As a teenager, I felt I was always letting people down. I was rebellious outside, but I wanted to be liked inside.
Once I left home to hitch-hike2 to California with my friend Penelope. The trip wasn't easy，and there were many times I didn't feel safe. One situation in particular kept me grateful to still be alive. When I returned home, I was different, not so outwardly sure of myself.
I was happy to be home. But then I noticed that Penelope，who was staying with us，was wearing my clothes. And my family seemed to like her better than me. I wondered if I would be missed if I weren't there. I told my mom, and she explained that though Penelope was a lovely girl, no one could replace me. I pointed out,“ She is more patient and is neater than I have ever been.” My mom said these were wonderful qualities, but I was the only person who could fill my role. She made me realize that even with my faults—and there were many——I was a loved member of the family who couldn't be replaced.
I became a searcher, wanting to find out who I was and what made me unique. My view of myself was changing. I wanted a solid base to start from. I started to resist3 pressure to act in ways that I didn't like any more, and I was delighted by who I really was. I came to feel much more sure that no one can ever take my place.
Each of us holds a unique place in the world. You are special, no matter what others say or what you may think. So forget about being replaced. You can't be.
【參考譯文】
當我還是個10幾歲的少年的時候，覺得自己總是讓人失望。從外表上看，我似乎很叛逆，但是在內(nèi)心深處，我是如此地渴望被人疼愛。
有一次我離開了家和我的朋友佩內(nèi)洛普搭便車去了加利福尼亞。這次旅行并不輕松，而且有很多次我感覺不安。有一次的突發(fā)狀況讓我一直慶幸自己還活著。回到家，我發(fā)覺自己變了，看上去不那么自信了。
我很高興能回到家，但不久我注意到和我們一起的佩內(nèi)洛普穿著我的衣服，而且我父母看上去更喜歡她，我想知道如果我不在家的話他們是否會想念我。后來，我把我的想法告訴了母親，她說盡管佩內(nèi)洛普是個可愛的女孩，但她始終不能取代我，我說：“她比我有耐心而且無論何時看上去她都比我要整潔大方。”母親說這些都是非常好的優(yōu)點，但我卻是惟一個能扮演好自己角色的人。母親讓我感到盡管我有缺點——似乎還很多——但是，我被家中每一個人愛著，誰也無法取代。
我成了一個探尋者，想要知道自己到底是誰，又是什么讓我變得獨一無二。我的人生觀開始改變。我需要一個堅固的基礎來發(fā)展，我忍受住壓力，不再做自己不喜歡做的事。而且我為真實的我感到高興。漸漸地我越發(fā)肯定自己無可替代。
每個人在這個世界上都占有一個獨一無二的位置。無論別人說什么，你自己怎么想，你都是特別的。所以，不要擔心自己會被取代，因為你永遠是惟一的。
