I remember thinking about a middle-aged man standing at a checkout counter. Something set him apart. Even the boy bagging groceries seemed to sense it. He did a speedier-than-usual job as he glanced with respect at the man.
Trying to pinpoint1 what was different about him, I found that he looked quite ordinary. Although he gave the impression of being tall, I could see he was actually a little shorter than average. His features weren't particularly outstanding, and he was wearing plain weekend sports attire2.
Not until the man was leaving did it strike me. He carried himself as if he were somebody worth caring about, head up and chest out, he walked proudly from the market.
Suddenly, words I'd heard my mother repeat hundreds of times as I was growing up held new meaning. “Stand up straightly! Like yourself by pretending strings are pulling you from the tops of your ears.”
I thought of myself being pulled up, and my head and upper torso3 lifted automatically. I felt taller as I approached the market's doors. This time I saw reflected a woman who looked as if she knew where she was going! But I rushed home in five o'clock traffic and tried to fix dinner before a seven o'clock meeting, my good posture4 vanished5.
It wasn't until the next day as I was trying on clothes in a department store that I remembered again. Each thing I put on bulged6, rippled7 and tucked8 in the wrong place. I turned sideways, thinking that perhaps from a different angle I'd look better. That's when I realized how really poor my posture was. Suddenly I recalled the man in the supermarket. Standing straight helped him look wonderfully attractive and special. Could it help me look better in these clothes?
I lifted myself up and anxiously looked at the dress again. Unattractive bulges and tucks had smoothed themselves out, and the lines were nicer. I liked the dress!
“Excellent!” said the clerk who was helping me.
“You like this?”
“Yes. It makes you look thinner too.”
Sure enough, I looked five or seven pounds lighter. Dieting titles I'd read come to mind, such as “How to Lose Pounds in Weeks.” Now I had a new title: “How to Look Thinner in Seconds.”
Did I look younger, too, when I stood straight? I had to admit I probably did. Now I had another new title: “How to Look Years Younger in Seconds.” And I began to notice that I didn't have the backache I usually get on shopping trips. In the car on the way home, I was sure I felt better in other ways. For one thing, I was breathing all the way down to the bottom of my lungs for a change. And my insides were all properly aligned9 now instead of scrunching10 together. Then another title occurred to me: “How to Feel Better in Seconds.”
But it still didn't feel natural to stand up straight. Gravity and years of bad habit kept pulling me downward. Maybe that's why on the day of a party I had worried about, I lowered head and slouched11. I didn't want to go. I wasn't comfortable with that group, and I knew I'd say all the wrong things.
After dinner, as I reluctantly put on my new dress, I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. “Stand up straight!” I ordered. I pretended strings were pulling me upward; I lifted myself to full height. And that's how I walked into that party.
I was surprised at what good posture did to change my appearance, but I was astonished at what it did to the rest of me—my spirits, my attitude, my feelings about myself. I imagine it happened like this: as I lifted my body to its full height and held up my head, little signals went to my brain saying, “You're confident. You think highly of yourself. You are somebody of worth.” Other people, reacting to the way I looked, also sent signals—signals of respect. They must have thought: Well, if she thinks she's somebody of worth, she must be. I began feeling relaxed and I was able to be outgoing12—much more so than usual. That night as I went to bed, I realized that I had still another new title: “How to Feel Confident in Seconds.”
During the weeks since then, I have found that long-term good posture continues to help me. I feel more inclined to stand up for what I believe as I stand up physically. And standing taller, I feel better about myself. This helps me to be better, which, in turn, gives me greater peace and happiness inside.
The other day, while I was shopping, the checker looked at me as if she thought she knew me. "Say, aren't you somebody?" she asked me.
“Well, come to think of it, yes,” I said, “I am somebody. Aren't we all?”
我想起一个站在收银台旁边的中年男士，有一些东西使他显得与众不同。就连装杂货的男孩好像都感觉到了。男孩带着敬意看了那个男人一眼，干起活来比平时更快了。
我努力找出他的不同之处，但发现他看起来很普通。尽管他给人的印象很高大，可我看出实际上他比一般人还要矮一点。他没有十分明显的特征，他穿着很普通的周末才穿的运动衣。
直到他离开时我才发现：他的姿态就好像他是一个值得关注的人，昂首挺胸，自豪地从市场中走了出去。
突然，成长过程中妈妈重复了几百遍的话对我有了新的含义：“站直了！就像耳朵上头拉着两根绳子一样。”
我想像自己被拉直了，我的头和上身自然就挺起来了。走向超市的门时我觉得自己变高了。这次我看见玻璃上映出一个仿佛有着明确的生活目标的女人！但我5点坐车跑回家，又尽力在7点开会前做好晚饭，优美的姿态消失得无影无踪。
直到第二天我在商店试衣服时才又想起来。我试的每件衣服都在不应该的地方鼓起来并起褶。我侧身照了照，想也许从一个不同的角度我会看起来好一些。那时我真正意识到我的姿态多么糟糕。突然我想起了超市中的那位男士，站得笔直使他看起来很具吸引力也十分特别。这样能不能让我穿着这些衣服也更好看些呢？
我站直了，急切地又看了一眼这件衣服。衣服凸起的地方和褶子都变平了，线条也更好看了。我喜欢这件衣服！
"太好了！"为我服务的售货员说。
“你觉得好吗？”
“是的，它使你看起来更苗条。”
当然，我看起来轻了5到7磅。我立刻想起来我读过一些有关控制饮食的文章标题，比如“如何在几周内减轻几磅。”现在我有了一个新标题：“如何在几秒钟内看起来更苗条。”
当我站直了，看起来更年轻了吗？我不得不承认也许是这样。现在我又有了一个新标题：“如何在几秒钟内看起来年轻几岁。”我开始注意到购物时我不再背疼了。在回家的车上，我肯定我其他方面也感觉更好了。我把新鲜空气直接吸入肺的底部并呼出废气。我的内脏都在正确的位置上而不是挤在一起。然后我又想到了一个新标题：“如何在几秒钟内感觉更好。”
但是站直了我仍感觉不自然。地球引力和这些年的坏习惯总使我站不直。也许这正是我为那天的晚会忧虑的原因，我低着头，无精打采地坐在那里。我不想去和那些人在一起，我不自在，而且我知道我会说错所有的话。
晚饭后，当我不情愿地穿上新衣服时，我瞥了一眼镜子中的自己。“站直了！”我命令道。我假装有绳子向上拉我，站到最直，就这样去参加了晚会。
我惊奇于好的姿态给我的相貌带来的改变，更让我惊奇的是它对我的精神、态度和自我感觉的作用。我想它是这样发生的：当我站直了抬起头时，一些小信号传输给我的大脑，“你是自信的。你对自己的评价很高。你是值得尊重的重要人物。”其他人也对我的样子表示钦佩。他们肯定认为：噢，如果她认为她是个值得尊重的重要人物，她肯定是。我感到很放松，也比平时开朗多了。那晚当我上床睡觉时，我意识到我还有另一个新标题：“如何在几秒钟内感到自信。”
接下来的几个星期，我发现长期保持优美的姿势继续对我有帮助。我觉得当我站直了的时候，我更愿意支持维护我相信的事物。站得越直，自我感觉越好。这使我更优秀，同时也给我内心带来了更大的平静与幸福。
不久前的一天，我买东西时，收银员看着我好像认识我一样。“喂，你不就是某个重要人物吗？”她问我。
“噢，想想，我就是，”我说，“我是个重要人物。我们不都是吗？”
1. pinpoint v. 指出，确认
2. attire n. 服装，衣着
3. torso n. （人体的）躯干
4. posture n. 姿势，姿态
5. vanish v. 突然不见，消失
6. bulge v. 膨胀，凸出
7. ripple v. 使波动
8. tuck v. 折成褶子，缩拢
9. align v. 使成一线
10. scrunch v. 缩紧，蜷缩
11. slouch v. 没精打采地坐着
12. outgoing adj. 对人友好的，开朗的