愛惜光陰

Life, as we know it, seems to be an abstract entity. We tend to complain about the unjust situations and the complexity of it. Moreover, we tend to forget the importance of living until we are faced with the sheer fragility of it.

I remember it clearly now. It seemed like any other normal day. The heat of the golden Southern California sun beat down onto the pavement as the drone of lazy flies and the chirp of spring birds pierced the atmosphere. A sticky ice cream cone, with two scoops of Baskin Robbins’ Cookies and Cream, was in my hand as I made my way to my grandparent’s room. I had been told that there was something I needed to know. Weary about the confrontation but a little curious, I stepped inside, unsure of what to expect. Ten minutes was all it took to deliver a massive weight on my shoulders and a realization of the worst.  My grandma had explained that she had lung cancer and that her time was wearing thin. Upon hearing and processing those words, my casual demeanor instantly faded. Her days were numbered and I was terrified of the outcome. Through these ten minutes, I reached an epiphany. Life was short and it could decide to flicker out at any moment.

To be honest, beforehand, I was eager to waste my days and take the simple beauty of the world for granted. Nothing seemed important and my focus was unclear. My days were a drag and I did not find the importance of seeking the true meaning. Days were wasted in participating on meaningless things; things that I do not quite remember anymore. At a moment, it caused me to regret the time spent. But by regretting, I lost composure and tumbled into an even deeper hole.

But through all of this, I came to find a solution to this dilemma. By focusing on the mistakes and trials of my past, my perception became warped and I began to lose heart in taking advantage of a new beginning. Instead, I followed down the path of remorse. Yet, life is not simply a platform we must live. We were all put here for a reason.  To make the most out of it, we have to capture the moments that matter most to us, look, and zoom in. Our focus should not be zeroed in our blunders or our downfalls, although those are all learning lessons. Instead, it should be focused on the little delights of life. These are the pleasures that we have been gifted to experience.  Although fleeting, it may initiate a noteworthy result. A smile today may blossom into a friendship tomorrow. Or perhaps an unfortunate change today may spur a massive career. The beauty of treasuring these moments in our day is that everything, good and bad, is entirely uncertain. If we knew everything already, what is there left to find? Absolutely nothing! Without the twists and turns of a maze, we will not see the different facets of what life has to offer.

The decision to value each passing day is entirely up to an individual. Perhaps one may find the day-to-day monotony as unimportant. However, these boring aspects shape life, as we know it. Instead of complaining about the normality of the situation, we should take up the challenge of making our lives more enjoyable by seeing the beauty behind every incident. By painting the minor details a little brighter, we can grasp the intricacy of the portrait we were meant to finish. In our final days, will we be able to say that we had done everything we are entrusted to? The answer would probably be a no. Yet, a further note may be that at least we tried to.

Treasuring the now is the most important choice we can make in this moment. Instead of dwelling on the past or avoiding the future, we should take advantage of the basic satisfactions we have come to casually look over and always keep an open mind to the seemingly small parts. Stop where you are to take a moment to look around and breathe in the purity of life.  Enjoy the small instances for those may be the very essence of your being. Reach out and grasp the enticing fruits of life to unravel its mystery. Take a step into murky waters in hopes of finding a jewel among the depths.

Number your days and live each one to the fullest.

轉瞬、一瞥、片刻，這些在日常生活中不怎起眼的情况，如果能仔細參詳，我們可能會從這些瑣事中找到一定的意義。旭日東昇，對某些人來說並不重要，可是，卻在那些為每個早晨而感恩的人心中燃點了希望。愛惜光陰，認定活著是個祝福，會讓我們對生命更珍之重之。

生命是個非常深奧的實體。我們常會為當中一些不公平、一些錯綜複雜的情況而發怨言。直等到我們發現它是何等的脆弱時，才恍然大悟，生命原來是那麽的重要。

我還清楚地記得，那是個跟平常沒有兩樣的日子。南加州的陽光映黃了行人道，懶洋洋的小飛蟲，吱吱的春鳥聲，洋溢在空氣中，我拿著盛滿了兩大勺冰淇淋的蛋捲，朝祖母的房間走去。懐著戰戰兢兢、患得患失，卻又好奇的心情我踏進她的房間，只想明白，有什麽事情我是必須知道的。短短十分鐘，已把千斤重擔壓到我的肩頭上，我才意識到事態的嚴重。祖母告訴我，她患上肺癌，來日無多。我那漫不經心的態度，隨著她的話，在瞬間消失得無影無踪。她在計算她的日子，我卻被這突然而來的結果嚇壞了。十分鐘之間，我領悟到生命是何等的短暫，可以隨時說走就走。

老實說，事情發生之前，我會閒懶渡日，把世界那單純的美當作理所當然。我沒有清晰的目標，也不會把任何事情放在心上。日子過得很單調乏味，卻也提不起勁去尋找生命的意義。曰復一日、年復一年地做一些連自己也記不起來的無聊事。有時候，我會為亂花時間而後悔，可是，後悔帶來的慌張往往令我跌進更深的洞裡去。

祖母的癌病，使我在這困局中找到出路。專注於過去的錯誤和試煉，只會扭曲了我的看法，讓我氣餒，不敢接受新的挑戰，然後，在痛悔的路上徘徊。但，生命不僅僅是一個讓我們活著的平台。我們被置於此，是有原因的。為要不枉此生，我們必須抓住每一個重要的時刻，仔細去察看。我們不應該把注意力單單放在自己的錯誤和落敗上，雖然這些全都是讓我們學習的功課。取以代之，我們應該以生活的點滴為樂。這些都是上天給我們的禮物。雖然是短暫，卻可以策動顯著的成果。今日的一個微笑，可以燦發出明日的友誼。今天的不幸，可以孕育出明天卓越的成就。珍惜日子中每一刻的奧妙之處，在於一切的事，不管好與壞，都是個未知之數。如果我們能預知未來，還有什麼值得我們去尋索呢？沒有，斷然沒有。沒有了迷宮裡的迂迴曲折，我們將看不到生命給予我們那麼多姿多彩的不同層面。

珍惜每天，是個非常個人的決定。也許，有些人會覺得刻版的生活，並沒有什麼不是。然而，眾所週知，這種單調的態度，正是塑造生活的元素。與其埋怨平淡的處境，倒不如面對挑戰，看到境遇背後的美，從而讓生活更精彩。只要為小小的細節，添些光彩，我們就能抓住那為我們而設，要我們去完成，那幅錯綜複雜的畫像的輪廓。最後，我們是否能說，我們已完成所託付的一切？答案可能是否定的。但，至少我們已盡力而為。
珍惜當下是個非常重要的抉擇。與其沉溺於過去，或逃避未來，我們該細嚼生活中那些漫不經意的滿足感，用開放的態度去看生活中的點滴。在你現在所站之處，停下來，看看周遭的景色，品嚐生命的純樸。享受每件小事，因為這些都是你最需要的東西。踏出一步，抓住那迷人的生命之果，從而釋開生命之奧秘。跳進看起來污濁不清的水，盼望在水深之處找到那瑰寶。

數算你的日子，每天活得充實。

◎  Caroline Sun 孫佩華(十二年級)