Lifeisado-it-yourselfproject
TheBestTimeOfMyLife一生中最美好的時光
ItwasJune15,andintwodaysIwouldbeturningthirty.Iwasinsecureaboutenteringanewdecadeofmylifeandfearedthatmybestyearswerenowbehindme.
Mydailyroutineincludedgoingtothegymforaworkoutbeforegoingtowork.EverymorningIwouldseemyfriendNicholasatthegym.Hewasseventy-nineyearsoldandinterrificshape.AsIgreetedNicholasonthisparticularday,henoticedIwasn'tfullofmyusualvitalityandaskediftherewasanythingwrong.ItoldhimIwasfeelinganxiousaboutturningthirty.IwonderedhowIwouldlookbackonmylifeonceIreachedNicholas'sage,soIaskedhim,"Whatwasthebesttimeofyourlife?"
Withouthesitation,Nicholasreplied,"Well,Joe,thisismyphilosophicalanswertoyourphilosophicalquestion."
"WhenIwasachildinAustriaandeverythingwastakencareofformeandIwasnurturedbymyparentsthatwerethebesttimeofmylife.
「WhenIwasgoingtoschoolandlearningthethingsIknowtoday,thatwasthebesttimeofmylife.
「WhenIgotmyfirstjobandhadresponsibilitiesandgotpaidformyeffortthatwasthebesttimeofmylife.
「WhenImetmywifeandfellinlove,thatwasthebesttimeofmylife.
「TheSecondWorldWarcame,andmywifeandIhadtofleeAustriatosaveourlives.WhenweweretogetherandsafeonashipboundforNorthAmericathatwasthebesttimeofmylife.
「WhenwecametoCanadaandstartedafamily,thatwasthebesttimeofmylife.
「WhenIwasayoungfather,watchingmychildrengrowup,thatwasthebesttimeofmylife.
「Andnow,Joe,Iamseventy-nineyearsold.Ihavemyhealth,IfeelgoodandIaminlovewithmywifejustasIwaswhenwefirstmet.Thisisthebesttimeofmylife."
那天是6月15日，再過兩天我就要30歲了。要進入生命中又一個新的十年，我對此感到忐忑不安，擔心自己最美好的歲月已經離我遠去了。
我每日上班前都去體育館鍛煉一陣。每天早上我都會在體育館見到我的朋友尼古拉斯。他79歲，身材棒極了。那天我跟他打招呼時，他注意到我不像往常那樣充滿活力，便問我有什麼不對勁。我告訴他自己就要30歲了，心裡很擔憂。不知道我要是到了尼古拉斯的歲數會怎麼回顧自己的一生，於是我問他：「你一生中最美好的時光是在什麼時候？」
尼古拉斯毫不遲疑地答道：「好吧，喬，以下就是我對於你那富有哲理的問題所作出的富有哲理的回答。
「小時候我在奧地利，一切都被照顧得好好的，我在父母的撫育下成長，那是我一生中最美好的時光。
「上學的時候我學著至今都不忘記的知識，那是我一生中最美好的時光。
「當我找到第一份工作，承擔了工作中的職責並且為自己的努力獲得報酬時，那是我一生中最美好的時光。
「當我遇到我的妻子並墜入愛河時，那是我一生中最美好的時光。
「二次大戰來臨，妻子和我為活命不得不逃離奧地利。當我們一起安安全全地坐上駛往北美洲的輪船時，那是我一生中最美好的時光。
「當我們來到加拿大建立了家庭時，那是一生中最美好的時光。
「當我成了一位年輕的父親，看著自己的孩子一點點地長大時，那是我一生中最美好的時光。
「而現在，喬，我79歲了。我身體健康，感覺很好，而且還和初次相遇時一樣愛我的妻子。這是我一生中最美好的時光。」
APlaceToStand一個人的空間
Ifyouhaveevergonethroughatollbooth,youknowthatyourrelationshiptothepersonintheboothisnotthemostintimateyou』lleverhave.Itisoneoflife』sfrequentnon-encounters:Youhandoversomemoney;youmightgetchange;youdriveoff.Ihavebeenthrougheveryoneofthe17tollboothsontheOakland-SanFranciscoBayBridgeonthousandsofoccasions,andneverhadanexchangeworthrememberingwithanybody.
Lateonemorningin1984,headedforlunchinSanFrancisco,Idrovetowardoneofthebooths.Iheardloudmusic.Itsoundedlikeaparty,oraMichaelJacksonconcert.Ilookedaround.Noothercarswiththeirwindowsopen.Nosoundtrucks.Ilookedatthetollbooth.Insideit,themanwasdancing.
「Whatareyoudoing?」Iasked.
「I』mhavingaparty,」hesaid.
「Whatabouttherestofthesepeople?」Ilookedoveratotherbooths;nothingmovingthere.
「They』renotinvited.」
Ihadadozenotherquestionsforhim,butsomebodyinabighurrytogetsomewherestartedpunchinghishornbehindmeandIdroveoff.ButImadeanotetomyself:Findthisguyagain.There』ssomethinginhiseyethatsaysthere』smagicinhistollbooth.
MonthslaterIdidfindhimagain,stillwiththeloudmusic,stillhavingaparty.
AgainIasked,「Whatareyoudoing?」
Hesaid,「Irememberyoufromthelasttime.I』mstilldancing.I』mhavingthesameparty.」
Isaid,「Look.Whatabouttherestofthepeople」
Hesaid.「Stop.Whatdothoselookliketoyou?」Hepointeddowntherowoftollbooths.
「Theylookliketoolbooths.」
「Noooooimagination！』
Isaid,「Okay,Igiveup.Whatdotheylookliketoyou?」
Hesaid,「Verticalcoffins.」
「Whatareyoutalkingabout?」
「Icanproveit.At8:30everymorning,livepeoplegetin.Thentheydieforeighthours.At4:30,likeLazarusfromthedead,theyreemergeandgohome.Foreighthours,brainisonhold,deadonthejob.Goingthroughthemotions.」
Iwasamazed.Thisguyhaddevelopedaphilosophy,amythologyabouthisjob.Icouldnothelpaskingthenextquestion:「Whyisitdifferentforyou?You』rehavingagoodtime.」
Helookedatme.「Iknewyouweregoingtoaskthat,「hesaid.「I』mgoingtobeadancersomeday.」Hepointedtotheadministrationbuilding.「Mybossesareinthere,andthey』repayingformytraining.」
Sixteenpeopledeadonthejob,andtheseventeenth,inpreciselythesamesituation,figuresoutawaytolive.ThatmanwashavingapartywhereyouandIwouldprobablynotlastthreedays.Theboredom！HeandIdidhavelunchlater,andhesaid,「Idon』tunderstandwhyanybodywouldthinkmyjobisboring.Ihaveacorneroffice,glassonallsides.IcanseetheGoldenGate,SanFrancisco,theBerkeleyhills;halftheWesternworldvacationshereandIjuststrollineverydayandpracticedancing.」
如果你仔細觀察一個收費亭，你就會知道你與亭子裡的這個人關係不是最親密的，這是生命中常常出現的非偶遇者。你遞給他一些錢，或許他還要找你些零錢，然後你開車走了。我仔細觀察過17家收費亭，並在舊金山奧克蘭海灣大橋千百次路過，卻沒有一次找錢值得我記起某個人。