233. A volunteer’s crucial vote 一位志愿者关键性的决定 void-warranty
The lessons I learned as a volunteer in Africa could fill volumes. Before I embarked upon my voluntary voyage, I felt a huge void in my life. When I look back upon it, there was a certain vulgarity to my existence. I had not done anything meaningful in my twenties at all, unless you count getting a second-rate college degree an accomplishment. As my twenties waned and my thirties approached, I began to consider life more seriously. I felt maybe as if the warranty on my life was about to expire. The vulgar life of wine, women, and food, which only left me with an expanded waist and a vulnerable ego, was giving way to a voracious appetite for meaning. Sometimes it was as if my mind was a volcano erupting with a desire to figure out why I was put on this earth. This desire would sometimes calm for days at a time, but before long, the volcanic explosions in my head would begin again. It was exciting yet also frightening, the way I imagine a chemist must feel when he is experimenting with potentially volatile chemicals. I had to do something before the voltage in my brain became too high and something crazy happened. Overnight, I voted to break up with my girlfriend, quit my job, and devote my life totally to others. When I told my girlfriend, she could hardly utter even a vowel sound. After the initial effect wore off, I couldn’t get her to stop wagging her finger in my face. Let’s just say that she didn’t quite agree with this voter’s decision. I also had the matter of my job. I wanted to give them a two-week notice, but they reacted very unpleasantly after I told them my decision. My two-week notice became an immediate walkout. I even waived my right to my last month’s salary. I also quit drinking, hopping back on the wagon after many years as a dedicated beer drinker. I saw a web site advertising for volunteers in Africa. Two weeks later, I waddled off the plane and into the African heat, a bit tired and jetlagged. In the next two years, I found meaning in life and peace for my soul. In my homeland, I had been wading through life. Now what I do is akin to Olympic swimming.
void n.空间，空旷adj.无效的
volatile adj.挥发性的
volcanic adj.火山的
volcano n.火山
voltage n.电压
volume n.体积，容积，卷，册
voluntary adj.自愿的，志愿的
volunteer n.志愿者，自愿v.自愿
voracious adj.狼吞虎咽的，贪婪的
vote vt.投票
voter n.投票者，选举人
vowel n.元音
voyage n.旅行，航程
vulgar adj.粗鲁的，庸俗的，下流的
vulgarity n.粗俗，低级
vulnerable adj.易受攻击的，易受伤害的
waddle v.（像鸭子）蹒跚而行
wade v.涉水，费力行走
wag v.（狗尾巴等）摆动
wagon n.四轮马车
on the wagon（美俚）戒酒
waist n.腰，腰部
waive v.放弃，免除
walkout n.罢工
wane v.减少，衰落
warranty n.担保，保证，保修 |