TED演讲:一段无人了解的经历(7)（在线收听）

However, I longed to share my life with someone.

但是，我渴望与他人分享我的生活。

I remember staring out the window as my dad drove me home from work, thinking I have so much love inside of me and nobody to give it to.

我记得爸爸接我下班回家时，我凝视车窗，思考着我内心充斥快乐，但无人分享。

Just as I had resigned myself to being single for the rest of my life, I met Joan.

就像我已经认为自己会孤独一生的时候，我遇到了Joan。

Not only is she the best thing that has ever happened to me, but Joan helped me to challenge my own misconceptions about myself.

她不仅是在我身上发生的最棒的事，她还帮助我纠正了我对自己的错误认知。

Joan said it was through my words that she fell in love with me. However, after all I had been through,

Joan说通过我的文字，她爱上了我，但是，在我经历这一切后，

I still couldn't shake the belief that nobody could truly see beyond my disability and accept me for who I am.

我仍坚信没人能够真正看到我缺陷之外的部分，并接受真正的我。

I also really struggled to comprehend that I was a man. The first time someone referred to me as a man, it stopped me in my tracks.

我努力试着理解我是一个男人，第一次有人把我叫做一个男人时，我停下脚步。

I felt like looking around and asking, "Who, me?" That all changed with Joan.

我想回头问，谁？我？这些随着遇到Joan而改变。

We have an amazing connection and I learned how important it is to communicate openly and honestly.

我们有着令人惊叹的联系，我明白了坦诚交流的重要性。

I felt safe, and it gave me the confidence to truly say what I thought. I started to feel whole again, a man worthy of love.

我感到安全，这让我自信地表达我的真实想法，我开始感到生命的完整，我是一个值得被爱的人。

I began to reshape my destiny. I spoke up a little more at work. I asserted my need for independence to the people around me.

我开始重塑命运。工作中我说更多的话，我想周围的人表达独立的愿望。