When I was in my 30’s and newly married,当我刚刚三十岁出头,新婚燕尔
I followed my husband to his native Japan.我随着丈夫去了他的日本老家
His mother lived in a small town婆婆住在一个小镇子里
where a son bringing home his American wife was unheard of.从没有人听说过谁家的儿子带个美国媳妇回来
Japanese households were (in)famous for their myriad of rules.日本人家素来有许多家规,因此臭名远扬
Not only what slippers were for which room不仅有规定,哪双拖鞋只能在哪个房间里穿
– and in which rooms none were allowed -还规定哪个房间不可以穿拖鞋
but also,不仅如此
at mealtime what foods to eat还有吃饭的时间可以吃什么食物
and in which order.按照什么顺序吃
But没想到
my elderly mother-in-law set me at ease at the very first meal,我年老的婆婆从第一餐进门宴就让我放下警惕
announcing warmly to everyone温暖的向每个人宣布
that I could do anything I wished我可以做任何自己想做的事情
because there were no expectations.对我没有任何条条框框
She said it so cheerfully to everyone present,她如此兴高采烈的向在场每个人说明
that they agreed!每个人都同意了!
I never forgot this gift!我从未忘记她送我的这份礼物!
A few years later we moved to Los Angeles.几年之后,我们搬到了洛杉矶
In this new city在这个新城市里
I missed my family on the East Coast so much,我非常想念自己在东海岸的家人
and desperately tried to make friends求友若渴
to ease the loneliness.希望缓解内心的孤独
An elderly neighbor一个年老的邻居
who lived in a cottage behind our apartment住在我家后面的小木屋里
would often say hello to me,经常过来跟我打招呼
and one day有一天
he made a picnic他准备了一份野餐
and invited me and my child to join him!邀请我和孩子们一起加入
He said,他说
“Don’t worry,别担心
I decided I like you!我决定要喜欢你了
You can make any mistake…你可以出任何差错
it’s OK.”没关系的
I never forgot this gift!我从未忘记这份礼物
A few yew years later几年之后
we moved to NYC.我们搬到了纽约
It was wonderful to have visits from my family after so many years!时隔多年,又有了亲朋好友的拜访,真是太好了
We settled down,我们安定下来
our child in kindergarten孩子去了幼儿园
and a new baby just born,还有一个孩子刚刚出生
when I experienced post-partum depression.我得了产后抑郁症
It took a few months,病情持续了几个月
very busy and somehow very sad,十分忙乱,情绪十分低沉
until a healthly balance returned.直到生活恢复到积极的循环
During one especially hard day其中一天我过得特别艰难
I took the baby for a walk我带着婴儿去散步
in the stroller to help him sleep把他放在摇篮车里,想让他尽快入睡
– I knew I had a terribly unhappy expression,我知道自己脸上的表情非常糟糕
but couldn’t pick myself up.却无法让自己振奋起来
Down the sidewalk沿着人行道,
came an elderly gentleman远远的走过来一位老者
who saw me,他看到我
beamed a bright warm smile,脸上洋溢着微笑
and passed on by.接着与我擦肩而过
And I never forgot this gift!我永不会忘记他赠与我的礼物!
This week这一周
I called my adult sons我给两个成年的儿子打了电话
who are doing well他们都还算顺利.
As I walked our dog down the street,我牵着狗穿过街道
hoping I did not appear silly,希望自己脸上没有显露出悲伤
because因为
others I met along the way沿途我遇到的路人
chose to keep a safe distance都选择与旁人保持了安全距离
but forego the mask..但他们还是没有带口罩
an elderly fellow rode a red bike down the road一位老爷爷一路过来,骑着一辆红色的自行车
and sweetly nodded to me带着甜甜的笑向我点头
saying,对我说
“You look lovely dear!”“你看上去真可爱!”
And I will never forget the gift!我将永远不忘这份礼物!