The lady with the white fence taught me to leave the gate to life open.
When my husband died of a brain disease, I became very angry.Life was not fair.I hated being alone.One day, as I was driving down a busy street in town, I suddenly noticed a new fence, which was being set up around a house.I pulled off to the side to really admire the fence.The carpenter had done such a good job that my eyes almost filled up with tears.I could not tear myself away.I stopped the engine, went over and touched the fence.It still smelled of fresh paint.I could hear a lady was trying to start the lawn mower in the back garden.
“Hello!” I shouted and waved at her.“Well, hello!” She stood up and wiped her hands in the apron.“I…I came to see the fence.It is so beautiful!” I said.
“The fence is not there for my sake ,” the lady explained to me in a matter-of-fact voice.“I live alone.But so many people drive by every day, and I thought they might be glad to see something really nice.People see my fence and wave. A few stop like you and come up to veranda(走廊)to have a chat.”
“ But weren't you sad when they expanded the road and everything changed so much?” I asked.
Her reply changed my life.“Change is a part of life and takes part in making us who we are.When something we do not like happens to us, we have two choices:to become a bitter person or to become a better person.”
I carefully left the gate open and drove on with a new feeling inside me.I could not tell what it was, but I could feel the thick stone wall around my angry heart breaking off.And instead a pretty white fence was built.I decided that I would keep the gate open for everything and everyone that came my way