How Should We Celebrate Our Birthday? 
It is good to be thankful for what you have in life and what you have accomplished. But open your eyes to the larger picture. If we are to appreciate the fruits of life, we must first appreciate the tree that bears the fruit: birth itself.
Birth is your beginning. It is a window to the chance of a lifetime, the chance to fulfill your unique mission. So a birthday is a momentous[重要的] occasion to be commemorated[纪念] just as a nation commemorates its birth or as an organization celebrates its founding. Still, it is much more than an occasion to receive gifts. It is a chance to remember the day that a major event occurred, to celebrate and give thanks and to reflect upon how well we are fulfilling our calling.
A birthday is a time to celebrate birth itself – the joy of life. It is also an occasion to rethink your life: How great is the disparity[不同] between what I have accomplished and what I can accomplish? Am I spending my time properly or am I involved in things that distract me from my higher calling? How can I strengthen the thread that connects my outer life and my inner life?
A birthday can also teach us the concept of rebirth. To recall our birth is to recall a new beginning. No matter how things went yesterday, or last year, we always have the capacity to try again. Your birthday is a refresher, a chance for regeneration[重生] – not just materially, but also spiritually.
On your birthday, gather with family and friends and study something meaningful together.
There is no better way to celebrate a birthday than to commit a special act of goodness. It is easy enough to say you are thankful; it is far better to show it by doing a kind deed – something that you did not do yesterday. Not because someone is forcing you. Not because someone suggests it. But simply because your inner goodness, your soul, wants to express its thanks for being born and alive.
Such an act of kindness also tells that you are living up to[生活得无愧于……] inborn potential. And nothing, of course, gives a parent greater joy. This is the true experience of birth, the true beginning of a life of meaning.
我们该如何庆生?
对生活所拥有的一切以及自己所获得的成就表达谢意,这是一件美妙的事情。但是你应该把眼光放得更远——假若我们要感恩生命的硕果,那么我们必须先感谢结出丰硕果实的这棵果树:降临人世。
降临人世是你的开始。它是生命得以降临的窗口,让你可以成就自己的特殊使命。因此,生日是一个意义非凡的时刻,应该像国家庆祝国庆、组织庆祝成立那样予以纪念。尽管如此,它的意义并不只是一个接受礼物的日子。它纪念的是一件大事件的发生,是庆祝和致谢,以及对我们实现使命的情况进行回顾。
生日是庆祝降临人世的时刻——庆祝获得生命的欢乐,同时也是重新思考人生的契机:我已有的成就与我所能达到的成就相差多远?我是否合理地利用时间,或是被阻碍我完成更高使命的事物绊住了手脚?我该如何强化连结我的外部生活和内心生活的纽带?
生日也能让我们明白到“重生”的意义。回顾我们出生的那天亦即回顾一个全新的开始。无论昨日还是去年日子过得如何,我们总有能力再次尝试。生日能让你焕然一新,让你再生——不仅仅是物质上的再生,也是精神上的重生。
在生日那天,与家人朋友共聚一堂,共同学习一些有意义的东西吧。
没有什么比表达善心的特别举动更适合庆祝生日了。表示感谢很容易;通过做好事(一些你昨天没有做的事情)来表达谢意就再好不过了。你这样做并不是有人强迫你,也不是某人给了你建议,而仅仅是因为你的善良、你的心灵希望以此表达自己对降临人世以及活着的感恩。
这些善举同时也说明你现在的生活无愧于你天生的潜能。当然,没有其他事情比这更能让父母欣喜了。这才是真正的生日体验,它将开启一段有真正意义的人生。
Birthday Celebration Twists and Weird Ideas
Birthdays are the one time of year when we ought to be able to celebrate in ways that are meaningful to us as individuals.
Just because everyone else has a birthday cake doesn’t mean you must have one, too. Give some thought to what would really make you happy instead and pass along your idea to a supportive friend or family member.
1 Ask for a birthday pie instead of a cake. There’s no law that says you have to eat cake on the day you were born. If you prefer coconut cream pie, have it. Or perhaps a plate of German chocolate brownies[核仁巧克力蛋糕] would suit you better. Whatever your favorite confection[糖果], arrange to have it for your birthday, even if you end up buying it for yourself. After all, when will you feel any more special than you do on your birthday?
2 Dress up as your favorite celebrity. If you’ve always admired Audrey Hepburn or Avril, wear a makeup or get your hair done to go with a new outfit that lets you feel like your favorite star. Or try something wild and daring for your own new look. Take photographs to remember the occasion with fondness in the future.
3 Choose an age and for that day, act it. For example, if you are really turning 20 but decide to choose “15” as your birthday age, behave as a 15-year-old would, with appropriate clothes, attitude, and activities. Or you might prefer to try on “25” or “10” for the day. Then have fun exploring your new identity, taking a friend along as your social buffer[起缓冲作用的人].
4 Have a birthday breakfast rather than a birthday dinner. Meet a few friends or relatives at a nearby restaurant for a fun start to your birthday. Bring candles to put on a stack of pancakes in lieu of[替代] a cake. Perhaps the serving staff will sing Happy Birthday when they find out it’s your special day!
5 Keep a year-round list of quirky[古怪的] or hard-to-find gifts that you can ask for when someone wants to know what you want for your birthday. Why get stuck with a gift card when you might be able to receive a 500-year-old collector’s coin from a friend who shops Ebay? A list will prevent your forgetting some of the fun ideas that come to mind during the year.
6 Host an unusual celebratory[庆典的] event.
Instead of the usual birthday party with traditional games, try something different, like a sleepover, a pizza party, or a chocolate dessert party. Plan a get-together with an unusual twist that will have everyone prancing[欢跃] with impatience while they wait for the date to get there and buzzing about[(忙得)团团转] it afterwards.
Birthdays should be fun and meaningful times. Make new memories with people you care about and take a camera along to record them. Collect birthday reflections in a journal or a photo album to enjoy upon reflection later.
换个方式过生日
生日是一年一度的特殊时刻。在这个日子里,我们能够以各种具有个人意义的方式进行庆祝。就算每个人生日都会准备蛋糕,但这不代表你也必须有一个。仔细想想什么才能真正让你感到快乐,然后把你的主意与支持你的朋友或家庭成员分享吧。
1 要一个生日馅饼而非生日蛋糕。没有法律明文规定你在生日这一天必须吃蛋糕。如果你比较喜欢吃椰子奶油馅饼,那就大饱口福吧。或许一盘子德式巧克力蛋糕更合你意。无论你钟情哪种甜食,在生日那天吃上一点吧,哪怕最终得自己掏钱买。毕竟,还有哪个日子会让你觉得比在生日犒劳自己更特别呢?
2 仿效自己喜爱的名人那样打扮。如果你一直很崇拜
奥黛丽·赫本或者艾薇儿,化个妆或者做做头发,穿上一套新行头,让自己感觉像喜爱的明星一样吧。或者尝试一些大胆疯狂的主意,塑造一个新形象。拍一些照片纪念这个美好时刻,以便日后回味。
3 为生日那天的自己选择一个岁数,然后全情投入地扮演。比如说你即将迎来20岁生日,但是决定过一个“15岁”的生日,那么就表现得像一个15岁的孩子吧——穿上合适的衣服,怀揣合适的态度,参加合适的活动。或许你也会希望在生日那天尝一下“25岁”或者“10岁”的滋味呢。好好发掘你的新身份,尽情享受个中乐趣——带上一个朋友能给你一点“掩护”(以免吓着他人)哦。
4 吃生日早餐而不是生日晚餐。在附近的餐馆和一群朋友或亲人相聚,给你的生日来一个有趣的开始。带上一些蜡烛,插在一叠薄煎饼而非蛋糕上。也许当服务生发现今天是你的生日的时候,他们还会为你献唱一首生日歌呢!
5 准备一张年度清单,写下一些古灵精怪或者难以找到的礼物,如此一来,当别人问你想要什么生日礼物时,你便可以给他们出难题了。当你有可能从一个喜欢网购的朋友那里收到一枚有500年历史的收藏硬币时,又何必纠结于生日卡呢?这张清单可以防止你忘记自己在这一年中随时想到的鬼主意哦。
6 举行一个非比寻常的庆祝活动。忘掉平凡的生日派对和传统游戏吧,尝试一些不一样的点子——比如到别人家过夜、参加薄饼派对或者巧克力甜品派对等。策划一个意想不到的特别聚会,让每一个人都为这一天的来临而急不可待,并且在聚会过后快乐地奔走相告。
生日应当是充满意义的快乐时光。和你在乎的人们一起制造新的回忆,带上相机记录这一切吧。收集生日的点点滴滴记录到日志或相册里,留待往后慢慢回味。