英语美文：A Happy Day 快乐的一天

 I woke up one morning and seriously thought: What’s stopping me from becoming one of those happy people？ What would it take for me to be the kind of person who is just plain happy all the time？I looked back on a happy day to see where my mind was. What stood out was intriguing,two key elements that permeated¹ every aspect of my elation²: trusting in myself and accepting things as they were.

　　I trusted myself to handle whatever problems came along. I was confident in my willingness and ability to do what needed to be done. I felt ready to act, because I didn’t feel the pull of any diversion. I was poised³ to respond to the demands of daily life. My motivation was, in essence, focused on the present moment. As a result, I knew I would not let myself down. I knew I would do my best to get through the day, bills, phone calls, chores and all. This meant that I had nothing to worry about. What a relief！

　　I accepted the day. I accepted that I wouldn’t be sitting on the beach reading my favorite book. No, that’s a mom’s dream rarely fulfilled, but on a happy day, I didn’t yearn⁴ for it. Instead, I felt completely okay with the fact that my day would be spent“working.” With that, it didn’t seem like work anymore. I also accepted the moment, thinking less about where I was trying to go, what future I was trying to build. Instead, I say, this is my life right now. That’s all there is to it.

　　I also accepted myself. No internal criticism,because who else in the world thinks so much about my failings and embarrassments⁵ other than myself？ If no one else is sitting around all day thinking about the dumb things I’ve done, why should I？ Ever meet someone who’s not perfect？Did you condemn⁶ them？ Run them out of town？ No, you accepted them. That’s the way people are. So, I accepted myself in this same way.

　　On a happy day, I wasn’t trying to do these things. For some reason, I just did them.The net result was a kind of relaxation⁷ that only arises when your mind is right where you are and your actions are in perfect alignment⁸ with your motivations. To find those days again, I imagine that I am one of those happy people. A happy day, I’m finding, is not one marked by happy things to do, but by a happy way of seeing things. （摘自2009年4月《英语沙龙》）

一天早上我醒来，认真地思考着：是什么阻止我成为乐天派中的一员呢？什么才能让我成为那种总是心情愉快的人？我回想快乐的一天，以此审视我当时的想法。那些想起来的东西非常有趣，有两个关键因素影响了我欣喜的各个方面：相信自己和顺其自然。

　　我相信自己能应对任何发生的问题，我相信我的意愿和能力可以承担任何任务。我觉得我总是做好了准备，因为我感觉不到有什么东西可以分散我的精力。我随时准备好应对日常生活中的各种要求。实质上，我将自己的兴趣集中在此时此刻。这样，我知道我不会让自己失望。我知道我会以最佳状态来度过这一天，应对账单、电话、日常琐事等等。这意味着我没有什么好担心的。这多轻松啊！

　　我接受这一天的实际情况。我接受自己不能坐在海边读我最喜欢的书的事实。不，那是一个母亲很难实现的梦想，但在愉快的一天中，我并没有渴望这样做。相反，我觉得我要“工作”一天也挺好的。这样想，工作似乎就不再像工作了。我还接受了那一刻，不去多想我要去往何方，我想创建一个怎样的未来。相反，我说，此刻这样就是我的生活；生活全都在这里。

　　我同样也接受我自己。不自我责备，因为除了我自己，世界上还有谁对我的失败和窘境想那么多呢？如果没有别的人整天坐在那里想着我做过的蠢事，我为什么又要那样做呢？遇到过不是十全十美的人吧？你责备他们了吗？把他们赶出城了吗？不，你接受了他们。这是人们行为处世的方式。因此，我也以同样的方式对待我自己。

　　在快乐的一天里，我并没有刻意要做这些事情。但出于某种原因，我又做了这些事。最终的结果是，在你全心全意、兴趣和行动完全一致的情况下，你就会有一种轻松感。为了重新找到那些快乐的日子，我把自己想象成那些快乐的人。我发现，快乐的一天，不是一个人做了什么高兴的事情，而是这个人用愉快的方式来看待事情。

1 permeated   

弥漫( permeate的过去式和过去分词 )； 遍布； 渗入； 渗透

参考例句：

• The smell of leather permeated the room. 屋子里弥漫着皮革的气味。
• His public speeches were permeated with hatred of injustice. 在他对民众的演说里，充满了对不公正的愤慨。

2 elation   

n.兴高采烈，洋洋得意

参考例句：

• She showed her elation at having finally achieved her ambition.最终实现了抱负，她显得十分高兴。
• His supporters have reacted to the news with elation.他的支持者听到那条消息后兴高采烈。

3 poised   

a.摆好姿势不动的

参考例句：

• The hawk poised in mid-air ready to swoop. 老鹰在半空中盘旋，准备俯冲。
• Tina was tense, her hand poised over the telephone. 蒂娜心情紧张，手悬在电话机上。

4 yearn   

v.想念；怀念；渴望

参考例句：

• We yearn to surrender our entire being.我们渴望着放纵我们整个的生命。
• Many people living in big cities yearn for an idyllic country life.现在的很多都市人向往那种田园化的生活。

5 embarrassments   

n.尴尬( embarrassment的名词复数 )；难堪；局促不安；令人难堪或耻辱的事

参考例句：

• But there have been many embarrassments along the way. 但是一路走来已经是窘境不断。 来自互联网
• The embarrassments don't stop there. 让人难受的事情还没完。 来自互联网

6 condemn   

vt.谴责，指责；宣判(罪犯)，判刑

参考例句：

• Some praise him,whereas others condemn him.有些人赞扬他，而有些人谴责他。
• We mustn't condemn him on mere suppositions.我们不可全凭臆测来指责他。

7 relaxation   

n.松弛，放松；休息；消遣；娱乐

参考例句：

• The minister has consistently opposed any relaxation in the law.部长一向反对法律上的任何放宽。
• She listens to classical music for relaxation.她听古典音乐放松。

8 alignment   

n.队列；结盟，联合

参考例句：

• The church should have no political alignment.教会不应与政治结盟。
• Britain formed a close alignment with Egypt in the last century.英国在上个世纪与埃及结成了紧密的联盟。