Tucked away in our subconsciousness is an idyllic vision. We see ourselves on a long trip that spans the continent. We are traveling by train. Out the windows, we drink in the passing scene of cars on nearby highways, of children waving at a crossing, of cattle grazing on a distant hillside, of smoke pouring from a power plant, of row upon row of corn and wheat, of flatlands and valleys, of mountains and rolling hillsides, of city skylines and village halls.

在我们内心深处，总隐藏着一片诗情画意的风景。我们觉得自己正处于一次跨越大陆的漫长旅行中。坐在火车上，窗外流动的风景在我们面前一掠而过：附近高速公路上驰骋的汽车，十字路口挥手的孩童，远处山坡上放牧的牛群，电厂排放的袅袅烟尘，成片的玉米地和小麦地，还有平原、峡谷、山脉和丘陵，城市的轮廓和乡间的农舍。

But uppermost in our minds is the final destination. On a certain day at a certain hour, we will pull into the station. Bands will be playing and flags waving. Once we get there, so many wonderful dreams will come true and the pieces of our lives will fit together like a completed jigsaw puzzle. How restlessly we pace the aisles, damning the minutes for loitering —— waiting, waiting, waiting for the station.

可是，我们想的最多的还是目的地。某天的某一刻，我们抵达站点，会有乐队演奏，欢迎旗帜飘扬。一旦我们到达了目的地，梦想就会变成现实，而我们破碎的生活会像一幅拼好的画图，变得完美。我们焦躁不安地在车厢里踱来踱去，诅咒火车的迟缓——等啊等，等待进站的那一刻。

"When we reach the station, that will be it!" we cry. "When I'm 18." "When I buy a new 450SL Mercedes Benz!""When I put the last kid through college.""When I have paid off the mortgage!" "When I get a promotion." "When I reach the age of retirement, I shall live happily ever after!"

“进站时，一切都好了！”我们呼喊着。“我满18岁时。”“我买了一辆新的450SL奔驰轿车时！”“当我供最小的孩子读完大学。”“当我还了所有的贷款。”“当我退休的时候，就从此过上了幸福的生活！”

Sooner or later, we must realize there is no station, no one place to arrive at once and for all. The true joy of life is the trip. The station is only a dream. It constantly outdistances us.

迟早，我们会意识到人生没有终点站，没有什么地方真正完美。生命的真正乐趣在于旅行的过程。终点站只是一个梦，它永远在我们的前方。

It isn't the burdens of today that drive men mad. It is the regrets over yesterday and the fear of tomorrow. Regret and fear are twin thieves who rob us of today.

真正让人疯狂的往往不是今日的沉重，而是对昨日的懊悔和对明日的畏惧。懊悔和畏惧如同一对孪生窃贼，偷走了我们的今天。

So stop pacing the aisles and counting the miles. Instead, climb more mountains, eat more ice creams, go barefoot more often, swim more rivers, watch more sunsets, laugh more, cry less. Life must be lived as we go along. The station will come soon enough.

那么就不要在过道里徘徊吧， 别老惦记着你离车站还有多远！何不换一种活法， 攀爬更多的高山，多吃点儿冰淇淋甜甜嘴巴，经常光着脚板儿溜达， 畅游更多的河流，多看看夕阳西下，多点欢笑哈哈，少让泪水滴答！生活得一边过一边瞧！车站就会很快到达！