關於生活的美文
Michael is the kind of guy you love to hate. He is always in a good mood and always has something positive to say. When someone would ask him how he was doing, he would reply, If I were any better, I’d be twins!” He was a natural motivator.
邁克爾是那種你真想恨一恨的傢伙，他總是樂呵呵的，總是說些積極上進的話。如果有人問他近況如何，他會這樣回答：“如果我還能再好，我就成雙胞胎了！”他生來就會讓人積極進取。
If an employee was having a bad day, Michael was there telling the employee how to look on the positive side of the situation. Seeing this style really made me curious, so one day I went up to Michael and asked him, I don't get it. You can't be positive all the time. How do you do it?
如果哪位僱員有天過得很糟糕，邁克爾會告訴他如何看待問題的積極一面。他的這種方式著實讓我好奇，所以有一天我找到邁克爾問：“我真弄不明白。你怎麼能總是那樣積極樂觀？你是如何做到這一點的？”
Michael replied, each morning I wake up and say to myself Mike, you have two choices today. You can choose to be in a good mood or you can choose to be in a bad mood. I choose to be in a good mood. Each time something bad happens, I can choose to be a victim or choose to learn from it. I choose to learn from it. Every time someone comes to me complaining I can choose to accept their complaining or I can point out the positive side of life. I choose the positive side of life.
邁克爾回答說，“每天早晨醒來時我對自己說，‘邁克，今天你有兩種選擇。你可以選擇心情愉快，你也可以選擇心情惡劣。’我選擇心情愉快。每次什麼不愉快的事情發生時，我可以選擇成為一個犧牲品，也可以選擇從中吸取教訓。我選擇從中吸取教訓。每次有什麼人找我來抱怨，我可以選擇接受他們的抱怨，也可以選擇向他指出生活的積極面。我選擇指出生活的積極面。”
Yeah, right. It isn't that easy. I protested.
“是的，不錯。可並不那麼容易呀。”我表示異議。
Yes it is, Michael said. Life is all about choices. When you cut away all the junk, every situation is a choice. You choose how you react to situations. You choose how people will affect your mood. You choose to be in a good mood or bad mood. The bottom line is: It's your choice how you live life. I reflected on what Michael said.
“其實很容易，”邁克爾說。“生活就是選擇。從每一事物剔除一切枝節後剩下的都是一種選擇。你選擇如何應付生活中的種種情形。你選擇他人會怎樣影響你的情緒。你選擇是心情愉快還是心情惡劣。說到底：如何生活是你自己的選擇。”我琢磨著邁克爾的這席話。
美文欣賞:你可以選擇自己想過的生活
Occasionally, life can be undeniably, impossibly difficult. We are faced with challenges and events that can seem overwhelming, life-destroying to the point where it may be hard to decide whether to keep going. But you always have a choice. Jessica Heslop shares her powerful, inspiring journey from the worst times in her life to the new life she has created for herself:
生活有時候困難得難以置信，但又不容置疑。我們面臨的挑戰與困境似乎無法抵禦，試圖毀滅我們生活，甚至使你猶疑是否繼續走下去。但是你總有選擇的餘地。從人生低谷走向新生活的傑西卡·赫斯樂普，在這裡與我們分享她啟迪心靈、充滿震撼力的生活之旅。
In 201X I had the worst year of my life.
201X年是我生活中最艱難的一年。
I worked in a finance job that I hated and I lived in a concrete jungle city with little greenery. I occupied my time with meaningless relationships and spent copious quantities of money on superficialities. I was searching for happiness and had no idea where to find it.
我做著討厭的財務工作，住在難尋綠色的高樓林立的城市。我忙於無意義的交往，在一些膚淺表面的東西上大筆開銷。我尋找快樂，卻又不知道它在哪裡。
Then I fell ill with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) and became virtually bed bound. I had to quit my job and subsequently was left with no income. I lived with my boyfriend of then only 3 months who financially supported me and our relationship was put under great pressure. I eventually regained my physical health, but not long after that I got a call from my family at home to say that my father’s cancer had fiercely progressed and that he had been admitted to a hospice.
然後我患上了慢性疲勞綜合症，幾乎到了臥床不起的地步。我不得不辭掉工作，同時也就斷了財源。我和那時僅相處了3個月的男友住在一起，經濟上完全依賴於他，我們的關係承受著巨大壓力。終於我恢復健康，但不久，我接到家裡的電話，父親的癌症急劇惡化，已經住進了臨終關懷中心。
I left the city and I went home to be with him.
我離開了城市，回家陪父親。
He died 6 months later.
6個月之後，他去世了。
My father was a complete inspiration to me. He was always so strong that, for a minute after he drew his last breath, I honestly thought he would come back to life. I couldn’t believe I would never again cuddle into his big warm chest and feel safe no matter what.
父親的事讓我徹底清醒。他一直很強壯，在他嚥氣之後一分鐘裡，我真的認為，他會活過來。我不能相信，我再也不能依偎在他溫暖的懷抱裡，享受他寬大的胸懷帶給我的安全感。
The grief that followed was intense for all of us 5 children and our mother, but we had each other.
母親和我們5個兄弟姐妹極為難過，但至少我們還擁有彼此。
But my oldest sister at that time complained of a bad back. It got so bad after 2 months that she too was admitted to hospital.
但是，那時我大姐開始抱怨著背痛，2個月後，因疼痛加劇也住進了醫院。
They discovered that she had highly advanced cancer in her bones and that there was nothing that they could do.
醫生們檢查發現，她已是骨癌晚期，對此他們已無能為力。
She died 1 month later.
1個月之後，她也走了。
I could never put into words the loss of my sister in my life.
大姐的逝去讓我陷入難以形容的痛苦之中。
She was a walking, talking angel and my favourite person in the whole world. If someone could have asked me the worst thing that could ever happen, it would have been losing her.
在這個世界上，她是一個能走路、會說話的`天使，我最喜歡的人。如果有人問我，世界上發生的最壞的事情是什麼，那就是失去她。
She was my soul-mate and I never thought I would journey this lifetime without her.
她是我的靈魂伴侶，我從來沒有想過，我會走過沒有她陪伴的生命旅程。
The shock and extreme heart break brought me to my knees. The pain was so great and my world just looked desolate. I had no real home, no money, no job, and no friends that cared. Not one person had even sent me a sympathy card for my loss.
我被打擊和極度的心痛擊挎了。強烈的痛苦使世界在我眼中變得如此淒涼。我沒有真正意義上的家，沒有錢，沒有工作，也沒有關心我的朋友。沒有一個人因我失去親人而寄給我慰問卡。
I made an attempt of my own life and I ended up in hospital.
我嘗試著活下去，結果住進了醫院。
I remember lying in the hospital bed, looking up at the ceiling and seeing my sister’s beautiful face. She stayed with me all night long.
我記得，躺在病床上，看著天花板，看到姐姐美麗的面龐。她整夜守候著我。
I realised during that night that I had a choice. I could choose to end my life or I could choose to live it.
那天晚上，我意識到我可以選擇。要麼結束生命，要麼活下去。
I looked in my sister’s eyes and I made a decision not to go with her just yet. That I would stay and complete my journey here.
望著姐姐的眼睛，我決定不跟她走。我要留下來，走完我的生命旅程。
I also made the decision that, I wouldn’t just live any life. I would live the life that I absolutely LOVE and nothing less.
同時，我還決定，不只為生活而生活，我要完全以自己想要的方式生活。
In that moment, the clarity that descended around me was like a light shining in a dark room for the first time. As if the earth’s plates had shifted under my feet and everything suddenly looked real for the first time.
在那一刻，這一想法第一次清晰得如同一盞在黑暗閃爍的明燈。好像腳下的地球版塊變換了，每一樣東西在我眼前都真實得前所未有。
We often close ourselves off when traumatic events happen in our lives; instead of letting the world soften us, we let it drive us deeper into ourselves. We try to deflect the hurt and pain by pretending it doesn’t exist, but although we can try this all we want, in the end, we can’t hide from ourselves. We need to learn to open our hearts to the potentials of life and let the world soften us.
生活發生不幸時，我們常常會關上心門；世界不僅沒能慰藉我們，反倒使我們更加消沉。我們假裝一切彷彿都不曾發生，以此試圖忘卻傷痛，可就算隱藏得再好，最終也還是騙不了自己。既然如此，何不嘗試開啟心門，擁抱生活中的各種可能，讓世界感化我們呢？
Whenever we start to let our fears and seriousness get the best of us, we should take a step back and re-evaluate our behavior. The items listed below are six ways you can open your heart more fully and completely.
當恐懼與焦慮來襲時，我們應該退後一步，重新反思自己的言行。下面六個方法有助於你更完滿透徹地敞開心扉。