English Original
I was minding my own business a few weeks ago when I got "the call" -- that dreaded, shrill ringing of my telephone bearing news just short of a death in the family. It was a former high school classmate asking for my assistance in organizing our 20-year class reunion.
Could it be 20 years already? I shuddered. Cold chills went up and down my spine as tiny beads of sweat popped out on my forehead. What had I done with my life the past 20 years?
It's amazing how a brief phone call can totally turn one's life upside down. Suddenly, I began hearing those 1970s songs in a different light, realizing that Mick Jagger was over 50, "Smoke on the Water" never did make any sense, and my "Seasons in the Sun" had literally faded into oblivion. Had the sun set on me already?
I glanced in the mirror. (Okay, I stared.) I examined every tiny little crevice and pore, from my hairline down past those "smile lines" to the base of my neck. No double chin yet, I thought.
The next few weeks were pure hell. Each day began with a grueling training program -- a 6:30 a.m. run in a futile attempt to shed the unsightly baggage that had accumulated on my thighs. I went shopping for the perfect dress -- the one that would make me look 20 years younger. I found out they stopped selling them around 1975. Three dresses later, I came to my senses. There was only one logical explanation: I was having a mid-life crisis.
I realized that the funny, crunching noise I heard each night on the stairs was my knees. I had seriously considered adding "potty training expert" to my resume as one of my greatest accomplishments. Bran flakes had become a daily routine -- and not by choice. I held Tupperware parties just to count my friends.
Life hadn't turned out as I'd planned. Sure, I was happy. I had a wonderful husband and two great kids at the center of my life. But somehow, working part-time as a secretary and a mom hardly fit my teenage self's definition of "most likely to succeed." Had I really wasted 20 years?
Just as I was ready to give up and decline the invitation, my seven-year-old tapped me on the shoulder. "I love you, Mom. Give me a kiss."
You know, I'm actually looking forward to the next 20 years.
中文翻译
几周前，我正忙着自己的事，突然接到了"那个电话"——那令人恐惧、刺耳的电话铃声，带来的消息简直不亚于家人去世的噩耗。是一位高中老同学打来的，请我帮忙组织我们毕业20周年的同学会。
已经20年了吗？我不寒而栗。一股寒意顺着我的脊柱上下窜动，细小的汗珠从额头冒了出来。过去的20年，我的人生都做了些什么？
真不可思议，一个简短的电话竟能彻底颠覆一个人的生活。突然间，我开始以不同的心境聆听那些70年代的歌曲（现在被称为"老歌"），意识到米克·贾格尔已经年过五十，"水上的烟雾"这首歌从来就没什么意义，而我的"阳光下的季节"已确确实实湮没无闻。难道我的太阳已经下山了吗？
我瞥了一眼镜子。（好吧，我盯着那该死的镜子看了很久。）我仔细检查了每一道细小的皱纹和毛孔，从发际线开始，向下经过那些居高临下的"笑纹"，一直到脖子根部。还没有双下巴，我想。
接下来的几周简直是地狱。每天以一项严酷的训练计划开始——早上6:30跑步，徒劳地试图甩掉一夜之间堆积在大腿上的难看赘肉。我去寻找那件完美的连衣裙——你知道的，就是能让我看起来年轻20岁的那件。我发现那种裙子大约在1975年就停止销售了。试了三件裙子后，我清醒了过来。只有一个合乎逻辑的解释：我正在经历中年危机。
我意识到每晚爬楼梯时听到的那种有趣的、嘎吱作响的声音其实是我的膝盖发出的。我曾认真考虑过将"如厕训练专家"作为我最伟大的成就之一写进简历。麦麸片已成为我日常生活的一部分——而且并非因为它们是我最喜欢的麦片。我举办特百惠派对，只是为了数数自己有多少朋友。
生活并没有按照我计划的那样发展。当然，我是幸福的。我有一个美好的丈夫和两个出色的孩子，他们是我生活的中心。但不知何故，兼职做秘书和妈妈，几乎不符合我同学当年评选我为"最有可能成功的人"时我对自己的定义。我真的浪费了20年吗？
就在我准备放弃并拒绝邀请的时候，我七岁的孩子拍了拍我的肩膀。"我爱你，妈妈。亲我一下。"
你知道吗，我现在其实很期待接下来的20年。