英语PK台 第509期:走心地生活,留些时间给真正热爱的事

 　　Be intentional¹ about how you spend your time

　　爱画画的女孩—走心地活着，在梦想与现实之间好好地支配你的时间

　　Once upon a time, there was a girl who could do anything in the world she wanted. All she had to do was choose something and focus. So one day she sat down in front of a blank canvas and began to paint. Every stroke was more perfect than the next, slowly and gracefully² converging³ to build a flawless masterpiece. And when she eventually finished painting, she stared proudly at her work and smiled.

　　曾经有个女孩，她能够自由地去做世界上任何她想做的事。她只需要选定一件然后专注去做。有一天，她坐在一块空白的画布前，拿起了画笔。每一笔几乎都是完美的，缓慢而优雅地，她画出了一幅无懈可击的经典之作。当她完成这个作品时，她微笑着，自信地打量着自己的作品。

　　It was obvious to the clouds and the stars, who were always watching over her, that she had a gift. She was an artist. And she knew it too. She felt it in every fibre of her being. But a few moments after she finished painting, she got anxious and quickly stood up. Because she realized that while she had the ability to do anything in the world she wanted to do, she was simply spending her time moving paint around on a piece of canvas.

　　那些每天守护她的云朵和星星们知道，她就是一个绘画天才，她是一个艺术家，她也极其明了这就是一个事实，她身体的每一部分都能感同身受。但几个月以后，当她完成绘画作品时，她变得焦虑起来，她急促地站起了身，因为她意识到虽然她能够去做世界上任何她想做的事，此刻她不过是花费着时间在一块画布上摆弄着颜料。

　　She felt like there was so much more in the world to see and do—so many options. And if she ultimately decided⁴ to do something else with her life, then all the time she spent painting would be a waste. So she glanced at her masterpiece one last time, and walked out the door into the moonlight. And as she walked, she thought, and then she walked some more.

　　她感觉世界上实在是有太多的事可做，有太多需要去看去了解——选择是不计其数的。如果她最终决定去从事别的职业，那么这些用来绘画的时间将是一种全然的浪费。于是。她最后一次看了一眼那幅杰作，走出门，走进了月光中。她边走，边想，然后，走出了更远。

　　While she was walking, she didn't notice the clouds and the stars in the sky who were trying to signal her, because she was preoccupied⁵ with an important decision she had to make. She had to choose one thing to do out of all the possibilities in the world. Should she practice medicine? Or design buildings? Or teach children? She was utterly⁶ stumped⁷.

　　当她就这样走着的时候，她没有留意到天空中的云朵和星辰一直在试图唤起她的注意，她整个头脑都在考虑着一个即将要做出的重要的决定。在世界上这不计其数的选择中，她必须选定一件。行医？建筑设计？幼教？她完完全全地陷入了为难中。

　　Twenty-five years later, the girl began to cry. Because she realized she had been walking for so long, and that over the years she had become so enamoured by everything that she could do—the endless array of possibilities—that she hadn't done anything meaningful at all. And she learned, at last, that life isn't about possibility—anything is possible. Life is about making a decision—deciding to do something that moves you.

　　二十五年以后，女孩哭了。她意识到她已经走了太远的路，这些年她一直耽误在那些无所不能的那种可能性中，生活中那些似乎无穷无尽的选择，直至今日，她也没有做出什么更有意义的事。终于，她明白了，生活并不是关于可能性，因为凡事皆有可能。生活是关于做决定，决定去做那些真正能令你走心之事。

　　So the girl, who was no longer a girl, purchased some canvas and paint from a local craft store, drove to a nearby park, and began to paint. One stroke gracefully led into the next just as it had so many moons ago. And as she smiled, she continued painting through the day and into the night. Because she had finally made a decision. And there was still some time left to revel⁸ in the magic that life is all about.

　　于是这个女孩，当然她已经是女人了，在当地的工艺品是按里买了一些画布和颜料，开车到了一个附近的公园，又开始了画画。一笔又一笔精美的描摹，一如多年前她画出杰作时的那样，她日以继夜地画着，久违的微笑又回到了她的脸上。因为已经她终于做出了决定。她还有一些时间来庆祝自己终于发现了生活的奥秘。

　　But, but (there's always a "but") ...There's more to life than just following your passion, right? Absolutely. For instance, not all passions earn an income, at least not in the near-term. And most of us have families to care for, mouths to feed, and bills to pay. So yes, there needs to be more than just passion.

　　但是，但是（嗯。凡事总是有“但是”）…除了追随你的热情之外，生活中还有更多主题，对吗？毫无疑问。比如，不是所有的激情与爱好都能谋生，至少，不是短期内就见效，能挣得一些好收入。我们大多数人都有家要养，有实实在在生活要去应付。所以，是的，除了梦想之外，确实需要考量更多。

　　But there ALSO needs to be some passion too! The key is to realize it doesn't have to be all or nothing. This story isn't about following your passion into a hole of debt, it's about NOT pushing your passion off into an abyss of unhappiness.

　　但同时，梦想也还是必不可少的！实现这梦想的关键并不必须得是梦想要么全有要么全无。这个故事并不是要你只顾追随梦想的激情直到生活得负债累累，而是在于不要把梦想直接推入那个令人不快乐的深渊中。

　　When you discover something that nourishes your soul and brings you joy and excitement—something that truly matters to you—care enough about yourself to make room for it in your life, even if you can only spare a little time on the side. And if you find that you don't have any time at all for what matters to you, stop doing things that don't...like watching another TV program or getting lost stalking people on social media.

　　当你在生命中找寻到一些能够滋养你灵魂，给你带来愉悦与激情的事，那些东西对你而言是真正重要的，不妨为自己着想一下，留点时间来做它们吧，哪怕只是挤出那么一丁点时间。如果你发现你生活过于繁忙以至于根本不可能留出时间给它们，那么不如停止做那些不能（让你真正获取营养的事）……比如再看一期电视节目，或者在社交网络上流连忘返…

1 intentional   

adj.故意的，有意（识）的

参考例句：

• Let me assure you that it was not intentional.我向你保证那不是故意的。
• His insult was intentional.他的侮辱是有意的。

2 gracefully   

ad.大大方方地；优美地

参考例句：

• She sank gracefully down onto a cushion at his feet. 她优雅地坐到他脚旁的垫子上。
• The new coats blouse gracefully above the hip line. 新外套在臀围线上优美地打着褶皱。

3 converging   

adj.收敛[缩]的，会聚的，趋同的v.（线条、运动的物体等）会于一点( converge的现在分词 )；（趋于）相似或相同；人或车辆汇集；聚集

参考例句：

• Plants had gradually evolved along diverging and converging pathways. 植物是沿着趋异和趋同两种途径逐渐演化的。 来自辞典例句
• This very slowly converging series was known to Leibniz in 1674. 这个收敛很慢的级数是莱布尼茨在1674年得到的。 来自辞典例句

4 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

5 preoccupied   

adj.全神贯注的，入神的；被抢先占有的；心事重重的v.占据（某人）思想，使对…全神贯注，使专心于( preoccupy的过去式)

参考例句：

• He was too preoccupied with his own thoughts to notice anything wrong. 他只顾想着心事，没注意到有什么不对。
• The question of going to the Mount Tai preoccupied his mind. 去游泰山的问题盘踞在他心头。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 utterly   

adv.完全地，绝对地

参考例句：

• Utterly devoted to the people,he gave his life in saving his patients.他忠于人民，把毕生精力用于挽救患者的生命。
• I was utterly ravished by the way she smiled.她的微笑使我完全陶醉了。

7 stumped   

僵直地行走，跺步行走( stump的过去式和过去分词 )； 把（某人）难住； 使为难； （选举前）在某一地区作政治性巡回演说

参考例句：

• Jack huffed himself up and stumped out of the room. 杰克气喘吁吁地干完活，然后很艰难地走出房间。
• He was stumped by the questions and remained tongue-tied for a good while. 他被问得张口结舌，半天说不出话来。

8 revel   

vi.狂欢作乐，陶醉；n.作乐，狂欢

参考例句：

• She seems to revel in annoying her parents.她似乎以惹父母生气为乐。
• The children revel in country life.孩子们特别喜欢乡村生活。