4.8 Finding joy in the ordinary 在平凡中找寻快乐

There I was on a beautiful Sunday morning, sitting in church and only halfway¹ listening as Pastor² Merritt talked about finding joy in our everyday lives. A nice idea, sure, but according to the mental list I was making, I would have to schedule joy for another day. I just had too much to do.

There was laundry and cleaning house and oh yeah, the fridge was looking pretty empty. Better hit Trader Joe's. And then my brain fast-forwarded to Monday and I started thinking about my work projects. There was the program guide to edit, the newsletter to write. Maybe after I completed my home errands, I'd log on the computer and get a jump on tomorrow's tasks.

But first, on my way home, I stopped at Borders to use the gift certificate that was burning a hole in my pocket. And that's when I came upon an unexpected snippet of joy: a CD remind of my childhood. The definitive⁴ collection of Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass⁵.

It would be nice revisiting these lost songs from my childhood, many for the first time in decades.

Each song reminded me of simpler times, when weekends weren't so hurried and demanding. There were no computers, cell phones, iPods or BlackBerrys to distract, interrupt, isolate⁶, or intrude⁷. There weren't a thousand TV channels to mindlessly surf through. Back then there were just a few, maybe five or six. And if there wasn't anything interesting to watch, we'd turn off the TV and visit friends. Play games, read books or pursue hobbies. We'd relax and listen to the radio or albums, like Herb.

Ah, but that was then. With today's frenzied⁸ pace, every spare moment is utilized⁹ to meet pressing demands and high expectations, I could only hope to enjoy snippets of Herb squeezed in between the hum of the vacuum cleaner or din³ of the dishwasher. Maybe while I finished reports, cleaned the birdcage, organized files, or checked emails.

Life today deemed that every little action have a definitive goal, objective, purpose. I had become too ensconced in the quagmire¹⁰ of life to find time for simple pleasures anymore.

Suddenly, tackling that mental list I made at church didn't feel so urgent. Instead, I took out my grandma's green Fiesta Ware¹¹ mixing bowl, the one that reminds me of her. Baking sounded better. Afterwards, I'd stretch across the sofa and bask¹² in a pool of sunshine while reading the Sunday paper from start to finish, with my dog by my side and Herb on the stereo. And on this simple, ordinary day, I found joy.

1 halfway   

adj.中途的，不彻底的，部分的；adv.半路地，在中途，在半途

参考例句：

• We had got only halfway when it began to get dark.走到半路，天就黑了。
• In study the worst danger is give up halfway.在学习上，最忌讳的是有始无终。

2 pastor   

n.牧师，牧人

参考例句：

• He was the son of a poor pastor.他是一个穷牧师的儿子。
• We have no pastor at present:the church is run by five deacons.我们目前没有牧师：教会的事是由五位执事管理的。

3 din   

n.喧闹声，嘈杂声

参考例句：

• The bustle and din gradually faded to silence as night advanced.随着夜越来越深，喧闹声逐渐沉寂。
• They tried to make themselves heard over the din of the crowd.他们力图让自己的声音盖过人群的喧闹声。

4 definitive   

adj.确切的，权威性的；最后的，决定性的

参考例句：

• This book is the definitive guide to world cuisine.这本书是世界美食的权威指南。
• No one has come up with a definitive answer as to why this should be so.至于为什么该这样，还没有人给出明确的答复。

5 brass   

n.黄铜；黄铜器，铜管乐器

参考例句：

• Many of the workers play in the factory's brass band.许多工人都在工厂铜管乐队中演奏。
• Brass is formed by the fusion of copper and zinc.黄铜是通过铜和锌的熔合而成的。

6 isolate   

vt.使孤立，隔离

参考例句：

• Do not isolate yourself from others.不要把自己孤立起来。
• We should never isolate ourselves from the masses.我们永远不能脱离群众。

7 intrude   

vi.闯入；侵入；打扰，侵扰

参考例句：

• I do not want to intrude if you are busy.如果你忙我就不打扰你了。
• I don't want to intrude on your meeting.我不想打扰你们的会议。

8 frenzied   

a.激怒的；疯狂的

参考例句：

• Will this push him too far and lead to a frenzied attack? 这会不会逼他太甚，导致他进行疯狂的进攻？
• Two teenagers carried out a frenzied attack on a local shopkeeper. 两名十几岁的少年对当地的一个店主进行了疯狂的袭击。

9 utilized   

v.利用，使用( utilize的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• In the19th century waterpower was widely utilized to generate electricity. 在19世纪人们大规模使用水力来发电。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The empty building can be utilized for city storage. 可以利用那栋空建筑物作城市的仓库。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 quagmire   

n.沼地

参考例句：

• On their way was a quagmire which was difficult to get over.路上他俩遇到了—个泥坑,很难过得去。
• Rain had turned the grass into a quagmire.大雨使草地变得一片泥泞。

11 ware   

n.(常用复数)商品，货物

参考例句：

• The shop sells a great variety of porcelain ware.这家店铺出售品种繁多的瓷器。
• Good ware will never want a chapman.好货不须叫卖。

12 bask   

vt.取暖，晒太阳，沐浴于

参考例句：

• Turtles like to bask in the sun.海龟喜欢曝于阳光中。
• In winter afternoons,he likes to bask in the sun in his courtyard.冬日的午后，他喜欢坐在院子晒太阳。