Relish the Moment 擁抱此刻的陽光

Relish the Moment　擁抱此刻的陽光

◎ Robert J. Hastings

Tucked away in our subconscious is an idyllic vision. We see ourselves on a long trip that spans the continent. We are traveling by train. Out the windows, we drink in the passing scene of cars on nearby highways, of children waving at a crossing, of cattle grazing on a distant hillside, of smoke pouring from a power plant, of row upon row of corn and wheat, of flatlands and valleys, of mountains and rolling hillsides, of city skylines and village halls.
But uppermost in our minds is the final destination. On a certain day at a certain hour, we will pull into the station. Bands will be playing and flags waving. Once we get there, so many wonderful dreams will come true and the pieces of our lives will fit together like a completed jigsaw puzzle. How restlessly we pace the aisles, damning the minutes for loitering—waiting, waiting, waiting for the station.
“When we reach the station that will be it!” We cry. “When I’m 18.” “When I buy a new 450SL Mercedes Benz!” “When I put the last kid through college.” “When I have paid off the mortgage!” “When I get a promotion.” “When I reach the age of retirement, I shall live happily ever after!”
Sooner or later, we must realize there is no station, no one place to arrive at once and for all. The true joy of life is the trip. The station is only a dream. It constantly outdistances us.
“Relish the moment” is a good motto, especially when coupled with Psalm 118: 24 “This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.” It isn’t the burdens of today that drive men mad. It is the regrets over yesterday and the fear of tomorrow. Regret and fear are twin thieves who rob us of today.
So stop pacing the aisles and counting the miles. In stead, climb more mountains, eat more ice cream, go barefoot more often, swim more rivers, watch more sunsets, laugh more, cry less. Life must be lived as we go along. The station will come soon enough.


在我們的潛意識深處，總藏著一片夢幻的美麗風(fēng)景。我們仿佛身處一次橫跨大陸的漫漫旅行之中。乘著火車，我們領(lǐng)略著窗外流動的景色：附近高速公路上奔馳的汽車、十字路口處揮手的孩童、遠(yuǎn)山上吃草的牛群、發(fā)電站里冒出的滾滾煙塵、一排排的玉米和小麥地、平原與山谷、群山與綿延的丘陵、天空映襯下城市的輪廓，以及鄉(xiāng)間的村莊宅邸。
但是我們心里想得最多的還是最終目的地。在某一天的某一時(shí)刻，我們將會抵達(dá)站點(diǎn)。迎接我們的將是樂隊(duì)和飄舞的彩旗。一旦到了那兒，多少美夢將成為現(xiàn)實(shí)，我們的生活的碎片也將拼合在一起，像一塊七巧板?？墒俏覀冊谶^道里焦急地踱來踱去，咒罵火車的拖拖拉拉。我們分分鐘等待著，等待著，等待火車進(jìn)站。
“當(dāng)我們到站的時(shí)候，一切就都好了！”我們哭喊著。“當(dāng)我18歲的時(shí)候。”“當(dāng)我買了一輛新450SL奔馳的時(shí)候！”“當(dāng)我供最小的孩子讀完大學(xué)的時(shí)候。”“當(dāng)我還清了貸款的時(shí)候！”“當(dāng)我得到了晉升的時(shí)候。”“當(dāng)我到了退休的年齡，我就會永遠(yuǎn)幸福快樂地生活下去！”
然而，或早或晚，我們終會認(rèn)識到人生的旅途沒有終點(diǎn)站，沒有能夠“一勞永逸”的地方。生活的真正樂趣在于旅行的過程。終點(diǎn)站只是一個(gè)夢想。它始終在我們的前方。
“品味現(xiàn)在”是句很好的箴言，尤其是加上《圣經(jīng)·詩篇》中第118章24節(jié)的一段話則更顯得特別：“今日為耶和華所創(chuàng)造；我們?yōu)榛钤诮袢斩鴼g欣雀躍。”真正令人沮喪的不是今日的負(fù)擔(dān)，而是對昨日的悔恨及對明日的恐懼。悔恨與恐懼是一對孿生竊賊，將今天從你我身邊偷走。
那么就不要在過道里徘徊吧，別老惦記著你離車站還有多遠(yuǎn)。何不換一種活法，攀爬更多的高山，多吃點(diǎn)兒冰淇淋甜甜嘴巴，經(jīng)常光著腳板兒溜達(dá)，在更多的河流里暢游，多看看夕陽西下，多點(diǎn)歡笑哈哈，少讓淚水滴答！生活得一邊過一邊瞧。車站就會很快到達(dá)！