竹子，在中国传统文化中，一直是清秀俊逸、高洁无华的象征。

小时候，一直觉得是竹子那高雅的姿态和纤秀的外表让苏东坡吟出“宁可食无肉，不可居无竹。无肉令人瘦，无竹令人俗。”这样的句子。直至慢慢长大，能静下心来细细观察竹子，才真正领会到：竹子的高雅并非在于它摇曳生姿的翠竿，而在于那“雪压不倒，风吹不折”（郑板桥语）的韧性，和那“能弯曲而不能折断”的尊严。

多年以后，看到这篇英文小品，让我再一次对竹子肃然起敬。听听这篇广播剧，一起来体会竹子的生活态度：bend, but don't break!

one of my fondest memories as a child is going by the river and sitting idly on the bank. there i would enjoy the peace and quiet, watch the water rush downstream and listen to the chirps of birds and the rustling of leaves in the trees. i would also watch the bamboo trees bend under pressure from the wind and watch them return gracefully to their original position after the wind had died down.

when i think about the bamboo tree's ability to bounce back or return to its original position, the word "resilience" comes to mind. when used in reference to a person this word means the ability to readily recover from shock, depression or any other situation that stretches the limits of a person's emotions.

have you ever felt like you are about to snap? have you ever felt like you are at your breaking point? thankfully, you have survived the experience to live to talk about it.

during the experience you probably felt a mix of emotions that threatened your health. you felt emotionally drained, mentally exhausted and you most likely endured unpleasant physical symptoms.

life is a mixture of good times and bad times, happy moments and unhappy moments. the next time you are experiencing one of those bad times or unhappy moments that take you close to your breaking point, bend, but don't break. try your best not to let the situation get the best of you.

a measure of hope will take you through the unpleasant ordeal. with hope for a better tomorrow or a better situation, things may not be as bad as they seem to be. the unpleasant ordeal may be easier to deal with if the end result is worth having.

if the going gets tough and you are at your breaking point, show resilience. like the bamboo tree, bend, but don't break!