, j V8 ^/ N8 T* ~8 {2 b& a; @4 ?生命就是小甜饼： ' _0 x# ^' R* V. m4 {One of my patients, a successful businessman, tells me that before his cancer he would become depressed unless things went a certain way. Happiness was "having the cookie." If you had the cookie, things were good. : k1 T( w! {4 D: }! n1 Y% ~; c0 {) }* _3 @7 K N* M; D
我有一位病人，他是一个成功的商人，告诉我，在他患癌症之前，凡事如果没有确定下来他就忧心忡忡。对他而言，幸福是“拥有小甜饼”。 9 ]( p3 L1 k Y ) @. c+ I# F6 w5 x2 |If you didn't have the cookie, life wasn't worth a damn. Unfortunately, the cookie kept changing.# b/ I; ^- \6 `4 x$ N$ L! p
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如果你拥有了小甜饼，一切都一帆风顺。如果你没有小甜饼，生活就一文不值。 % C* c% E3 [+ S4 e8 V9 e( l5 d; {! R7 u% d) W
Some of the time it was money, sometimes power, sometimes sex. At other times, it was the new car, the biggest contract, the most prestigious address. 2 m6 V& H( Z9 p8 a# P" |2 S! ? $ N5 ?* e9 G! F: {1 H4 j, P$ w不幸的是，小甜饼总是不断变换着，有时是金钱，有时是权力，有时是欲望。在其他时候，它是一辆新车、一份数额最大的合同、或者一个享有声望的通讯地址。 # l L0 H* c- `% `2 ^/ z& G8 d4 T/ w$ ~4 F. q6 y
A year and a half after his diagnosis of prostate cancer he sits shaking his head ruefully. "It's like I stopped learning how to live after I was a kid.7 x3 b6 _8 `2 m6 p
, J0 P/ [" ^. M A, U s5 O在他被诊断出患有前列腺癌的一年半之后，他坐在那里，悲天悯人地摇着头，说：“长大以后，我好像就不知道怎样生活了。 . H* L7 m b8 p3 Z & ~' Z8 L' L, ~- f( g" _, sWhen I give my son a cookie, he is happy. If I take the cookie away or it breaks, he is unhappy.! o, M& H3 {6 C
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当我给我儿子一个小甜饼时，他心花怒放。如果我拿走甜饼或者是小甜饼碎了，他就闷闷不乐。6 l% B, y6 ]5 K, j! P0 O
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But he is two and a half and I am forty-three. It's taken me this long to understand that the cookie will never make me happy for long. ! S0 b) ^2 x H$ j* B( g3 f& T) ~- P9 @6 Q q) A. j
不同的是，他只有两岁半，而我已经 43 了。我花了这么长的时间才明白小甜饼并不能使我长久感到幸福。 6 `8 x" w- [( L5 u* s- |" K' V4 h* V3 Y/ C
The minute you have the cookie it starts to crumble or you start to worry about it crumbling or about someone trying to take it away from you.( B5 ~1 u6 a7 L' J
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从你拥有小甜饼的那一刻，它就开始破碎，或者你就开始担心它会破碎，抑或你开始担心别人拿走它。5 a3 @ `" E2 V& t# {# H r6 y
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You know, you have to give up a lot of things to take care of the cookie, to keep it from crumbling and be sure that no one takes it away from you. " k% P5 f( Q0 \% Z: ~7 D; {
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为了守护你的小甜饼，为了防止它破碎或者确定别人不会从你手中夺走它，你不得不放弃许多东西。9 U7 A7 z8 p1 q( P& e9 y9 W
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You may not even get a chance to eat it because you are so busy just trying not to lose it. + A3 Q' ^; T: B) D1 p4 u: X& r3 E- s8 h. c5 C/ h
你忙于不让自己失去它，甚至没有时间享受它。3 k; F" B" o' C5 t; s" c
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Having the cookie is not what life is about." My patient laughs and says cancer has changed him. + _9 F7 S. {( {: v0 t# S. h3 Z+ l+ i& ^. S6 n
拥有小甜饼并不是生活的全部内容。”我的病人笑着说癌症已经改变了他。$ g0 V0 M8 Y# q1 Y. |* n) Z
1 c0 {& C% N- ?% U2 Z k! v3 kFor the first time he is happy. No matter if his business is doing well or not, no matter if he wins or loses at golf. " 6 E" `- f8 c$ e 5 \2 |3 A3 [* Y m; {不论他的生意是否一帆风顺，不论他在打高尔夫球时是输是赢，他有生以来第一次感到幸福。 6 M" f+ M+ x% o2 m! X ; T1 o5 s: w' U# N8 \4 g0 ]/ lTwo years ago, cancer asked me, 'Okay, what's important? What is really important?' Well, life is important. 8 V" g! V0 g4 d: Y& t" k% n5 j7 ~$ @8 p3 j
“两年前，癌症问我‘什么重要?什么才真正的重要?’对，生命重要。 ; h8 ]: W6 a" V8 s3 v2 S2 b% L! r/ Y6 o, W2 h- a1 \9 d8 ^. B; j1 z0 y* ^' i
Life. Life any way you can have it, life with the cookie, life without the cookie. Happiness does not have anything to do with the cookie; it has to do with being alive. Before, who made the time?" He pauses thoughtfully. "Damn, I guess life is the cookie."0 F* C& D4 w" Q% t