To Live Happily All the Time——about “Three Men in A Boat”

　　李 想 北京一零一中学高一阅读书目：三怪客泛舟记 Three Men in a Boat （书虫· 牛津英汉双语读物）

　　 Most fairy tales end like this:“They live happily ever after.” But to George, Harris and J, “ever after” is far from enough. Their belief is to live happily ALL THE TIME. Who are these three guys? They are the “bestest” pals from a humorous English book — Three Men in A Boat.

　　 Just take a look at these three funny guys: You can meet them anywhere at any time. All of them have great aspirations and plenty of passion. But in the morning, none of them like to wake up early. All of them want to be great explorers. But on rainy days, they all prefer to stay by the warm fireplace. Yes, it’s our Harris, George and J. And now, they are taking a vacation on the famous Thames.

　　 They started off in a little boat, which none of them would like to drive. They kept explaining that they didn’t come out for fun—they were taking a rest because of some so called “dreadful disease”. When they were traveling, they couldn’t stop making jokes on others. When they were cooking, they couldn’t stop the eggs from getting on their pans. when they finally gave up the boat and went home by train, they still couldn’t stop telling each other how clever it was to be “three men out of boat”……

　　 Such a simple story has brought me lots of laugher and thoughts. I laughed over their funny troubles and funny talkings all along the trip. And also I found that I came to admire them after laughing each time. Because when they met something in trouble, or their own complicated jobs came, first, they would burst into laughter at once, and then started to solve the problem slowly with partience and happiness. Sometimes I was surprised by them. Because something that happens in our daily life such as losing the wallet, or a bad weather, will make every one of us complain and be upset for long. But how about the three men in the boat? They will certainly laugh at it first! They giggle, they grin, they smile. They have taught me how to laugh at trouble, to smile at hard work, and to laugh away tears. It’s a good way to face my blue days. As a student, I always complain about my homework, my parents, and my classmates. But George, Harris and J told me: there’s no point in complaining. Just face your life and try to find the good side of everything. And also remember to cherish friendship—like the three of them.

　　 Yes, yes. Sometimes they seemed to be “cynical” or “lazy”. But the fire of live, diligence, and happiness is burning in their hearts all the time. To them, the so called “dreadful disease” is only an excuse for their going out to relax. To them, all the trouble is the chance to use both patience and laughter. To them, all the hard work is the gift from God to make them stronger and happier.

　　 Don’t just stare at the “happy ending” of “living happily every after”. Think about the three men in the boat. They are common guys like you and me. But they are all very great—They have the ability to make themselves live happily ALL THE TIME.