英語美文:內心的小孩 會越長越小

I was about to shave this morning
今天早上，我正準備刮鬍子的時候
when I caught my reflection in the mirror.
忽然注意到鏡子裏自己的影像
There was no doubt about it.
再也沒有任何疑問
My body was growing older.
我的身體在慢慢變老
My formerly thick hair
從前濃密的頭髮
which used to be brown with a touch of gray
曾經是棕色，其中摻雜着一點灰色
was now gray with a touch of brown.
如今已經全然灰白，只剩下一點棕色
It was hard to see on top too
看到自己的發頂，心情更加難過
with so little of it left there.
那裏如今只剩下一點點頭髮
My forehead wrinkles
我的擡頭紋
had become permanent
已經深深的印刻到了皮膚裏
and when I smiled
微笑的時候
a hundred more curled up around my eyes and mouth.
眼角和嘴角又多了百條皺紋
I thought about letting my beard grow for a second
有一瞬間，我想了想要不要把鬍子蓄起來
but didn’t really want to look like Santa Claus.
但我不希望自己看起來像聖誕老人
When I stepped back
我從鏡子前轉身
I could see
我可以覺察到
I had gotten chunkier as well
自己的身材也更圓潤了
Because
因爲
while my metabolism had slowed
我的新陳代謝減慢了
my eating hadn’t.
飲食習慣卻還保持原狀
My muscles also tended to be achier
我的肌肉痠痛加劇了
and my body creakier.
身體越發脆弱不堪
And the file clerk in my mind
我腦海中的檔案管理員
seemed to be misplacing things a lot more often.
把資料放錯位置的次數更多了
I was even thinking of
我甚至想着
writing stuff down more
多寫些小字條
so I could remember
這樣我就可以記起
what I came into a room for.
自己來到房間裏是爲了什麼
In spite of it all,
儘管如此
though,
不過
when I looked in the mirror again
當我再看向鏡子裏的自己
I caught a sparkle in my eyes.
我看到了自己眼中的閃光
I smiled
我露出微笑
and felt a joy in my heart.
感到內心的喜悅
I knew that
我知道
no matter what my reflection looked like,
無論我鏡中的又影像看上去如何
my soul was forever young.
我的靈魂永遠年輕
The truth is
事實上
while I have been steadily growing older on the outside
當我外在的軀殼平和的變老
I have for a while now
最近一段時間，其實
been growing younger on the inside.
我的內心一直在變得更加年輕
I can remember
我還記得
how serious, stressed, and worried I was
自己曾多麼嚴陣以待，壓力重重，憂心勞神
in my twenties and thirties.
在我二十至三十歲的時候
I often felt like
我時常感覺到
the weight of the world was on my shoulders.
彷彿整個世界都壓在我的雙肩
Now at fifty three
如今，我已經五十三歲了
my heart feels lighter
我的心卻更加輕盈
and my days look brighter.
我的生活也更加明亮了
I feel like a true “Child” of nature
我感覺自己是大自然的孩子
free to laugh,
可以恣意歡笑
to sing, to dance
歌唱，舞蹈
to love, and to help others do the same.
去愛，去幫助別人成爲和我一樣的人
I worry less
我的煩惱變少了
and smile more.
笑容增多了
I have a lot more faith
我對生活的信心大大增多了
and a lot less fear.
恐懼卻大大減少了
I let my love lead me
我讓愛引導着自己
and face the pains and problems of this world
直面這個世界的苦痛和難題
with the loving-kindness of the next.
用彼岸的愛和善意爲武器
In the end
最終
all of our bodies will wear out and die,
我們都會死去，身體腐朽
but WE won’t.
但我們內在的自己不會
Our young souls will go on forever.
我們年輕的靈魂將長存下去
Spend your days growing younger then.
所以，用你的時間讓自己變得年輕吧
Let the child within you live and love.
讓你內心的小孩快樂的活着，讓他去愛