Learn to be an audience

After long hours of waiting for my friend at the bus station,
我在公交站等着朋友，已经过去了好几个小时
I got tired
我感到疲乏
and was tempted to just leave
有些想就这样走开
and plan another meeting.
约着下次再见面
As I was still deciding,
我正犹豫不决
there came a man selling culture shoes
一个贩卖文化鞋的男子走过来
and started showing them off to me
开始向我展示他的鞋子
so as I could buy or something,
希望我买下一双
I just smiled and said thank you.
我只是微笑，说“谢谢，不用了”
I don’t know if it was the smile or what
我不知道是因为看到我的微笑还是什么原因
but the young-man stepped closer
那个年轻男子走过来
and stood beside me
在我身边站定
and started talking to me.
和我交谈起来
“You know
你知道
I didn’t just end up like this,
过去我的生活不是这样的
selling shoes,
过去我不是个卖鞋子的
I had a life…
我有很好的生活
had a family
我有自己的家庭
but one day
可是有一天
life just turned upside down and
他的生活忽然天塌地陷
all was gone just like that”,
一切都转瞬即逝
he said.
他说
Those were his words,
用他的话说
in short,
简而言之
his wife stole all his money,
他的妻子盗走了他所有的钱
sold his car and house,
把他的车和房子都变卖了
it was really a hard time for him
他度过了一段无比艰难的时期
and he was psychologically tortured.
心里承受着巨大的折磨
A lot happened
他经历了许多事
and then he decided to pick up the pieces of his life
他决定，把破碎的生活重新拼凑起来
and try to make ends meet,
让一切重归正规
that’s when he started making culture shoes
从那以后，他就开始做文化鞋
and selling them to earn a living.
通过卖鞋子维持生计
As I stood there
我站在那里
listening to him pour out his heart
听着他掏心掏肺的讲述
and story of his life,
了解他过去的生活故事
I was still surprised
我倍感惊讶
how in the world
究竟为什么
can someone be so open to a total stranger like that
一个人竟能这样对陌生的人敞开心扉
and it dawned on me that
随后我突然想到
some people get relieved that way.
倾诉让他们心中释怀
You see,
你看
a lot of times
生活中时常
we meet people
我们遇到形形色色的人
and most of them have burdens in their hearts,
他们中大多数心中都有苦恼
some of them don’t even have a person to listen to them,
他们之中些人，甚至找不到一个听众
so I’ve learned
从此我学会了
to be good to all people
友善的对待所有的人
and always give them my time
永远准备着把自己的时间献给他们
to listen to what they have to say.
倾听他们想说的话
By doing this
这样做
it will not only help that particular person
不仅能够帮助那个倾诉者
but also the one listening
也能帮助倾听的那个人
since you get to learn something from them
因为你能从他们身上获得新知
and see the other side of life.
看到人生百态
This will make the world a better place to live in for all of us.
这会让世界变得更加美好，让生活在这世界的你我更加幸福。