心靈雞湯:情暖今生 The Gift
It was well after mid night, wrapped in my warm fleecy robe I stood silently staring out the ninth floor window of the daunting New York hospital. I was staring at the 59th Street Bridge. It was as sparkling and beautiful as a Christmas tree. New York city has always been special to me; the Broadway theatre, the music, the restaurants from the deli's to the Tavern-On-the-Green. "This is what the city is supposed to be about, " I thought, dreading the morning to come and all the uncertainty it held. But the morning did come and at nine a.m. on that March 17th, I was wheeled into an operating room. Eleven hours and forty-five minutes later I was wheeled into a recovery room and a very few hours after being returned to my own hospital room I found myself actually on my feet, half walking, half propelled by medical equipment and members of my family. The orders were to walk the length and back of the long hospital corridor.
時間早就過了午夜了，在雄偉威嚴的紐約醫院，我裹在暖暖的羊毛睡袍裏，靜靜地站在九樓病房的窗前凝視窗外。我看着眼前的第59街大橋，它像聖誕樹般閃閃發光，美麗動人。在我心中，紐約一直有一個特別的位置，有百老匯的戲院，音樂，和形形色色、檔次各異的餐館。"這個城市本來就應該是這樣的，"我想着，對即將到來的一天和它將帶來的未知之數感到異常擔心。但那天還是來了，就在那天，3月17日的早上9點，我被推進了手術室。11個小時45分鐘後，我又被推進了療養室，在被送回自己的病房後，僅僅幾個小時，我就已經能下地行走了——一半是自己在走，一半是被醫療器械和家人推着走。按醫囑，我要在醫院的長廊裏走一個來回。It was then that I first saw him. I saw him through a haze of, drugs, pain and the dreamy unreality that this could be happening to me. He was standing in the doorway of a hospital room. In my twilight, unfocused state I saw him almost as a spirit shape rather than a full blown person. Yet the body language of this shape was somehow sending out sympathy and encouragement to me.
就在那時，我第一次看到他。在藥物和疼痛的作用下，透過朦朧的雙眼，我看到了他，那景象就如同虛幻的夢境，我也不肯定自己究竟看到了什麼。他當時正站在一間病房的門口。我當時正處於那種視力模糊的懵懂狀態中，而他對我來說，就像個幽靈，而不是一個完整的人影。但我還是能感覺得到這個影像的身體語言中所流露出的對我的同情和鼓勵。This became my daily routine for the next three weeks. As I gained a little more strength the man would be standing in the doorway, smiling and nodding as I would pass with one or more members of my family. On the fourth week I was allowed to solo up the corridor. As I passed his room, there was my faithful friend in the doorway. He was a slender dark complexioned man. I stopped a minute to chat. He introduced me to his wife and his son who was lying listlessly in a hospital bed. The next day as I made my scheduled walk, he came out and walked with me to my room. He explained that he and his wife had brought their teenage son to this hospital of hope from Iran. They were still hoping but things were not going well. He told me of how I had encouraged him on that first dreadful night's walking tour and how he was rooting for me. For three more weeks we continued our conversations, each giving the other the gift of caring and friendship. He told me of how he enjoyed seeing my family as they rallied around me and I was saddened by the loneliness of that small family so far from home.
在以後的三個星期裏，在醫院的長廊裏行走成了我必做的功課。在我的力氣稍微恢復之後，我在家人的陪同下走過他站立的門口，我會看到他站在那裏向我微笑、點頭。到了第四個星期，我可以自己在長廊上走了，每當我經過他的房間，我這位忠實的朋友都會站在門口。這是一個膚色稍黑，身體瘦小的男人。我停下來與他談了一會兒。他把我介紹給他的妻子和兒子。他兒子沒精打采地躺在病牀上。第二天，我又按時地在走廊裏走動，他從房間裏走出來，陪我走回我的病房。他告訴我，他和他的妻子滿懷希望地把他十幾歲的兒子從伊朗帶到這家醫院。儘管現在他們還是抱有希望，但情況確實不容樂觀。他告訴我，我手術後第一個難熬的晚上艱辛的行走使他受到了鼓舞，他也在暗暗爲我加油。在接下來的三個多星期裏，我們在一起交談，互相關心，彼此關愛。他很高興看到我的家人很關心和支持我，而我也爲這個三口之家因遠離家園而孤立無援而暗自傷感。
Miraculously, there did come a day when the doctor told me I would be discharged the following morning. That night I told my friend. The next morning he came to my room. I had been up and dressed since dawn. My bright yellow dress gave me hope, and I almost looked human. We talked a bit. I told him I would pray for his son. He thanked me but shrugged his shoulders indicating the hopelessness. We knew we would never see each other again, in this world. This man in his sorrow was so happy for me. I felt his love. He took my hand and said, "You are my sister." I answered back and said, "You are my brother". He turned and left the room.
就像奇蹟一般，終於有一天醫生告訴我說，第二天我就可以出院了。那晚，我把這個消息告訴了我的朋友。第二天一早，他來到我的房間。那天，我早早地就起牀了，並換好了衣服。我那鮮黃色的衣服給了我希望。我總算看起來又像個人了。我們倆談了一會兒。我對他說，我會爲他的兒子祈禱的。他在感謝我的同時，聳了聳肩，流露出失望之情。我們都知道在這個世界上，我們再也不會見面了。這個憂傷的人很爲我感到高興，我能感受到他對我的關愛。他握着我的手說："你就是我的妹妹。"我回答道："你就是我的哥哥。"說完，他轉過身，走出了房間。My family came to 9retrieve me. Doctors and nurses, to say their goodbyes and give orders. All business had been taken care of. After seven and a half weeks I was leaving the hospital room I had walked into with so much trepidation.
我的家人來接我了。醫生和護士向我道別，囑咐我出院後該怎麼做。所有事情都安排得妥妥當當。在我懷着忐忑不安的心情走進醫院的七個半星期後，我終於要離開我的病房了。As I turned to walk down the corridor to the elevator, my brother stood in the doorway, smiling, nodding and giving his blessing.
就在我沿着走廊向電梯走去時，我哥哥站在他的病房門口，衝我微笑點頭，傳遞着他的祝福。It was 14 years ago today on March 17th 1990 that I entered that operating room and much has happened to the world since my brother and I said our last farewell. Yet I think of him often and he is always in my heart as I feel I am in his. I remember his intense, dark brown eyes as we pledged ourselves as brother and sister. At that moment, I knew without a doubt that the Spirit of God hovered over us smiling, nodding and blessing us with the knowledge that we are all one.
我進手術室的那天，也就是14年前的今天，1990年3月17日。自從我與我哥哥告別後，這個世界發生了很大的變化。但我還是經常會想起他，他一直都在我的心裏，而我相信我也一直在他心中。我記得我們互稱兄妹時，他那雙真誠的深褐色的眼睛。在那一刻，我知道上帝正在天堂微笑地看着我們，向我們點頭，爲我們祝福。因爲他知道，我們不分彼此。Many times I have pondered over the years why we humans meet our dearest friends or bond so deeply with another person when we are most 11)vulnerable. I think it is because when we face a life threatening illness, job loss, whatever the catastrophe may be; we are left completely without any pretension and our hearts and souls are open to those around us and we are able to accept the love and kindnesses of others, almost freely and thankfully as children accept love. This kind of love is blind to race, color and creed and leads to a pair of dark brown eyes seeking a pair of very blue eyes and pledging a love that will last through time.
在過去的歲月裏，我不止一次在想，爲什麼人會在最脆弱的時候認識我們生命中最親密的朋友，與另一個人結成最緊密的紐帶也在這時結成。我認爲，這是因爲在我們面對危及生命的疾病、失業，或者其它災難時，我們所有的僞裝都會褪去，我們的心靈都會向周圍的人敞開，接受來自他人的關愛和好意，差不多就像孩童那樣，毫無芥蒂並心存感激承接愛。這種愛與種族、膚色、信仰無關，也正是這種愛，讓那雙深褐色的眼睛和那雙深藍色眼睛相遇，併發誓永遠彼此關愛。
