双语阅读：若干年后，你会发现现在辛苦的每一天都是值得的

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My brother-in-law opened the bottom drawer of my sister's bureau and lifted out a tissue-wrapped package. "This," he said, "is not a slip. This is lingerie." He discarded the tissue and handed me the slip.

妹夫打开了妹妹衣柜的底层抽屉，取出一个纸包裹的包裹。 “这，”他说，不是普通的乡村裙裤，而是一件非常精致的内衣。 “他把薄纸撕开，递给我内衣。

It was exquisite, silk, handmade and trimmed with a cobweb of lace. The price tag with an astronomical figure on it was still attached.

它确实非常精致，柔滑，完全手工缝制，并且周围环绕着一圈网眼花边。价格标签尚未被移除，并且价格上的数字惊人地高。

Jan bought this the first time we went to New York, at least 8 or 9 years ago. She never wore it. She was saving it for a special occasion.

“这是我们第一次去纽约，至少在八，九年前，简买了它。她从未戴过它。她保留着它，想在特殊的日子戴它。”

Well, I guess this is the occasion.

唉，我想现在便是那特殊的日子了。

He took the slip from me and put it on the bed, with the other clothes we were taking to the mortician. His hands lingered on the soft material for a moment, then he slammed the drawer shut and turned to me,"Don't ever save anything for a special occasion. Every day you're alive is a special occasion."

我的姐夫从我手上拿走了内衣，并将其与我们要带给to仪服务人员的其他衣服一起放在床上。他的手在柔软的织物上徘徊了一会儿，然后猛然关上了抽屉，转过身对我说：“在特殊的日子里绝对不要留下任何东西。每天的生活都是特别的日子。”

I remembered those words through the funeral and the days that followed when I helped him and my niece attend to all the sad chores that follow an unexpected death. I thought about them on the plane returning to California from the mid-western town where my sister's family lives. I thought about all the things that she hadn't seen or heard or done. I thought about the things that she had done without realizing that they were special.

在我的姐姐和妹妹侄女在葬礼上意外去世后，我帮助姐夫和侄女处理悲伤的几天里，我牢记着这些话。当我从中西部姐姐的小镇回到加利福尼亚时，我还在想这些话。我考虑我姐姐没有看到，听到或做的事情。我在想她所做的事情，但没有意识到它的特殊性。

I'm still thinking about his words, and they've changed the weeds in the garden. I'm spending more time with ray family and friends and less time in committee meetings. Whenever possible, life should be a pattern of experience to savour, not endure. I'm trying to recognize these moments now and cherish them.

我仍然想起我姐夫所说的话，是他们改变了我花园里的杂草。我与家人和朋友在一起的时间更多，而在委员会会议上的时间更少。无论何时，生活都应该是一种“品味”而不是“耐力”。我试图珍惜每一刻，珍惜每一刻。

I'm not "saving" anything; we use our good china and crystal for every special event such as losing a pound, getting the sink unstopped, the first camellia blossom... I wear my good blazer to the market if I feel like it. My theory is if I look prosperous, I can shell out $28.49 for one small bag of groceries without wincing. I'm not saving my good perfume for special parties; clerks in hardware stores and tellers in banks have noses that function as well as my party-going friends.

我不再“珍惜”任何东西；只要有一件特别的事情，例如，当失去一磅的重量，厨房的水槽堵塞，放置第一个山茶花时……我们将使用精致的免费软件和水晶产品。如果要穿，我会穿上高质量的运动服，并配上鲜艳的颜色，然后去市场购物。我的理论是：如果我看起来很富裕，我可以花28.49美元买一袋食品而不会退缩。我不再将我最好的香水用于特殊聚会。五金店的销售人员和银行出纳员的嗅觉没有聚会上的朋友差。

"Someday" and "one of these days" are losing their grip on my vocabulary. If it's worth seeing or hearing or doing, I want to see and hear and do it now. I'm not sure what my sister would've done had she known that she wouldn't be here for the tomorrow we all take for granted.

诸如“某天”和“某天”之类的词从我的词汇中消失了。如果值得一看，听一听或做一件事，我将立即看到，听见并做。我们始终认为我们必须拥有明天是理所当然的。我不知道如果我姐姐知道她没有明天，她会怎么做。

I think she would have called family members and a few close friends. She might have called a few former friends to apologize, and mend fences for past squabbles. I like to think she would have gone out for a Chinese dinner, her favorite food. I'm guessing. I'll never know.

我想她会给家人和一些亲密的朋友打电话。她还可以打电话给几个以前的朋友道歉，放弃先前的怀疑并和解。我想她可能会去中餐，这是她的最爱。我只是猜想而已。我永远不会知道。

It's those little things left undone that would make me angry if I knew that my hours were limited. Angry because I put off seeing good friends whom I was going to get in touch with someday. Angry because I hadn't written certain letters that I intended to write one of these days. Angry and sorry that I didn't tell my husband and daughter often enough how much I truly love them.

如果我知道我的时间不多了，那些我没时间做的小事会让我生气。烦人的是因为我一直没能见到“有一天”会在那里的朋友。烦恼是因为我还没有写过我有一天会写的信。激怒和遗憾是因为我无法经常告诉我的丈夫和女儿：我有多爱他们。

I'm trying very hard not to put off, hold back, or save anything that would add laughter and luster to our lives. And every morning when I open my eyes, I tell myself that every day, every minute, every breath truly, is... a gift from God.

我正在努力不拖延，保留或珍惜可能给我们的生活带来欢笑和光彩的事物。每天早晨，当我睁开眼睛，我告诉自己，每一天，每一分钟，每一刻都是……来自上帝的礼物。