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 permeated 1 every aspect of my elation 2: 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 poised 3 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 yearn 4 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 embarrassments 5 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 condemn 6 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 relaxation 7 that only arises when your mind is right where you are and your actions are in perfect alignment 8 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。