“The days that make us happy make us wise.”
-JOHN MASEFIELD
People are all the time asking me onequestion: ”How do you always manage to be so cheerful?”
Of course I do not always feel gay. If did I would be what you call ”slap-happy.” Butimmediately when I sense an audience respondingto the gaiety I am trying to give out, I feelgaiety coming back to me. It is like a boomerang-a blessed boomerang.
This works not only for the performer. Itis a good game anybody can play.
A man goes to his office. He is grumpy, growls agreeting to his secretary. She may have awakened spirited and jaunty, but right away the ugliness is contagious. Or, in reverse,he comes in whistling. Maybe he has picked a flower from his garden for hisbuttonhole as he hurried to catch his train. He extends a merry greeting, it boomerangs.The office brightens.
There are targets everywhere. Just take aimand let go with good cheer.
I like to try out on bus drivers in bigcities. They are a worried lot. People ask them long and involved questions, usually about how to get some place in theopposite direction. So board a bus, give a greeting. One time it did not work. Iwas not in a good mood. My approach, or rather my aim, was poor. The driver snarled, whether in pain or indifference I do notknow. Then I transferred to another bus. This time I threw out the greetingwith urgency and determination. My greeting was returned, wrapped in a pleasantsmile. I got off that bus revived.
The business of getting back something for whatyou give appeals to my practical French nature,especially when the “something” benefits you so much. It is what they call inbusiness a high rate of return.
So, happy Hunting- or perhaps I should sayHappy Boomeranging!
善有善報
快樂的日子，會使我們變得聰明些
人們總愛問我一個相同的問題：「你何以能經常保持愉快的心情？」
當然，我不會經常輕鬆愉快的，假使我總是快樂，那我就成了通常所說的「快樂天使」了。當我在舞台上將歡娛分給觀眾，而觀眾也以歡樂回報時，我覺得原來散布出去的歡娛，又回到我自己身邊來了。歡娛就像一種有反彈作用的武器，去了又彈回來，結果自己也因而得益無窮。
這並不限於在舞台上表演的演員，而是一種每一個人都能做的有益事情。
有一個脾氣暴躁的人，他一進辦公廳就向他的女秘書大呼小叫，本來，他是精神抖擻、活潑愉快的，這樣一來大大地影響了她的情緒。相反地，他進門時高興地吹著口哨，即使急於趕車，仍能從容不迫地在他園子裏摘一枝花，插在襟上的鈕孔中，高高興興地向大家打個招呼。向大家打個招呼。由於反彈作用，他自己快樂了，整個辦公聽亦因之充滿了開朗愉快的氣息，顯得生氣蓬勃。
到處都可以找對象這樣表現一番，只要你抱定宗旨，讓你愉快的心情充滿在你的周圍。
我常愛拿大城市裏的巴士司機作試驗的對象，他們心事重重，因為乘客常會問他們一些諸如「到某地怎麼走法」的冗長而複雜的問題，所以你跨上一輛巴士，最好先向司機打個招呼。有一次，因為我心情不好，雖然向司機打了招呼，卻仍沒有得到預期的效果，這與其怪我情緒不好，不如說方法不對。那司機竟向我吼了起來，我不知道他是心裏不舒服或是沒有興趣理睬別人，過後我又坐上了另一輛巴士。這次我馬上向司機打了個招呼，而他也滿臉笑容地回報我。這次下車時，心情好得多了。
對我們這種比較踏實的法國人性格而論，你給了人家什麼，人家就回敬你什麼，特別是得到的「那種」回報對你大有好處。那就是生意人所說的報酬率很高。
所以，好好地對待別人－或者，我該說「種豆得豆」，好心必得善報。
梅禮斯 雪佛萊（法國明星）
gay:快樂的
audience:觀眾
gaiety:快樂的
boomerang:回飛棒自作自受
grumpy: 性情乖戾的
growl: (狗等)嗥叫
jaunty: 輕鬆活潑的; 快活的, 喜洋洋的
ugliness: 難看, 醜陋
contagious: 接觸傳染性的
snarl: (狗等)吠, 嗥[(+at)]
practical: 實踐的, 實際的
