每條路都是回家的路

When I was a boy
there were no smart phones, computers
or something you saw on STAR TREK,
and our television only got one channel clearly.

當我還是個小男孩的時候，
沒有智能電話、電腦，也沒有什么東西能夠播放“星球大戰”，
電視只有一個頻道是清楚的。

Still, I was never bored.
The fields, hills, and woodlands around my home
were the perfect playground whose adventures
were only limited by my imagination.

即使這樣，我也不覺得無聊。
家附近的田野、山坡、林地都是極佳的玩耍場所，
只有想不到，
沒有玩不到的冒險。

I can remember once hiking to a nearby lake
and slowly walking around it.
At the backside of it I was amazed
to find an old, one lane, dirt road
that I had never seen before.

我還記得有次徒步去附近的一個湖，
我沿著湖邊慢慢地走著，
在湖的后部沿岸，
我驚奇的發現之前沒有的一條上了些年頭的草坪泥濘路。

I immediately set out to travel it.
It was full of potholes and muddy tire tracks
and deep woods bordered it on both sides,
but exploring it still seemed like a fine adventure.

我當即就決定去走走，
這條路上遍布凹坑以及泥巴上的輪胎印，
在路的兩邊類似分界線般的扎根的植物，
這不失為一個冒險的好場所。

I walked on and on for what seemed like hours.
I am sure my guardian angel
was whispering in my ear
to turn around and head back home
but I was stubborn and even a bit stupid,
so I walked on.

我走啊走，可能有好幾個小時，
守護我安全的小天使在我耳邊低語，
讓我掉頭回家，
但我執拗，
甚至顯得有些愚蠢，
依然執意往前走。

The dirt road gave way to a gravel one
and then a paved one,
yet there was still neither a car
nor a house in sight.

泥濘的路走著走著，漸漸變成了砂石路
又慢慢變成了平路，
但是目力所及之處未見車和房子。

My legs were getting tired.
I noticed that the sun
was starting to go down and I grew scared.

我走得雙腿疲累，
太陽開始下山了，
我開始害怕起來，

I didn't want to end up trapped on this road in the dark of night,
but I was sure it would be dark
before I could make my way back to the lake again.

我不想等天黑以后困在這條路上，
但是如果現在往回，
天黑前也回不到湖邊。

I continued to walk on
with the fear growing inside of me.
My heart was pounding and my legs were aching.

我繼續朝前走著，恐懼在我心理蔓延，
心跳加速，雙腿疼痛。

I was almost in tears when I turned one last curve
and saw something in the distance.
It was a house that I recognized.

淚水幾乎要奪眶而出，
我最后抬頭一瞥，
遠處好像有什么東西，
我認出那是一幢房子。

My heart leapt up!
I jumped up and down and laughed out loud.
I knew the way home!

我激動不已，上竄下跳，
高興地笑出了聲，
我認得這是回家的路。

It was still over a mile away
but my legs felt like feathers
and I hurried back to my house in no time.

盡管還要一英里才能到家，我的腿卻像羽毛般輕快，
我迫不及待地回到家里。

I walked in with a big smile on my face
just in time for dinner.
Then I ended my adventure
with a good night’s sleep.

走進家中，
喜悅之情溢于言表，
而且正好趕上晚上的飯點。
我的冒險以晚上的一場酣睡收尾。

I remembered this recently
when I saw a sign that said:
“All roads lead Home.”

我記得最近見過的一則標語是這樣說的
“所有的路都是回家的路?！?br />
This is true.
In this life all roads no matter what their twists and turns
can lead us home again.
They can lead us to our homes here on Earth.
They can lead us to our homes in our hearts.

確實是這樣，
這輩子所有的路不管怎樣波折，
最終都會引導著我們回家，
有的是回到地球上看得見摸得著的家，
有的是回到心里的家。

May you always walk your path with love.
May you always help your fellow travelers along the way.
And may your roads always lead you Home again.

愿你的人生之路都有愛為伴，
愿你在旅途中幫助同路人，
愿你人生中的一段又一段旅程都是通往“家”的旅程。

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