励志：认真看待自己，才会得到他人的尊重

I stand on the edge of the dance floor watching couples glide, spin, and groove as they dance the West Coast Swing. The tempo of the music is fast, but the beating of my heart is faster. I want to dance, but I'm afraid I'm not good enough.
我站在舞池边，看着人们一对一对地在跳西海岸摇摆舞，他们滑动舞步、旋转着、享受着。音乐节奏很快，但我的心跳更快。我想跳舞，又担心跳得不好。
The song ends, and as another begins, a white-haired gentleman with a rakish smile offers me his hand and pulls me onto the floor, waving away my protests that I'm only a beginner.
一首乐曲结束，另一首开始了，一位浅色头发的绅士面带微笑向我伸出手，把我拉进舞池，我作为初学者的恐惧一扫而光了。
Okay. If he can do this, so can I.
好吧，如果他能跳，那我也能跳。
I manage to find a respectable groove, but whenever he tries to lead me in anything other than the basic steps, I stumble. All I can do is smile a lot and apologize even more.
我终于觉着自己跳得不错了，但他带着我跳基本舞步之外的动作时，我就会绊到。我所能做的就是多微笑，但更多的还是道歉。
After I've mumbled sorry for the tenth time, he laughs and says, "It's okay. You're blonde."
我第十次喃喃地道歉之后，他笑着说：“没关系，你的金发很漂亮。”
Huh? It's delivered like a compliment, and I decide to take it as one; if I can't be graceful, I can at least be gracious. But later, after the shoes have come off and I'm in my own quiet room, his words keep dancing through my head. They start wearing a different kind of groove, leading to questions like:
嗯？听起来像恭维我，我决定就当成是恭维吧。如果我不能跳得很优雅，至少可以彬彬有礼。但后来我脱掉鞋安静地坐在自己屋里时，他的话一直萦绕在我的脑海。我开始觉着那些话有些言外之意，使我想到了几个问题：
Do I act blonde? If you believe the stereotype, blondes are assumed to be helpless, shallow, unambitious or naive. Now I know these traits have nothing to do with hair color. Still, something in this idea strikes a nerve.
我表现得像金发美女吗？如果你相信老一套的说法，就知道金发美女被认为无助、肤浅、要求不高或者幼稚，现在我知道了这些特点都和头发颜色没关系。但总会有些东西说到你心里。
Why do I apologize so much? In what ways do I minimize myself and my efforts?
为什么我要说那么多道歉的话？我是怎么把自己和自己的努力说得什么都不是的？
How seriously do I take myself?
我有很认真地看待自己吗？
In an effort to answer these questions, I promptly dye my hair brown and begin collecting data. I discover that I feel plainer, duller, and more average with darker hair. I also feel more thoughtful, more discerning, more earnest. In the words of Oscar Wilde, "Life is too important to be taken seriously."