Relish the moment
Tucked away in our subconscious is an idyllic vision. We see ourselves on a long trip that spans the continent. We are traveling by train. Out the windows, we drink in the passing scene of cars on nearby highways, of children waving at a crossing, of cattle grazing on a distant hillside, of smoke pouring from a power plant, of row upon row of corn and wheat, of flatlands and valleys, of mountains and rolling hillsides, of city skylines and village halls.
我們的潛意識(shí)里藏著一派田園詩(shī)般的風(fēng)光! 我們仿佛身處一次橫貫大陸的漫漫旅程之中! 乘著火車, 我們領(lǐng)略著窗外流動(dòng)的景色：附近高速公路上奔馳的汽車、十字路口處招手的孩童、遠(yuǎn)山上吃草的牛群、源源不斷地從電廠排放出的煙塵、一片片的玉米和小麥、平原與山谷、群山與綿延的丘陵、天空映襯下城市的輪廓, 以及鄉(xiāng)間的莊園宅第!
But uppermost in our minds is the final destination. On a certain day at a certain hour, we will pull into the station. Bands will be playing and flags waving. Once we get there, so many wonderful dreams will come true and the pieces of our lives will fit together like a completed jigsaw puzzle. How restlessly we pace the aisles, damning the minutes for loitering --waiting, waiting, waiting for the station.
"When we reach the station, that will be it! "we cry. "When I’m 18. ""When I buy a new 450SL Mercedes Benz! ""When I put the last kid through college. ""When I have paid off the mortgage!""When I get a promotion.""When I reach the age of retirement, I shall live happily ever after! "
然而我們心里想得最多的卻是最終的目的地! 在某一天的某一時(shí)刻, 我們將會(huì)抵達(dá)進(jìn)站! 迎接我們的將是樂隊(duì)和飄舞的彩旗! 一旦到了那兒, 多少美夢(mèng)將成為現(xiàn)實(shí), 我們的生活也將變得完整, 如同一塊理好了的拼圖! 可是我們現(xiàn)在在過道里不耐煩地踱來踱去, 咒罵火車的拖拖拉拉! 我們期待著, 期待著, 期待著火車進(jìn)站的那一刻!
"當(dāng)我們到站的時(shí)候, 一切就都好了! "我們呼喊著! "當(dāng)我18歲的時(shí)候! ""當(dāng)我有了一輛新450SL奔馳的時(shí)候! ""當(dāng)我供最小的孩子念完大學(xué)的時(shí)候! ""當(dāng)我償清貸款的時(shí)候! ""當(dāng)我官升高任的時(shí)候! ""當(dāng)我到了退休的時(shí)候, 就可以從此過上幸福的生活啦! "
Sooner or later, we must realize there is no station, no one place to arrive at once and for all. The true joy of life is the trip. The station is only a dream. It constantly outdistances us.
"Relish the moment "is a good motto, especially when coupled with Psalm 118：24："This is the day which the Lord hath made;we will rejoice and be glad in it. "It isn’t the burdens of today that drive men mad. It is the regrets over yesterday and the fear of tomorrow. Regret and fear are twin thieves who rob us of today.
可是我們終究會(huì)認(rèn)識(shí)到人生的旅途中并沒有車站, 也沒有能夠"一到永逸"的地方!生活的真正樂趣在于旅行的過程, 而車站不過是個(gè)夢(mèng), 它始終遙遙領(lǐng)先于我們!
"享受現(xiàn)在"是句很好的箴言, 尤其是當(dāng)它與《圣經(jīng)·詩(shī)篇》中第118頁(yè)24行的一段話相映襯的時(shí)候, 更是如此："今日乃主所創(chuàng)造;生活在今日我們將歡欣、高興! "真正令人發(fā)瘋的不是今日的負(fù)擔(dān), 而是對(duì)昨日的悔恨及對(duì)明日的恐懼! 悔恨與恐懼是一對(duì)孿生竊賊, 將今天從你我身邊偷走!
So stop pacing the aisles and counting the miles. In stead, climb more mountains, eat more ice cream, go barefoot more often, swim more rivers, watch more sunsets, laugh more, cry less. Life must be lived as we go along. The station will come soon enough.
那么就不要在過道里徘徊吧, 別老惦記著你離車站還有多遠(yuǎn)! 何不換一種活法, 將更多的高山攀爬, 多吃點(diǎn)兒冰淇淋甜甜嘴巴, 經(jīng)常光著腳板兒溜達(dá)溜達(dá), 在更多的河流里暢游, 多看看夕陽(yáng)西下, 多點(diǎn)歡笑哈哈, 少讓淚水滴答! 生活得一邊過一邊瞧! 車站就會(huì)很快到達(dá)! By Robert J. Hastingsa
