今天在書店翻著王文華新書<開除自己的總經理>，看到一段很喜歡的句子。

Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard;
Live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft.

我喜歡這句話的原因，是當我面對城市的選擇題時，只要把紐約換成台北，把加州換成故鄉，或許這句話就成為了解答。
我想起剛北上工作時給自己打氣的一段話：

在我這樣的年紀地位或背景，並沒有選擇城市的權利，
或許有，或許是我自願放棄。
但無論是朝氣的台北，平板的風城亦或熟悉的港都，
我都必須證明，我可以。

從Google去追本溯源，發現了更棒的原文全文，決定貼上來分享。

原文摘自Chicago Tribune專欄作家 Mary Schmich發表於1997年的散文。Youtube上也有導演Baz Luhrmann拍的MV版本，讓大家可以搭配影像跟音樂服用。無論是畢業生，或是走到人生十字路口的上班族如我，讀到這些簡單幽默又充滿智慧的忠告，或許都會領略在心。

Ladies and Gentlemen of the class of ‘99… wear sunscreen.
If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be IT. The long term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience.

I will dispense this advice now.

一九九年肄業的先生女士們：如果我只能給你們的未來一個建議、

那我的建議是: 多擦防曬油。防曬油的好處已經被科學界所證明、 而我其他的建議也都是根據我自己的經歷而來。我將在此細述這些建議。
Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth. Never mind. You will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they have faded. But trust me, in 20 years you’ll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can’t grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked.

You are NOT as fat as you imagine.

享受青春帶來的活力與美貌； 噢、 當我沒說； 只有當你的青春消逝時才會體會到年輕的可貴。但是、 相信我。 二十年後你回頭翻開相簿、 你將會從不同角度想起往事。 想到當年你的機會無限、 年輕貌美…..

你並不像你想像中的那麼胖

Don’t worry about the future; or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubblegum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind; the kind that blindside you at 4pm on some idle Tuesday.

別擔心未來； 等一下、 還是得擔心。 但你得了解到擔心帶來的成效就像你試著用嚼口香糖來解決代數問題一樣。 真正的麻煩你其實想都想不到、 忽然而來衝擊著你悠閒的下午。

Do one thing every day that scares you.
每天挑戰一件你害怕的事。

Sing.
唱唱歌。

Don’t be reckless with other people’s hearts, don’t put up with people who are reckless with yours.
別粗野的對人、 也別放過粗魯對你的傢伙。

Floss.
請用牙線剔牙。

Don’t waste your time on jealousy; sometimes you’re ahead, sometimes you’re behind. The race is long, and in the end, it’s only with yourself.

別浪費你的時間在忌妒上。 有時你超越人家、 有時你落後、人生競賽是很長的。 到了最後、 你也只有跟自己比。

Remember compliments you receive, forget the insults; if you succeed in doing this, tell me how.
Keep your old love letters, throw away your old bank statements.

記著你獲得的肯定、 忘記那些辱罵。 如果你做得到的話、 請教教我。
留著你的舊情書、 丟掉你的舊銀行結單。

Stretch.
活動你的筋骨。

Don’t feel guilty if you don’t know what you want to do with your life. The most interesting people I know didn’t know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives, some of the most interesting 40 year olds I know still don’t.
別因為不知道將來人生要作啥而抱持罪惡感。 我遇過很多有趣的人二十二歲時都不知道人生往後要作什麼。有些更有趣的人四十歲時還是不知道人生要作什麼。

Get plenty of calcium.
多攝取鈣質。

Be kind to your knees, you’ll miss them when they’re gone.
多照顧自己的膝蓋。 當它們不敷使用時你會想念它們。

Maybe you’ll marry, maybe you won’t, maybe you’ll have children, maybe you won’t, maybe you’ll divorce at 40, maybe you’ll dance the funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary. Whatever you do, don’t congratulate yourself too much or berate yourself, either. Your choices are half chance, so are everybody else’s.

也許你將來會結婚生子、 也許你不會。 也許你在四十歲時離婚、 也許你會在你七十五歲結婚紀念日派對上耍寶。不管怎樣、 別感到太慶幸或太失望。 你的選擇會產生一半的可能性、 別人也是一樣。

Enjoy your body, use it every way you can. Don’t be afraid of it, or what other people think of it, it’s the greatest instrument you’ll ever own.
享受你的身體、 多善用它。 別有所畏懼、 別在乎他人眼光、 因為身體是你所擁有最棒的工具。

Dance. Even if you have nowhere to do it but in your own living room.
跳跳舞、 就算沒地方跳也可以在自己房間跳。

Read the directions, even if you don’t follow them.
請閱讀說明書跟指示牌、 就算你不會去遵守它。

Do NOT read beauty magazines, they will only make you feel ugly.
千萬不要讀時尚雜誌、 那只會讓你覺得自己很醜。

Get to know your parents, you never know when they’ll be gone for good.
試著多了解你的父母、 你不知道哪時他們會離你而去。

Be nice to your siblings; they are your best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future.
對你的兄弟姊妹好一點 。他們最了解你的過去、也最有可能在未來跟你最親近。

Understand that friends come and go, but for the precious few you should hold on. Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography in lifestyle because the older you get, the more you need the people you knew when you were young.

朋友來去無常、 只有一些珍貴的友誼會留下。 你很難在不同地方不同生活方式裡搭起友誼橋樑、 因為活的越老、 越會需要童年時的朋友。

Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard;
Live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft.

去紐約住一陣子、 但在變冷漠前搬走。 去北加州住一陣子、 但在心神鬆懶前搬走。

Travel.
多去旅行。

Accept certain inalienable truths, prices will rise, politicians will philander, you too will get old, and when you do you’ll fantasize that when you were young prices were reasonable, politicians were noble and children respected their elders.
面對一些不變的事實吧！ 物價會上漲、 政客會耍詐、 你會變老。 當你明白這些道理時你將會懷念起從前、當物價還合理時、 政客還老實時、 還有從前的小孩會尊敬老人家時。

Respect your elders.
請尊敬老人家。
Don’t expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund, maybe you’ll have a wealthy spouse; but you never know when either one might run out.
別妄想有人會養你。 也許你有信託基金、 也許你的另一半很有錢、 但是你永遠不知道哪一個會先用完。

Don’t mess too much with your hair, or by the time you’re 40, it will look 85.
別太在乎你的頭髮。 別太擔心你四十歲時會看起來像八十五歲老人。

Be careful whose advice you buy, but, be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia, dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it’s worth.

請謹慎採納別人的建議。 但是、 請有耐心的把別人的建議聽完。 薦言就像時光機、 不聽老人言就會重蹈覆轍、就像從過去時光的垃圾堆裡撿破爛、 回收利用、 重複貼在醜惡的錯誤上。 這樣不值得。

But trust me on the sunscreen.
但是、 請相信我、 多擦防曬油。

本文的中文翻譯來自：Everybody’s Free (to wear sunscreen) 請愛用防曬油 | 廢墟

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lock 發表於 2010 January 18, at am 12:20
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