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Two friends and I were eating in a restaurant after school, and I happened to ask them what they wanted to become when they grew up.
“I don’t know,” one friend said, shrugging[耸肩] his shoulders.
“What do you mean?” I asked, surprised that he didn’t seem to care. “Haven’t you thought about the future yet?”
“There’s plenty of time to decide later,” the other friend added.
I couldn’t believe how relaxed they were about the future, while I, on the other hand, never stopped worrying about completing tomorrow’s “To Do” list.
Then they asked me what my big plans were.
“Well, I have my life sort of planned out already. You see, I want to become a doctor, so that means college, medical school, and then residency[住院医生实习期]. That’s about another ten years of schooling for me. Later, I want to open my own clinic and probably do some laboratory research.”
In the middle of our conversation, I suddenly remembered all the work waiting for me.
“Oh, no,” I said out loud. “It’s almost six o’clock, and I still have a calculus[微积分学] test tomorrow, an English paper due in a week, and a history presentation[演示] on Friday.”
“Relax,” they said. “Have some fun. This is senior year注.”
Throughout my life, I’ve always lived on schedules[日程计划] and “To Do” lists. Often I feel guilty just sitting around. My motto has always been, “Time is money, so don’t waste it.”
I attend a high school where there’s always a lot of academic[学术的] pressure, so I’ve had to work hard in order to do well and I’ve pushed myself constantly.
Before going to sleep on a school night, I usually remind myself, “Remember to mail out the college applications[申请],” or “Start studying tomorrow for that physics test.”
Other times I get down on[对……产生恶感] myself for things I regret in my past. Sometimes worrying too much just overwhelms[压倒] me and I become unhappy with my life. Last term, for instance, I went out of my mind[发疯] over grades and college applications.
放学后，我和两个朋友到餐厅吃东西，我无意中问起他们长大后想做什么。
“我不知道，”其中一个朋友耸耸肩说道。
“这是什么意思？”我问，他漠不关心的样子让我很惊讶。“你还没为未来做打算吗？”
“以后还有很多时间去决定呢，”另一个朋友说。
我实在难以相信他们可以如此轻松地对待未来，我则正好相反，总是在担心怎样完成明天的“任务”清单。
接着他们问我有什么大计。
“我已经对自己的人生做好了大致规划。你瞧，我想当医生，那就是说我要上大学，念医学院，然后去当实习医生，所以大概还要再读十年书。以后，我想开自己的诊所，或者做些实验研究。”
聊着聊着，我突然记起等着我的功课。
“噢，不，”我大叫道。“差不多6点了，我明天还有一个微积分测验，一周内要完成一篇英语论文，周五还有一个历史科演示呢。”
“放松点，”他们说。“玩一下，这是高中最后一年啊。”
在我的一生中，我总是按计划表和“任务”清单生活。没事闲坐往往会让我产生负疚感。我的座右铭一直是：“时间就是金钱，万万不可浪费。”
我读的那所高中学习压力一直很大，所以我必须努力学习才能取得好成绩，我也会不断敦促自己努力。
在要上学的晚上，我通常在睡觉前提醒自己“记得发送那些大学申请邮件”，或“明天要复习，为物理测验做好准备”。
另外一些时候，我会想起追悔莫及的往事，然后自责起来。有时候过分的担忧会将我压垮，我过得很不开心。比如上个学期，成绩和申请大学这些事几乎让我疯掉。
“What’s wrong?” my friend Tiffany asked one day. “You seem so out of it.”
“Just about everything’s wrong,” I mumbled[含糊地说]. “No matter what I do and how hard I try, my grades are still dropping like a stone.”
“Look,” Tiffany tried to reassure me, “you’re a smart girl and colleges see that. Anyway, you’re going to study harder and do better on the next test.”
“You’re right,” I said after hesitating[犹豫] for a moment. “That’s exactly what I’m going to tell myself.”
But all the memories I have of last term are depressing[抑压的]. I remember very few happy moments because I did not take the time to enjoy life for what it was.
So that’s what I’m trying to do now, since I’ve already been accepted to college and I’ve got a little less stress in my life. Even though many of my friends and I talk about how we can’t wait to go to college and how great it will be to live away from home, when we finally do go away, we’ll realize how much we miss our family, friends, and home.
We’ll remember mom’s chicken with broccoli[花椰菜]. And when we’re bored in college towns, we’ll say, “This city is dead. I wish it were more like New York.”
We’ll long for our youth, just like my grandmother, who always reminds me,“Back when I was young, all the boys would line up just to talk to me. My hair used to be long, black, and pretty. Now I’m old and my hair is all gray and short.”
“怎么了？”我的朋友蒂法尼有一天问我。“你似乎神不守舍。”
“每件事都不顺利，”我喃喃而语。“无论我怎么做，多么努力，我的成绩仍然像自由落体一样下落。”
“看，”蒂法尼试着给我信心，“你是一个聪明的女孩，大学知道的。不管怎样，你会更努力学习，下一次测验会发挥得更好。”
“你是对的，”我犹豫了片刻后说。“我正想对自己这样说。”
然而对我来说，上学期只剩下压抑的回忆。我印象中没有多少快乐的时刻，因为我根本没有花时间去享受生活。
所以这正是我现在要做的事情，因为我已经被大学录取了，压力也减轻了一些。虽然我和很多朋友都在说多么迫不及待地想到大学去、离开自己的家有多么棒，但当我们真的要离开时，我们就会发现自己是多么想念家人、朋友，还有这个家。
我们会想起妈妈的西兰花鸡肉。当我们在念书的城市百无聊赖的时候，我们会说：“这个城市真是死气沉沉，我多希望它像纽约那样啊。”
我们会像奶奶那样期待青春。她总是提醒我：“我年轻的时候，所有男生为了跟我聊天甚至排起队来呢。我以前有一把乌黑亮丽的长头发。现在我老了，头发全都灰了，也变短了。”
I’m not trying to say that we should live life enjoying only what is in the present. It’s important to think about future plans and remember the past. But we should also spend time appreciating what is right before our eyes, since the present is what we have now.
This term I’ve been spending more time with my friends, and I’m happy that I know them so much better now. We go to the movies, eat out, chat, and, most importantly, we enjoy all being there together. A little voice inside my head still warns me about the work I need to do, but I don’t let it overpower[压倒] me anymore.
The other night, a group of friends and I had just finished eating at a great diner in Manhattan and were walking toward the train station. The dark skies were clear, the breezes[微风] felt cool, and all I heard were the muffled[使声音降低] sounds of cars driving past us.
I looked at the tall buildings around us, their glass windows reflecting the neon[霓虹灯] signs in stores. I held my head up high and really took a look at this beautiful city around me—a city I will be leaving in several months for college.
As I stood there enjoying the scenery, all I could think was, “Wow, I haven’t felt so happy in a long time.”
And it was at this moment that I let go of all my worries about g r a d e s , t h e future, and even the sadness of spending four years away from New York. I just brought my body and mind into the present and cherished that moment.
我不是说我们只要懂得享受当下就行了。计划未来、铭记过去也是很重要的。但是我们也应该花点时间去欣赏眼前的事物，因为当下才是我们现在所拥有的。
这个学期，我花了更多时间跟朋友们在一起，我很高兴地发现自己比以前更了解他们了。我们一起去看电影、吃东西、聊天，最重要的是，我们很享受在一起的时间。我的脑中仍然有一个小小的声音在提醒我要做的事情，但我不会再让它主宰我了。
有一晚，我和一帮朋友刚在曼哈顿一间很棒的小餐厅吃完饭，正走在去列车站的路上。夜空清朗无云，凉风阵阵，耳边只有路过车辆朦胧的声音。
我看着周围的高楼大厦，上面的玻璃窗映照着店铺的霓虹灯标志。我高高地抬起头，认真地看了看这个美丽的城市——几个月后，我将要离开这里，步入大学。
我站在那里欣赏风景，心里只有一个念头：“哇，我很久没试过这么快乐了。”
就是在这一刻，我丢开了所有关于成绩和未来的担忧，甚至还有即将离开纽约四年所带来的伤感。我只是全身心地投入到当下，珍惜这一刻。
“I don’t know,” one friend said, shrugging[耸肩] his shoulders.
“What do you mean?” I asked, surprised that he didn’t seem to care. “Haven’t you thought about the future yet?”
“There’s plenty of time to decide later,” the other friend added.
I couldn’t believe how relaxed they were about the future, while I, on the other hand, never stopped worrying about completing tomorrow’s “To Do” list.
Then they asked me what my big plans were.
“Well, I have my life sort of planned out already. You see, I want to become a doctor, so that means college, medical school, and then residency[住院医生实习期]. That’s about another ten years of schooling for me. Later, I want to open my own clinic and probably do some laboratory research.”
In the middle of our conversation, I suddenly remembered all the work waiting for me.
“Oh, no,” I said out loud. “It’s almost six o’clock, and I still have a calculus[微积分学] test tomorrow, an English paper due in a week, and a history presentation[演示] on Friday.”
“Relax,” they said. “Have some fun. This is senior year注.”
Throughout my life, I’ve always lived on schedules[日程计划] and “To Do” lists. Often I feel guilty just sitting around. My motto has always been, “Time is money, so don’t waste it.”
I attend a high school where there’s always a lot of academic[学术的] pressure, so I’ve had to work hard in order to do well and I’ve pushed myself constantly.
Before going to sleep on a school night, I usually remind myself, “Remember to mail out the college applications[申请],” or “Start studying tomorrow for that physics test.”
Other times I get down on[对……产生恶感] myself for things I regret in my past. Sometimes worrying too much just overwhelms[压倒] me and I become unhappy with my life. Last term, for instance, I went out of my mind[发疯] over grades and college applications.
放学后，我和两个朋友到餐厅吃东西，我无意中问起他们长大后想做什么。
“我不知道，”其中一个朋友耸耸肩说道。
“这是什么意思？”我问，他漠不关心的样子让我很惊讶。“你还没为未来做打算吗？”
“以后还有很多时间去决定呢，”另一个朋友说。
我实在难以相信他们可以如此轻松地对待未来，我则正好相反，总是在担心怎样完成明天的“任务”清单。
接着他们问我有什么大计。
“我已经对自己的人生做好了大致规划。你瞧，我想当医生，那就是说我要上大学，念医学院，然后去当实习医生，所以大概还要再读十年书。以后，我想开自己的诊所，或者做些实验研究。”
聊着聊着，我突然记起等着我的功课。
“噢，不，”我大叫道。“差不多6点了，我明天还有一个微积分测验，一周内要完成一篇英语论文，周五还有一个历史科演示呢。”
“放松点，”他们说。“玩一下，这是高中最后一年啊。”
在我的一生中，我总是按计划表和“任务”清单生活。没事闲坐往往会让我产生负疚感。我的座右铭一直是：“时间就是金钱，万万不可浪费。”
我读的那所高中学习压力一直很大，所以我必须努力学习才能取得好成绩，我也会不断敦促自己努力。
在要上学的晚上，我通常在睡觉前提醒自己“记得发送那些大学申请邮件”，或“明天要复习，为物理测验做好准备”。
另外一些时候，我会想起追悔莫及的往事，然后自责起来。有时候过分的担忧会将我压垮，我过得很不开心。比如上个学期，成绩和申请大学这些事几乎让我疯掉。
“What’s wrong?” my friend Tiffany asked one day. “You seem so out of it.”
“Just about everything’s wrong,” I mumbled[含糊地说]. “No matter what I do and how hard I try, my grades are still dropping like a stone.”
“Look,” Tiffany tried to reassure me, “you’re a smart girl and colleges see that. Anyway, you’re going to study harder and do better on the next test.”
“You’re right,” I said after hesitating[犹豫] for a moment. “That’s exactly what I’m going to tell myself.”
But all the memories I have of last term are depressing[抑压的]. I remember very few happy moments because I did not take the time to enjoy life for what it was.
So that’s what I’m trying to do now, since I’ve already been accepted to college and I’ve got a little less stress in my life. Even though many of my friends and I talk about how we can’t wait to go to college and how great it will be to live away from home, when we finally do go away, we’ll realize how much we miss our family, friends, and home.
We’ll remember mom’s chicken with broccoli[花椰菜]. And when we’re bored in college towns, we’ll say, “This city is dead. I wish it were more like New York.”
We’ll long for our youth, just like my grandmother, who always reminds me,“Back when I was young, all the boys would line up just to talk to me. My hair used to be long, black, and pretty. Now I’m old and my hair is all gray and short.”
“怎么了？”我的朋友蒂法尼有一天问我。“你似乎神不守舍。”
“每件事都不顺利，”我喃喃而语。“无论我怎么做，多么努力，我的成绩仍然像自由落体一样下落。”
“看，”蒂法尼试着给我信心，“你是一个聪明的女孩，大学知道的。不管怎样，你会更努力学习，下一次测验会发挥得更好。”
“你是对的，”我犹豫了片刻后说。“我正想对自己这样说。”
然而对我来说，上学期只剩下压抑的回忆。我印象中没有多少快乐的时刻，因为我根本没有花时间去享受生活。
所以这正是我现在要做的事情，因为我已经被大学录取了，压力也减轻了一些。虽然我和很多朋友都在说多么迫不及待地想到大学去、离开自己的家有多么棒，但当我们真的要离开时，我们就会发现自己是多么想念家人、朋友，还有这个家。
我们会想起妈妈的西兰花鸡肉。当我们在念书的城市百无聊赖的时候，我们会说：“这个城市真是死气沉沉，我多希望它像纽约那样啊。”
我们会像奶奶那样期待青春。她总是提醒我：“我年轻的时候，所有男生为了跟我聊天甚至排起队来呢。我以前有一把乌黑亮丽的长头发。现在我老了，头发全都灰了，也变短了。”
I’m not trying to say that we should live life enjoying only what is in the present. It’s important to think about future plans and remember the past. But we should also spend time appreciating what is right before our eyes, since the present is what we have now.
This term I’ve been spending more time with my friends, and I’m happy that I know them so much better now. We go to the movies, eat out, chat, and, most importantly, we enjoy all being there together. A little voice inside my head still warns me about the work I need to do, but I don’t let it overpower[压倒] me anymore.
The other night, a group of friends and I had just finished eating at a great diner in Manhattan and were walking toward the train station. The dark skies were clear, the breezes[微风] felt cool, and all I heard were the muffled[使声音降低] sounds of cars driving past us.
I looked at the tall buildings around us, their glass windows reflecting the neon[霓虹灯] signs in stores. I held my head up high and really took a look at this beautiful city around me—a city I will be leaving in several months for college.
As I stood there enjoying the scenery, all I could think was, “Wow, I haven’t felt so happy in a long time.”
And it was at this moment that I let go of all my worries about g r a d e s , t h e future, and even the sadness of spending four years away from New York. I just brought my body and mind into the present and cherished that moment.
我不是说我们只要懂得享受当下就行了。计划未来、铭记过去也是很重要的。但是我们也应该花点时间去欣赏眼前的事物，因为当下才是我们现在所拥有的。
这个学期，我花了更多时间跟朋友们在一起，我很高兴地发现自己比以前更了解他们了。我们一起去看电影、吃东西、聊天，最重要的是，我们很享受在一起的时间。我的脑中仍然有一个小小的声音在提醒我要做的事情，但我不会再让它主宰我了。
有一晚，我和一帮朋友刚在曼哈顿一间很棒的小餐厅吃完饭，正走在去列车站的路上。夜空清朗无云，凉风阵阵，耳边只有路过车辆朦胧的声音。
我看着周围的高楼大厦，上面的玻璃窗映照着店铺的霓虹灯标志。我高高地抬起头，认真地看了看这个美丽的城市——几个月后，我将要离开这里，步入大学。
我站在那里欣赏风景，心里只有一个念头：“哇，我很久没试过这么快乐了。”
就是在这一刻，我丢开了所有关于成绩和未来的担忧，甚至还有即将离开纽约四年所带来的伤感。我只是全身心地投入到当下，珍惜这一刻。