感谢这个世界如此美丽，感谢生命中有你们的陪伴，因为拥有了这些记忆，所以我们的人生才会如此温暖。

凯瑟琳编写的《感谢岁月曾经来过》重点倾诉了对人生、岁月、幸福等主题等的感悟，文字优美温暖，仿佛陈年美酒，一任时光流转，经典依旧不变。

本书非常适合中学生、大学生及对英语学习充满热情、抱有热望的人们来学习英文、欣赏美文。

《感谢岁月曾经来过》为“双语魅力美文(英汉对照)”系列书之一，是由美国学者凯瑟琳女士编著而成。本套丛书，囊括了各种经典哲理美文，内容涉及青春、爱情、理想等不同视角，体裁上也是多种多样，其中有语句优美的散文、感人至深的叙事文、以及权威有力的演讲。整套作品既包含理性的人性思考，又有鲜活生动的感性触摸，令人深思遐想，回味悠长。

《感谢岁月曾经来过》由安徽人民出版社出版发行。

出版说明

译者序

We Had Been Confused Before

我们曾经都是迷茫的小孩

 What Does Little Birdie Say?

 小鸟在说些什么呢？

 Windflowers

 风飞花

 The Loneliness of Personal Growth

 成长的孤独

 A Lesson of Life

 生活的一课

 The Road of Life

 生活之路

 Butterfly Insights

 蝴蝶的见识

 The Brave Breath

 勇敢的气

 Maxims About Determination

 励志格言

 The Road Not Taken

 没有走过的路

 Never Sink Into Blue Days

 不要在忧郁的日子里沉沦

 Six Inches’Fear

 六英尺的恐惧

 Riders on the Earth Together

 我们都是地球的乘客

 Setting Your Heart Free

 放飞你的心情

Do You Have a Confident Jar

你有一只自信的罐子吗

 A Lesson in Life

 人生物语

 Make a Truth of Fright Clearly

 看清恐惧的真相

 The Secret of Success

 成功的秘诀

 The Tips of Success

 成功的技巧

 King John and the Abbot

 国王约翰和修道院长

 Faith

 信念

 The Lecture of Obama’s Success

 奥巴马获胜演讲全文

 A Boy and a Nettle

 男孩和荨麻

 Kangaroos and the Cage

 袋鼠与笼子

 Four Essays About Confidence

 励志短文四则

 The Decoration of the Heart

 心理装潢

 Transforming Obstacles Into Benefits

 化阻力为助力

 The Parable of the Pencil

 铅笔的寓言

Fall in Love With the One That Is Imperfect

爱上不完美的自己

 Love Your Life

 热爱生活

 Do I Need to Like Myself？

 非得喜欢自己吗？

 Although I’m Ugly, I’m Very Proud

 我很丑,但我很自豪

 Follow Your Own Course

 走自己的路

 What a Beautiful Moment

 这美丽的时刻

 True Nobility

 真正的高贵

 The Real Meaning of Peace

 宁静的真谛

 You’re a Beautiful Person

 美丽是你

 A Parrot and a Cat

 鹦鹉和猫

 Pick More Daisies

 多采些雏菊花

 The Ugly: I’m More Charming Than the Beautiful

 丑女:我比美女更有魅力

Holding a Goal Is More Important Than Earning Money

有目标的生活比赚钱更重要

 What Will Matter？

 何为重要？

 Buy an Hour of Your Time

 买一小时的时间

 The“Trophy Kids”Go to Work

 蜜罐里的孩子开始工作了

 Where Are We Heading

 我们前进的方向

 You’re Not Super Rich? You Lucked Out

 不是超级富豪？那你很幸运

 A Clink of Light in Life

 生活的光芒

 On Changes

 论变化

 CEO of the Apple Company

 苹果公司的首席执行官

 The Brick in Your Life

 生活中的“砖头”

 What Is Success

 成功的内涵

 The Value of Time

 时间的价值

 Results And Roses

 硕果和玫瑰

 Leave Time Behind You

 把时间放在身后

 Let Your Mind Wander

 让头脑畅想

 Ted Turner—the Founder of CNN

 CNN的创始人——特德·特纳

There Must Be a Person Who Most Loves You

这世上一定有个人最爱你

 A Blooming Tree

 一棵开花的树

 The Love of Two Leaves

 两片树叶的爱情

 A Touching Story

 一个感人的故事

 When We Two Parted

 昔日依依别

 Angels Are Always There

 天使一直在你身边

 It Is You I Want

 我爱的人是你

 The Old Man’s Table

 爷爷的饭桌

 Are You God’s Wife

 你是上帝的妻子吗

 Unlighted Candle

 点不亮的蜡烛

 The Salty Coffee

 咸味咖啡

 How I've Been Enriched by Beggars

 乞丐的启示

Learn to Be the Happy

学会做一个幸福的人

 A Moment of Joy

 片刻的欢乐

 Do It as Soon as Possible

 尽快行动起来吧

 A Happy Day Begins With Gratitude

 美好生活，从学会“感激”开始

 Feather in the wind

 风中的羽毛

 Learn to Live in the Present Moment

 活得轻松——在现实中生活

 The Remembrance of Lilacs

 紫丁香的回忆

 Helping Others Is Helping Yourself

 帮助别人就是帮助自己

 Seeking Happiness

 快乐在哪里

 Loss and Gain

 失去和获得

 Simple Ways to Improve My Life

 充实的生活就是简简单单

 God’s Boxes

 上帝的盒子

成长的孤独

TheLoneliness of Personal Growth

We’re like the cream. When the cream rises to the top, it separates itself from the milk. Perhaps that is what the New Age Movement is really all about. We find ourselves lonely at the top. Yes, it is.

It is no different with political enlightenment, spiritual enlightenment, or even becoming enlightened about relating to each other. The more mentally healthy you become, the more spiritual, the more balanced, he wealthier, the more global you become...the more alone you may feel.

Often, we find ourselves unable to find those other rare individuals who are choosing the same path as ours. The path of sloppy and lazy is full of other people to meet and talk to. The path of whiners is full. The path of being safe, generic, and boring is so crowded you almost cannot even move forward. Isn’t that why you left that path? You had a need to move forward, a need for some elbowroom, a need to spread your arms wide, a need to be seen as special, unique, different. The masses may admire you, but they are not going to be able to really relate to you. You will be alone much of the time.

Do not be afraid of the loneliness of enlightenment. Do not force others to agree with you. Simply give your heart and know that you are growing and that they are free to grow or not. It is the nature of the game. We are all free to choose our paths.

我们就像奶油。当奶油浮到顶部的时候，它会和牛奶分离。也许这种现象正像是新世纪运动的写照。我们发现自己飞得越高，就会越感孤独。是的，这就是现实。

不论政治或精神修养的造诣有多深，或者甚至是与他人之间有一种默契的关系，就孤独这一点而言，是没有区别的。你越是拥有健康，越是有理智，精神修养的造诣越深，生活越平衡，越富有，你的名气传播得越广，你也会感觉越孤独。

我们通常很难找到那些选择和我们同路的人们。那条潮湿、慵懒的道路挤满了可以相遇并聊天的人。那条满是牢骚者的道路上也拥挤不堪。那条所谓安全、普通以及枯燥的道路是如此拥挤以至于你无法向前挪步。难道这不正是你离开那条道路的原因吗？你需要向前挪步，需要活动的空间，需要展开你的双臂，需要被认知为特别、有个性、与众不同。万千大众仰慕你，但他们却不可能真正地融入你。大部分的时间，你将是孤独的。

不要害怕因造诣深而产生的孤独感。不必勉强别人赞识你。做你自己，坚定着你自己的成长，别人是否愿意成长就由他们自己决定吧。这就是自然界的规则。我们都有选择自己道路的自由。

生活的一课

A Lesson of Life

“Everything happens for the best,” my mother said whenever I faced disappointment . “If you can carry on, one day something goodwill happen. And you’ll realize that it wouldn’t have happened if not for that previous disappointment. ”

Mother was right, as I discovered after graduating from college in 1932. I had decided to try for a job in radio, then work my way up to sports announcer. I hitchhiked to Chicago and knocked on the door of every station—and got turned down every time.

In one studio, a kind lady told me that big stations couldn’ t risk hiring inexperienced person. “Go out in the sticks and find a small station that’ll give you a chance .”she said.

I thumbed home to Dixon, Illinois. While there was no radio-announcing jobs in Dixon, my father said Montgomery Ward had opened a store and wanted a local athlete to manage its sports department. Since Dixon was where I had played high school football, I applied. The job sounded just right for me. But I wasn’t hired.

My disappointment must have shown. “Everything happens for the best.” Mom reminded me. Dad offered me the car to job hunt. I tried WOC Radio in Davenport, Iowa. The program director, a wonderful Scotsman named Peter MacArthur, told me they had already hired an announcer.

每当我遇到挫折时，母亲就会说：“一切都会好的。如果你坚持下去，总有一天会有好事发生。你会认识到，如果没有以前的挫折就不会有现在的一切。”

母亲是对的，发现这个是在1932 年，我刚从大学毕业。我已决定试着在电台找个事儿做，然后争取做体育节目的播音员。我搭便车到了芝加哥，挨个电台地敲门推销自己——但每次都被拒绝了。在一个播音室里，一位好心的女士告诉我，大的广播电台是不会冒险雇用没经验的新手的。“ 去乡下找一家给你机会的小电台吧。”她说。

我搭车来到我的家乡，那是伊利诺伊州的迪克森。在迪克森当时还没有电台播音员这样的工作，父亲说，蒙哥马利?沃德开了一家新商店，想雇请一个本地的运动员管理店里的体育部。我中学时曾在迪克森打过橄榄球，出于这个原因我去申请了这份工作。工作听起来挺适合我的，但是我没被聘用。

我的沮丧心情一定表现出来了。“一切总会好的。”母亲提醒我说。

爸爸给我买了找工作用的一辆汽车。我试着到爱荷华州达文波特的WOC 电台去求职。那里的电台节目总监是一个很棒的苏格兰人，名叫彼得?麦克阿瑟，他告诉我他们已经雇到播音员了。

As I left his office, my frustration boiled over. I asked a1oud, “How can a fellow get to be a sports announcer if he can’t get a job in a radio station?”

I was waiting for the elevator when I heard MacArthur calling, “What was that you said about sports? Do you know anything about football? ” Then he stood me before a microphone and asked me to broadcast an imaginary game.

On my way home, as I have many times since, I thought of my mother’s words: “If you carry on, one day something good will happen. Something wouldn’t have happened if not for that previous disappointment.”I often wonder what direction my life might have taken if I爷d gotten the job at Montgomery Ward.

  离开他的办公室时，我的挫折感达到了顶点。我大声地说：“一个连在电台都找不到工作的家伙又怎么能成为体育节目的播音员呢？”

等电梯时，我听到麦克阿瑟喊道：“你说什么体育？你懂橄榄球吗？”接着他让我站到麦克风前面，请我解说一场想象中的比赛。

在回家的路上——以后也有很多次的，我思考着母亲的那句话：“如果你坚持下去，总要一天会有好事发生。如果没有以前的挫折，就不会有现在的一切。”我常想，如果当年我得到蒙哥马利?沃德的那份工作，我的人生之路又会怎样走呢？

P6-10

本书为“双语魅力美文(英汉对照)”系列书之一，是由美国学者凯瑟琳女士编著而成。本套丛书，囊括了各种经典哲理美文，内容涉及青春、爱情、理想等不同视角，体裁上也是多种多样，其中有语句优美的散文、感人至深的叙事文、以及权威有力的演讲。整套作品既包含理性的人性思考，又有鲜活生动的感性触摸，令人深思遐想，回味悠长。

一种语言是一个文化的代表，要想理解异国文化，那么首先就要熟悉他们的语言。在翻译本套书的过程中，我深深地感到，书中的每一个字、每一句话，无不清新淡雅，散发着温暖人心的力量。相信每一位读者在阅读本书时，都会感到自己是在品尝浮躁人生里的一杯清茶，在无尽的爱与幸福中聆听智慧与快乐的乐章。我们会发现，生命中的细微感动，始终都在身旁。

另外，我由衷地希望，这套丛书能够为英语学习者们带来一些帮助，无论是英语学习方面的，还是人生启示方面的。

在翻译这套书的过程中，我曾多次与凯瑟琳女士进行交流，她认真细致的态度使我受益颇多，故在此向凯瑟琳女士表示感谢。同时我也要感谢许多老师和朋友们的悉心指点，他们的帮助令我的翻译过程变得非常愉快。因时间和水平有限，书中难免会有错误和疏漏，还望读者批评指正。

译者