by Jesse Hunter foonfoon 譯

PROLOGUE 卷首語

“慢”步人生路

Slowing Things Down

by Jesse Hunter foonfoon 譯

Do you ever feel like this giant rat race of life is starting to get to you? I certainly do. It’s that anxious feeling that dwells in the back of your subconscious, the fear that life is moving too fast for comfort, and it feels like a runaway train in an Old Western, with no brakes and a cliff with unfnished tracks up ahead. The thing is you have to make a conscious effort to slow things down when it feels like life is starting to pass you by. It’s up to each of us to take the time, and carve out a simple slice of happiness, for ourselves and the ones we love.

In this month’s features, we found some people who have learned, through the rigors of life, to follow the path of the patient tortoise rather than the wily hare, by capturing those feeting moments of joy and dwelling in them for as long as possible. In Savoring Slow Morning Walks with My Preschooler, Jenna Russell knows that, once Kindergarten starts, her cherished leisurely walks with her young daughter will become a thing of the past, so she takes her at a slower and slower pace. Next, we see how the Slow Life in Tasmania Is Finally Fulflling, as Hilary Burden escapes the hectic city life for the simple trappings of her old Tasmanian stomping grounds. And The Dad Who Dropped Out shows us how a near death experience can bring to light the things that are truly important in life, like spending the afternoon with one’s children.

No matter the circumstance, I think it’s reasonable to say that we could all use a deep breath and moment of refection in our crazy, mixed-up lives. All you gotta do is look around, fgure out what’s most important to you, and make that your top priority. The rest is simple: just live in the moment and enjoy it while it lasts, because the moment’s gone before you know it.

你是否曾感覺激烈的人生競爭開始讓你覺得不安？我當然有過這樣的感覺。那是一種潛藏在你潛意識里的緊張感，是一種因生活節(jié)奏快得讓人不舒服而產(chǎn)生的恐懼感，就像美國西部片里的暴走火車一樣，沒有剎車，前方便是沒有軌道的萬丈懸崖。關(guān)鍵是當你感覺生活開始變得太過匆忙時，你必須積極應對，放慢生活的腳步。要不要為了自己和所愛之人而放慢生活的腳步，發(fā)掘生活中簡單的小幸福，決定權(quán)在我們每個人自己手上。

在本月的主題文章中，我們發(fā)現(xiàn)，有些人在經(jīng)歷了生活的種種考驗后，學會了放棄狡猾野兔的道路，轉(zhuǎn)而追隨耐心烏龜?shù)牡缆罚プ〔⒈M可能地享受那些短暫的快樂時光。在《慢走好時光》一文中，珍娜·拉塞爾明白，一旦她的小女兒開始上小學，她們珍貴的漫步時光就會一去不返，所以，她們的腳步越走越慢。接下來，在《塔斯馬尼亞州的慢生活》中，我們看到希拉里·伯頓逃離了忙亂的城市生活，回到了她的故土塔斯馬尼亞，過上了心滿意足的簡單生活?！锻Ｏ聛?，慢慢走》一文中則為我們展現(xiàn)了瀕臨死亡的經(jīng)歷是如何讓人明白什么才是人生中最重要的東西，比如說與孩子共度下午時光。

無論身處何種環(huán)境，我想，這樣說都是合理的：我們可以來個深呼吸，花片刻時間反思我們那瘋狂、紛擾雜亂的生活。你所要做的就是環(huán)顧四周，找出你最重要的東西，予以重視。其余的很簡單：只要活在當下，享受眼下的美好時光就好，因為時間總是在不知不覺中就溜走了。

“Slow down and enjoy life. It’s not only the scenery you miss by going too fast—you also miss the sense of where you are going and why.”—Eddie Cantor