answer was. But one day everything changed. My friend was dismissed. It’s quite a sad thing actually, but such is life.

It was a wonderful summer evening. The sun was already setting, giving a soft pink shade to the sky. Now he didn’t have to hurry anywhere, so he walked slowly along the tree-lined path, noticing things he had never paid attention to before: the colours of the summer, the warm embrace of the wind, the scents of nature. For the first time he queued fifteen minutes for a bus, which he wanted for so long, but couldn’t do as he had no time. I heard the phone ringing.

“How beautiful it is here! Have you seen the sunset?” – he asked me.

“Aren’t you at work?” – I answered.

“Work? No. I’m thinking of going somewhere, of having a rest. You know, songs near the fire, starlit sky and so on…”

And the next day he called me and said that he was getting married. Just think of it!

There are a lot of problems in your life, but it is not the end of the world. And for the present, enjoy your life and value it. Everything is in your hands!

By Kira Varlamova,
3rd year student