從小處著眼

其實小事有時也能成就大變。這道理是五年前有一天我從父親那裡學到的。當時我九歲，做的只是九歲孩子會做的事。

　　爸爸那天工作到很晚，過了九點才回到家裡。他是做生意的，工作時間很長。這天他所受壓力似乎特別大，樣子比平日更加疲累，累得連眼睛都快睜不開了。

　　我卻完全不同，精力旺盛。我跟著父親走向他臥房，一路蹦蹦跳跳，跳我自創的「海象舞」，把手腳往相反方向扭來扭去，舞姿滑稽。

　　爸爸步履沉重，抬起他的大腳，慢騰騰一步一步走上樓梯，似乎每走一步，就添一分倦意。我想，也許得動手推他上樓，於是停止跳舞，以備萬一。幸好他終於勉力走到臥房裏。

　　爸爸坐在床上，開始脫掉鞋襪。我高高興興問道：「今天工作怎樣？」他疲累地回答：「還好，我只是倦極了。」

　　我有點不知道該怎麼辦，就說：「啊，那麼要我走開嗎？」

　　爸爸微微一笑，笑容透著倦意，卻令我較為安心，感到留下來也「無妨」，感到他不會罵我：爸爸疲倦的時候，我要是煩著他或胡鬧，往往會被他責罵。

　　爸爸的微笑使他看來精神好一點。我也笑了，但那不只是微笑，而是咧嘴露齒盈盈而笑。依媽媽的說法，我「那個時期」經常是這樣笑的。

　　爸爸慈祥地說：「你不必走開，我當然不是要你走開。」

　　我暗自高興。如果我還不用走，今晚大概就可以晚點上床睡覺。太好了！

　　我們沉默了一會。沉默向來使我感到不自在，我於是張開嘴巴，嘩啦嘩啦地就說起話來，沒有什麼特別話題，只是瞎扯，例如說小熊維尼為什麼只穿一件紅色短襯衫；蝴蝶為什麼飛舞等。我說時模仿著史迪奇的聲音。史迪奇就是迪士尼電影《星際寶貝》裡個專門搞鬼的外星生物。爸爸向來都喜歡我扮史迪奇，這時就大聲笑起來。

　　我扮演《星際寶貝》裡各個腳色的聲音，把電影演到一半，爸爸已經笑到眼淚都流出來了。

　　他一邊擦眼淚一邊求饒：「好啦好啦！啊……笑得我兩肋都痛了。喔！喔！」

　　能令脾氣不大好的老爸笑得這麼厲害，我十分高興，興奮地問：「你喜歡嗎？」

　　爸爸說：「當然喜歡。你知道嗎？我或是你媽媽、哥哥疲倦的時候，給你逗笑了，會感到暢快得多，倦意也會消減。」

　　我搖搖頭，完全想不到自己有這樣的能耐。

　　爸爸低頭對我微笑。「真的。」我非常珍惜這兩個簡單的字，至今還銘記心中。

　　我想：多麼不可思議，一切就是這麼簡單！數以億計的人在籌畫經天緯地的大計，我卻只是運用我所說的一種小「才能」。就這樣，我改變了家人的心情，改變了他們對事物的看法，改變了他們對生命的態度。

　　我發覺，微不足道的言行，其實足以改變世界。工作固然可以成就不少事情，但抱著愉快的心情工作，可以成就更多。

　　令別人心情愉快，彼此之間會多點關懷，工作會做得好一些，世界也會變得美麗一點。人間會多點愛，而愛，大家都知道是愉快生活不可或缺的。

　　所以，何不從小處做起？不要皺著眉頭，展開最燦爛的笑容，走進冷酷黑暗的世界，給需要的人一點光明與溫暖吧。你可以改變世界：問我爸爸就知道了。

　　I'm sure many great, powerful and rich people think about how they can make a difference in the world. There are so many big problems, and they require big solutions, right?

　　Actually, sometimes little things can make a really big difference. I learned this lesson one day five years ago with my father, when I was just acting like myself - a nine-year-old kid.

　　Papa came home late from work after 9 pm. He's a businessman who works long hours, and on this day he looked even more tired and stressed than usual. His eyes were already half-closed from weariness.

　　I, on the other hand, was completely hyper. I followed him to his bedroom, skipping and doing the "Walrus Dance" which I had made up myself. This ridiculous routine involved twisting my arms and legs in opposite directions.

　　Papa trudged up the stairs, slowly lifting his large feet one after the other. He seemed to fall deeper and deeper into exhaustion every step he took. I was afraid that I would have to start pushing him, so I stopped dancing and got ready for the worst. Fortunately, he made it to the bedroom on his own.

　　Papa sat down on the bed and started removing his shoes and socks. "How was work?" I asked cheerfully.

　　"Oh, it was OK," he replied wearily. "It's just that I"m so tired."

　　"Oh," I said, a little uncertainly. "Oh, um . . . you want me to leave?"

　　Papa gave me a tired smile that made me more comfortable, that told me I was "safe". It made me feel like he wasn"t going to scold me, as he often did when he was tired and I was bothering him or fooling around in any way.

　　His smile lit up his exhausted face. I smiled too, only a much bigger smile. Well, actually a gigantic toothy grin, as I often did during that "stage in my life" as Mama called it.

　　"No," he said kindly, "of course I don't want you to leave."

　　Secretly I rejoiced. If I was not supposed to go yet, then that probably meant I was going to have a later bedtime tonight. Yay!

　　There was silence for a while. I've always felt uncomfortable when it was quiet, so I opened my mouth and started blabbing away at top speed about nothing in particular ?nonsense, actually, like why Winnie the Pooh only wears a short red shirt, and why butterflies fly.

　　I was saying all of this in the voice of Stitch, the trouble-making little alien from the Disney movie Lilo & Stitch. Papa always loved it when I did that, and he started laughing loudly now.

　　By the time I had acted out half the movie, voicing out all the characters by myself, Papa was crying tears of mirth.

　　"Stop . . . stop!" he begged, wiping his streaming eyes. "Oh . . . side-stitch . . . ouch, OUCH!"

　　I was delighted that I had made my grumpy old Papa laugh so much. "Did you like it?" I asked excitedly.

　　"Of course I did," he said. "Did you know that whenever you make me, or Mama, or your brother laugh when we are tired, you make us feel a lot better, and less tired?"

　　I shook my head, astonished that I could actually do a thing like that.

　　Papa smiled down at me. "You do." I treasured those two simple words, and I still hold on to them in my heart.

　　Amazing, I thought. Just like that! There are a billion people out there thinking BIG, and all I ever did was use a tiny "talent" of mine, as I like to call it. By doing so, I changed the mood of my family, changed the way they looked at things, changed the way they thought of life.

　　A small act like that, I realised, can actually change the world. So much can happen when we work, but so much more can happen when we work cheerfully.

　　Just by cheering people up, we can help them care more for each other, help them do their work better, and help make this world a more pleasant place to live in. There would be more love, and that, as everyone should know, is the most important thing we need to have a pleasurable life.

　　So why not start small? Drop that ugly frown, put on your best smile, go out into the cold, dark world and spread some light, warmth and love to those who need it. You will make a difference - just ask my Papa.