Kendalsc16 景一

Dear Younger Me，

I know you probably wont understand the advice Im about to give you， but thats okay. As situations arise， I hope that you will be able to apply the guidance that Im giving to you so that you might get the best possible outcome. I might not have a lifetime of experience just yet， but I know a whole lot more now than you do at the moment. I just want to give you some help for your journey， because I know that it will be long and often difficult. You might feel alone at times， but remember that your own greatest companion1 is yourself， and that you alone know yourself best. If youre ever stuck， dont be afraid to ask for help. Youll always have someone you can trust.

On a September afternoon， your swing2 will soar3 through the fading sunlight while you enjoy your freedom after elementary school. Youll pump your little legs， enjoying the rush of wind through your short， curly brown locks4. The warm autumn sun will shine through the tree above your head， making your hair glow5 like gold. Your best friend will be swinging right alongside of you. You will both giggle happily and close your eyes， seeing the red of the sunlight from behind your eyelids. You will laugh out loud as you reach as high as the swing will allow. You wont have any worries yet， youll just be relieved to be outside and have no homework that night. Youll imagine that youre a bird， flying high above the Amazon， or maybe that youre on a boat in the middle of a very dangerous storm. Your stomach will drop as the swing whips you back and your imagination takes you someplace magical. Suddenly， you will feel a quick sharp throb6 in your thigh7， interrupting your joyfulness. Youll let out another shriek8， but this time in pain， as you look down at the red welt9 forming. A bee flew up your shorts and stung you. At the time， youll cry and run inside， thinking your world is ending. You will think that this is the worst pain you could ever experience. However， years in the future， youll remember that memory and laugh at yourself. You will know by then that the pain you experienced that day certainly wasnt the worst， and that it doesnt always have to be physical.

There will be a summer， maybe around the age of 12 or 13， where youll feel hopeless. Youll lie on your bed for a whole day， staring up at your white ceiling as tears fill your eyes. Your ceiling fan will spin lazy circles above your head， whisking10 around a small breeze in the otherwise stifling11 heat. Your phone will sit abandoned12 on your bed table， a silent brick. Tears of despair will drip out of your eyes and soak13 into your pillow. Youll feel alone. Youll feel as if your friends are all gone. Those girls that you had been friends with since elementary have drifted away. It takes time to understand at first， but we all grow up eventually.

On a freezing cold December day， when youre 15， youll sit on an ice cold bleacher beside the Tennessee pool. You will feel very disappointed. That race was supposed to be it. You were ready to go out there and crush it， but you didnt. As the crowd roars above you， your tear-filled eyes will glance up at the scoreboard. New pool record. That shouldve been you. Your cheeks will burn with embarrassment and youll quickly wipe your tears away. What went wrong？ Will I never be good enough？ Its fine. Im fine. You will try to piece your mind back together for your next race. You can do it this time. Youll force a smile at a passing teammate as you rise to get ready， unsure of when your next success will arrive.

These events might be significant to you at the moment， but they will quickly blend with your other memories over time. All the situations that you will find yourself in will make you who you are to become， no matter whether the situation changed you at the time. It will all add as the years go past. You will still be Kendal， but youll be a little bit wiser and a little bit more understanding. I hope that you overcome your challenges with grace and perseverance14， which is something that I still need to work on today. Dont worry about everything all the time because it will drain15 you. I want you to not worry about others opinions of you and dont ever let someone tell you what you can or cannot be. Build your confidence as the years go by. Do not stand by idly16 as the world turns around you. Grab onto your dreams and hold on. Im just a checkpoint for what you will become in the future. I know you will think that the “real world” is still a long ways away， but its not. Youre living in it now， just as I am. Take it in stride17， and learn with humility18， for we still have a long way to go.

Much Love，

Future You

親愛的小時候的我：

我知道你可能不明白我要給你的建議，但沒關(guān)系。當(dāng)情況出現(xiàn)時，我希望你能運(yùn)用我將給你的指導(dǎo)意見，這樣你可能會得到最好的結(jié)果。我可能還沒有一輩子的經(jīng)驗(yàn)，但我現(xiàn)在知道的比你現(xiàn)在知道的多得多。我只想為你的人生旅程提供一些幫助，因?yàn)槲抑滥愕穆贸虒⑹锹L而困難的。你有時可能會感到孤獨(dú)，但要記住，你最棒的同伴是你自己，只有你自己最了解自己。如果你被困住了，不要害怕尋求幫助。總會有一個你可以信任的人。

九月的一個下午，你的秋千將在夕陽中高高蕩起，而你正享受小學(xué)畢業(yè)后的自由。你會擺動著你的小腿，享受著風(fēng)吹過你棕色卷曲的短發(fā)。溫暖的秋日陽光將透過頭頂?shù)臉?，讓你的頭發(fā)像金子一樣熠熠生輝。你最好的朋友就在你身邊一起蕩秋千。你們都會高興地咯咯笑，閉上眼睛，從眼皮后面看到陽光的紅色。當(dāng)你的秋千蕩到最高時，你會笑得很大聲。你無憂無慮，放心地在外面玩，而那晚沒有家庭作業(yè)。你會想象你是一只鳥，正高高飛在亞馬孫河上空，或者你正在非常危險的風(fēng)暴中的一艘船上。當(dāng)秋千回落，攫住你的胃，你的想象力帶你去了一個神奇的地方。突然間，你會感到大腿一陣劇烈的疼痛，中斷了你的快樂。當(dāng)你低頭看著紅腫的形成，你會發(fā)出另一聲尖叫，但這次夾雜著痛苦。一只蜜蜂飛到你的短褲上蜇了你。那時，你會哭泣，然后跑進(jìn)屋里，以為世界末日就要到了。你會認(rèn)為這是你經(jīng)歷過的最痛苦的事情。然而，在未來的歲月里，你會記得那段回憶，嘲笑自己。到那時你就會知道，你那天經(jīng)歷的痛苦肯定不是最嚴(yán)重的，而痛苦也不一定非得是身體上的。

在一個夏天，可能在你十二三歲左右，你會感到絕望。你會躺在床上整整一天，盯著你白色的天花板，眼睛里滿是淚水。你的吊扇會在你頭頂上懶散地轉(zhuǎn)著圓圈，在悶熱的天氣里帶來微風(fēng)。你的手機(jī)會被遺棄在床頭桌上，像一塊無聲的磚頭。絕望的眼淚會從你的眼睛里流出來，浸入你的枕頭。你會感到孤獨(dú)。你會覺得你的朋友都走了。那些從小學(xué)起就和你成為朋友的女孩兒們都已經(jīng)漸漸和你疏遠(yuǎn)。一開始需要時間去理解，但我們最終都會長大。

當(dāng)你15歲的時候，在寒冷的十二月的一天，你會坐在田納西州游泳池邊冰冷的看臺上。你會極度失望。那場比賽本來應(yīng)該是這樣的。你已經(jīng)準(zhǔn)備好了去征服它，但你沒有。就在人群在你頭頂咆哮時，你會用含著淚的眼睛看向記分牌。新的游泳池記錄。本來那個人應(yīng)該是你。你的臉頰會因?qū)擂味l(fā)熱，你會很快擦干眼淚。出什么事了？我永遠(yuǎn)不夠好嗎？很好。我很好。你將努力為下一場比賽振作起來。這次你可以做到。當(dāng)你站起來做準(zhǔn)備的時候，你會對一個路過的隊(duì)友強(qiáng)顏歡笑，但不確定你的下一次成功會在什么時候到來。

這些事件可能對你現(xiàn)在很重要，但隨著時間的推移，它們會很快與你的其他記憶融合在一起。無論那時的情況是否改變了你，你所處的所有情況都會造就你將來的自己。隨著歲月的流逝，它們都會和你融為一體。你仍然是肯德爾，但你會更聰明，更善解人意。我希望你以優(yōu)雅的姿態(tài)和毅力克服挑戰(zhàn)，這是我今天仍需努力的地方。不要總是擔(dān)心每件事，因?yàn)槟菚馁M(fèi)你的精力。我希望你不要擔(dān)心別人對你的看法，也不要讓別人告訴你能做什么或不能做什么。隨著歲月的流逝，要建立你的信心。當(dāng)世界在你身邊轉(zhuǎn)動時，不要無動于衷地站在邊上。抓住你的夢想，堅(jiān)持住。我只是成為未來的你的路途中的一站。我知道你會認(rèn)為離“現(xiàn)實(shí)世界”還很遠(yuǎn)，但事實(shí)并非如此。你現(xiàn)在和我一樣，都身處其中。要從容面對，謙虛地學(xué)習(xí)，因?yàn)槲覀冞€有很長的路要走。

很愛你的未來的你

【Notes】

1. companion [? ? ?] n. 同伴;朋友

2. swing [? ? ?] n. 秋千

3. soar [? ? ?] vi. 急升;高飛;升空

4. lock [? ? ? ] n. 一縷頭發(fā)

5. glow [? ? ?] v. 發(fā)出微光;泛出紅光

6. throb [? ? ? ?] n. 跳動;抽搐，陣痛

7. thigh [? ? ? ] n. 大腿

8. shriek [? ? ?] n. 尖聲;尖銳的響聲

9. welt [? ? ?] n. 紅腫

10. whisk [? ? ? ] v. 拂;攪動;揮動

11. stifling [? ? ?] adj. 令人窒息的;沉悶的

12. abandoned [? ? ?] adj. 被拋棄的

13. soak [? ? ?] vi. 浸泡;滲透

14. perseverance [? ? ?] n. 堅(jiān)持不懈;耐心;毅力

15. drain [? ? ?] v. （感情）變淡;使精疲力竭

16. idly [? ? ] adv. 無動于衷地;無所事事地

17. stride [? ? ? ] n. 大步;進(jìn)展? take in stride 從容處理;淡然處之

18. humility [? ? ?] n. 謙卑，謙遜