文字难度：★★★
It really was crowded and I have no idea why. I was at the local mall on one of my1)getaway-from-it-all visits. When things begin to 2)blur and my mind is nearly at a dead stop, I know it’s time to take a break. In the winter I head for the mall. It goes back to my childhood when we would go window shopping on a Saturday evening just to get out of the house for a while. We also sat in our car at a local shopping centre 3)munching on a favorite treat and just watching people as they walked by. So sitting in the mall is a comfortable place for me. I don’t stay long. You’ll never see me 4)slumped over snoring like some of the old guys. I don’t gather with others in conversation nor do I bring 5)a deck of cards and sit in the food court. I reenergize and move on. 
那里真是拥挤不堪,而我不清楚为何会这样。当时我在本地的一个购物商场里。每次,当我想逃离一切,我就会来这里,而当时就是这种状况。当一些事开始让我感到茫然,而我的脑子近乎无法思考时,我知道是时候休息一下了。在冬日里,我前往这个购物商场。这一切可追溯到童年时期,那时,在周六晚上,我们会去逛橱窗,只为了逃离家一会儿。来到本地的购物中心,我们还会坐在我们的车里一边津津有味地嚼着我们爱吃的食物,一边只是看着那些走过的人。因而,对我来说,坐在购物商场里让我感觉很舒适。我不会停留太久。你决不会看见我像一些老家伙一般瘫倒在那,鼾声如雷。我不会和其他人聚在一块儿交谈,也不会带上一副纸牌坐在美食广场里。我补充一番精力后,然后就会继续前行。
Today though, my people watching skills were at a peak. The place was 6)buzzing. There were three benches gathered together facing each other and I was fortunate to find one spot at the end. There was a mix of people of all ages and a 7)constant flow of shoppers passing by. Suddenly there was a bit of a 8)ruckus. A beautiful young girl appearing to be about 12 years old approached a woman sitting on the bench nearby me. The woman said, “Why don’t you sit with me for a while?” She seemed quiet and a bit reflective at first glance, but suddenly started to moan and 9)whine about things. There obviously wasn’t room for her and she became quite upset.
而那天,我的观人技能达到了顶峰。广场里人声嘈杂,有一处摆着三张长凳,相向而设,我幸运地在长凳的末端找到了一个位置。凳子上坐着的一众人等各个年龄层的都有,而旁边的购物人流不断。突然发生了一阵小骚动。一个看上去大概12岁的漂亮小女孩走近坐在我旁边的那位女士。那位女士说:“来和我坐一会儿吧。”那个女孩乍看上去似乎很恬静,还有点处于沉思的状态中,但突然,她开始就一些事抱怨和发起牢骚来。很明显,她没有空位可以坐,她变得很沮丧。
“But where do I 10)fit in? There’s nowhere for me to be. I just want to be somebody...be happy...belong!” the young girl said.
“我哪里挤得进去?根本没位置让我容身。我只想出人头地……只想快乐……只想找到自己的位置!”那个小女孩说道。
There was more to this than not having a seat on the bench. This was a young lady struggling to discover who she was and where she belonged. I was about to offer my seat to her when an older gentleman sitting next to the woman got up and left. I think he just didn’t want to get involved. But if you know me by now, I saw this as an opportunity to jump right in.
这问题不仅仅是在长凳上找不到位置这么简单。这是个苦于寻觅真我、追求归属的小女孩。我正要把我的位置让给她,这时,坐在那位女士旁边的一位年长的先生站了起来,走开了。我想他只是不想掺合在其中。但如果你现在对我有几分了解,你就知道,我会把握机会“插”上一脚。
“It’s not just a seat you’re looking for is it?” I said as I looked at the young girl.
“你在寻找的不仅仅是一个座位,对吧?”我看着那个小女孩说道。
“What? Are you talking to me?” she said.
“什么?你是在和我说话吗?”她说。
“Yes, I am.” I replied
“是的,我是在和你说话。”我答道。
“No, it’s not just a seat.” she said
“是的,不只是一个座位。”她说。
“I can’t tell you I remember being your age. But I can tell you that somewhere about that time is when I started to hurt.” was my response.
“我不能说还记得自己在你这个年纪时的一切。但我可以告诉你,我大约就在你这个年龄开始会觉得受伤。”这是我的回答。
“You hurt? Was there something wrong?” she said
“受伤?发生什么不好的事了吗?”她说。
“Not hurt in a physical, somebody-beat-me-up kind of way. But I hurt all over because I wanted to fit in with life. Not just friends, but the world. Not just school, but when I looked in the mirror. I wanted to see me. I didn’t even know who that was I was looking at.”
“不是身体上被别人痛打所受的那种伤。但我浑身伤痛,因为我想适应生活。不只是与人交朋友,而是适应整个世界。不仅是在学校里,还有当我照镜子的时候。我想看清自己。我甚至不知道镜中那个我在盯着的人是谁。”
“Mum, see he knows how I feel,” she said as she turned toward the lady next to her.
“妈妈,你看,他了解我的感受,”她转向坐在她旁边的那位女士说道。
“Sir, I’ve been telling her the same thing. But because I’m her mum, it doesn’t sound the same. It sounds like criticism,” the woman said.
“先生,我一直都是这样和她说的,但因为我是她的妈妈,所以她听起这些话来感觉就不一样。我说这些话,她会觉得是批评指责。”那位女士说道。
“I know. I have two sons. I am trying to find an interpreter who speaks youth,” I said with a laugh.
“我懂。我就有两个儿子。我一直想找个懂得说‘青春’的语言的人给我翻译,”我笑着说。
Then looking at the young girl I said, “I wish I could tell you that this will all go away. It never goes away, it evolves. It changes from these issues of youth into new challenges of life, of growing up and then growing old. Oh, you will get a sense of who you are. You will one day suddenly seem to understand what you want. But the world changes right along with you and suddenly those dreams that once were so important to you fade in comparison to new visions. Things that you could not possibly see then, but were in truth there all along will suddenly appear. You’ll look in the mirror many times in your life and question yourself. It’s good to do that. Because you can’t lie to that person. You can’t pretend to be something or someone else. That reflection doesn’t lie.”
接着,我看着那个小女孩,说道:“我真希望能告诉你这种感觉会消失。可事实上,它从来不会消失,而是会不断演变。它会从青春期的这些纠结,转变成人生成长衰老历程中的新挑战。噢,你会对自己有所了解。某天,你会突然似乎明白了自己想要什么。但世界恰恰和你一块儿发生变化,突然,那些曾对你如此重要的梦想会褪去,取而代之的是新的目标企求。那些以往你无法看到却实际上与你如影相随的东西会突然显现。你一生中会多次直视镜子,质问自己。这么做是有益的。因为你无法对镜中的人撒谎。你无法装成别的某个事物或某个人。那镜中影像是不会撒谎。”
“So I’ll struggle with this forever?” she asked me.
“那么,我将永远挣扎在其中?”她问我。
“No, you’ll struggle now until you realize the value of the search for the real you. Believe it or not this is a good thing. You are like a rose. Until now you were just a small 11)bud developing and growing. Now you are starting to bloom, open up. These outside petals are the questions you just asked: Where do I fit in? I just want to be somebody...be happy...belong! You are just opening up to the beauty that’s inside you,” I said.
“不,你现在处于挣扎中,直到你意识到寻找真实自我的价值所在。不管你相信与否,这是件有益的事。你就像一朵玫瑰。此前,你不过是一颗小蓓蕾,在发展成长着。现在,你开始开花、绽放。这些最外面的花瓣是你刚才问的问题:哪里才有我的一席之地?我只想出人头地……只想快乐……只想找到自己的位置!你才刚展露你内在的美。”我说道。
“But maybe I don’t want to be a rose,” she said smartly.
“但或许我不想成为一朵玫瑰。”她机敏地说道。
“Great! Then start with that. Ask yourself—if I were a flower what would I want to be? Then be it! Excellent! Don’t settle for a rose. Be a 12)petunia, a daisy, a 13)violet! Then think how that flower lives. How does it grow? What does it need to grow? How does it possibly get so beautiful when it started out from nothing?”
“棒极了!那么就从这个问题开始。问问自己——如果我是一朵花儿,那么我想成为哪种花儿?接下来就成为那种花儿!太棒了!不要安下心来做一朵玫瑰。成为一朵矮牵牛花、一朵雏菊,或是一朵紫罗兰吧!接下来想想你要成为的那种花儿是如何生存的。它是如何生长的?它需要什么条件来生长?它是怎么从‘零’开始,尔后变得这么美丽?”
“But I’ve been growing too long!” she said.
“但我已经长这么大了!”她说道。
Then I shared this story:
接着,我分享了以下这个故事:
“In the far East the people plant a tree called the Chinese bamboo. During the first four years they water and 14)fertilize the plant with seemingly little or no results. Then the fifth year they again apply water and fertilizer. In five weeks’ time the tree grows 90 feet.”
“在遥远的东方,人们种植着一种名叫‘中国竹’的树。在种下这种树的头四年里,他们给这种植物浇水、施肥,但几乎看不到一丝生长的迹象。接着,在第五个年头,他们又再给这些植物浇水、施肥。在不到五周的时间里,它们长了90英尺(约27米)。”
“Wow,” she said.
“哇,”她说。
“Now my question to you is: did it grow 90 feet in five weeks or five years?”
“现在,我给你提的问题是:它是在五周还是五年内长了90英尺的呢?”
She thought for a moment and then with a relaxing sigh quietly said, “Five years and I’ve decided that I don’t want to be a flower at all. I want to be a bamboo!”
她想了一会儿,接着,静静地很放松地叹了一口气,说道:“五年内。我决定了,我不要做一朵花儿,我要成为一棵竹子!”
We all laughed. The young girl turned and hugged her mum. I stood up and said my goodbyes and as I turned around to look at them one more time, I swear when the young girl stood up, she looked so much taller. I think perhaps she grew up a little today. But we never stop growing.
我们都笑了。那个小女孩转过身,拥抱了她的母亲。我站起来,向她们道别。当我再一次转过身看她们时,我可以很肯定地说,当那个小女孩站起来时,她看上去高多了。我想,也许她今天长大了那么一点点。但,也是啊,我们从未停下成长的脚步。
