It was June 15,
and in two days I would be turning thirty.
那天是6月15日，
再過兩天我就要30歲了。
I was insecure about entering a new decade
of my life and feared
that my best years were now behind me.
要進入生命中又一個新的十年，
我對此感到忐忑不安，
擔心自己最美好的歲月已經離我遠去了。
My daily routine included going to the gym
for a workout before going to work.
我每日上班前都去體育館鍛鍊一陣。
Every morning
I would see my friend Nicholas at the gym.
He was seventy-nine years old
and in terrific shape.
每天早上
我都會在體育館見到我的朋友尼古拉斯。
他79歲，身材棒極了。
As I greeted Nicholas on this particular day,
he noticed I wasn't full of my usual vitality
and asked if there was anything wrong.
那天我跟他打招呼時，
他注意到我不象往常那樣充滿活力，
便問我有什麼不對勁。
I told him
I was feeling anxious about turning thirty.
我告訴他自己就要30歲了，
心裡很擔憂。
I wondered
how I would look back on my life once
I reached Nicholas's age,
so I asked him,
What was the best time of your life?
不知道我要是到了尼古拉斯的歲數
會怎麼回顧自己的一生，
於是我問他：
你一生中最美好的時光是在什麼時候？
Without hesitation,
Nicholas replied,
Well, Joe, this is my philosophical answer
to your philosophical question.
尼古拉斯毫不遲疑地答道：好吧，喬，
以下就是我對於
你那富有哲理的問題所作出的
富有哲理的回答。
When I was a child in Austria
and everything was taken care of for me
and I was nurtured by my parents,
that was the best time of my life.
小時候我在奧地利，
一切都被照顧得好好的，
我在父母的撫育下成長，
那是我一生中最美好的時光。
When I was going to school
and learning the things I know today,
that was the best time of my life.
上學的時候
我學著至今都不忘記的知識，
那是我一生中最美好的時光。
When I got my first job
and had responsibilities
and got paid for my efforts,
that was the best time of my life.
當我找到第一份工作，
承擔了工作中的職責
並且為自己的努力獲得報酬時，
那是我一生中最美好的時光。
When I met my wife and fell in love,
that was the best time of my life.
當我遇到我的妻子並墜入愛河時，
那是我一生中最美好的時光。
The Second World War came,
and my wife and I had to flee Austria
to save our lives.
二次大戰來臨，
妻子和我為活命不得不逃離奧地利。
When we were together
and safe on a ship bound for North America,
that was the best time of my life.
當我們一起安安全全地坐上駛往北美洲的輪船時，
那是我一生中最美好的時光。
When we came to Canada
and started a family,
that was the best time of my life.
當我們來到加拿大建立了家庭時，
那是一生中最美好的時光。
When I was a young father,
watching my children grow up,
that was the best time of my life.
當我成了一位年輕的父親，
看著自己的孩子一點點地長大時，
那是我一生中最美好的時光。
And now, Joe,
I am seventy-nine years old.
I have my health,
I feel good and I am in love with my wife
just as I was when we first met.
而現在，喬，
我79歲了。
我身體健康，感覺很好，
而且還和初次相遇時一樣愛我的妻子。
This is the best time of my life.
這是我一生中最美好的時光。
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