Last February I turned 51.
今年2月，我滿51歲了。

And to be honest, it didn't make me jump with joy.
坦誠的說，對此我實在高興不起來。

Of course, I still recognised the face in the mirror.
當(dāng)然，我還是能認出鏡子里自己的臉

But it definitely didn't reflect my inner me anymore.
但鏡子里的臉再也無法顯示我內(nèi)心的樣子了

While I retreated to the desolate land of quiet mourning,
這是一個寧靜的早上，孤孤單單的，我一個人躲進孤寂之中，這時
?

a tsunami of hallelujah stories swept through the web
我忽然在網(wǎng)上看到了一大波令人振奮的故事

about age-enthusiasts who are carving out a whole new career,
關(guān)于那些不服老的人如何開創(chuàng)一番新的事業(yè)

accomplishing extraordinary feats,
達成十分卓越的成就
?

training to be extremely fit,
鍛煉身體，成為非常健康的人
?

and feeling the best they ever felt.
感覺自己從未這么好過

'60 is the new 30!'
“60歲是新的中年標準！”

'Life starts after fifty!'
“50歲，生活才剛剛開始！”

'How I reinvented myself at the age of 55!'
“我是如何在55歲的年齡上，重新開發(fā)自己的！”

Right.
好吧。

All that we-are-older-and-don't-care didn't quite struck a chord with me.
這些鼓吹“我們變老了，但是我們不在乎”的故事并不能讓我有絲毫觸動。

It only depressed me even more,
這是會讓我更加消沉

because I for one wasn't starting up a trendy design agency,
因為就我自己來說，我沒有開創(chuàng)一個潮流設(shè)計品牌

or training for an ultramarathon , or being the best I'd ever been.
也沒有去跑超級馬拉松，也沒有成為最好的自己。

As a life coach helping others enjoy the power of mindfulness,
作為一個人生導(dǎo)師，我能幫助其他人感受思想的強大力量

I felt even worse for feeling how I felt.
因此對于我此刻的消沉，我更難以接受
?

Mindfulness is about acceptance.
正念減壓法的要義正是接受自我

About gratitude.
心存感恩

About gracefully going with the flow.
帶著人性的優(yōu)雅接受自然的安排

Not about resistance, resentment, and regret.
而不是抗拒，怨恨和后悔

So I found myself not only watching how my original self slipped through my fingers,
所以，我不僅是在眼睜睜的看著曾經(jīng)的自己從指間溜走

but now I was also rapidly turning into the world's worst disciple.
還正迅速的魔化成世界上最糟糕的教徒

Until, three weeks ago,
直到，三個星期之前

husband comes home and shows me Face App on his mobile.
我丈夫回到家里，給我看他手機上的一個變臉App

The app has changed him into an 88-year old Clint Eastwood kind of hunk,
那個App已經(jīng)把他變成了88歲的模樣，一個Clint Eastwood(《廊橋遺夢》主演）版本的綠巨人。

wow!
哇噻！

I can't help myself
我簡直情不自禁

and fall in love all over again.
第二次對他墜入愛河

Moreover, the change is simply hilarious
不僅如此，這變臉簡直太搞笑了

and we laugh our heads off!
我們笑得停不下來

Then, of course, it is my turn.
接著，理所應(yīng)當(dāng)?shù)?，輪到我?/div>

— eew —
呃……

Husband takes my picture,
丈夫給我拍了一張照片

puts it into the app.
輸入到這個App里

App grabs my face,
App識別出了我的臉

crunches my features, and voilà,
對我的臉一番操作，接著，當(dāng)當(dāng)當(dāng)！

poops out an 88-year old version of me.
它曬出了88歲的我

OMG!
我的天吶！

Husband rolls off the couch roaring.
丈夫已經(jīng)笑得在沙發(fā)上打滾

But I don't know whether to laugh or cry.
而我卻不知道該笑還是哭

It's me alright.
沒錯，這確實是我

I swallow.
我吞了一口唾沫

Then I take a closer look at my elderly avatar.
然后仔細端詳了一眼耄耋之年的我的替身

My teeth are shorter.
我的牙齒變得又短又小

My wrinkles are deeper
皺紋更加深邃

My neck is seriously sagging.
脖子上松垂著一層層褶皺

Like an obsessed laborant
我像一個沉迷學(xué)術(shù)的實驗員一樣

I examine the result with such a laser sharp eye
開始用鐳射掃描眼仔細審查那張照片

that it nearly burns a hole through the glass screen.
幾乎可以在手機屏幕上燒出一個洞

But then I zoom out and look at the whole picture.
然后縮小照片，看著整張臉

I see softness glowing on the cheeks.
我看到她的臉頰上有溫柔的光彩

The comfort of a warm smile.
唇邊有溫暖，令人感到舒適的微笑

A gaze lined with a lifetime of incredibly rich experiences.
眼神中透露出一世豐富的閱歷

That night I share both my present and old me on social website.
那天晚上，我在社交網(wǎng)站上曬出了現(xiàn)在的照片和耄耋之年的照片

The next morning my friends seem to like the old me.
第二天早上我發(fā)現(xiàn)，我的朋友們似乎更喜歡年老的我

'I think you look pretty cool' one comments.
“我覺得你看起來很酷！”其中一個評論到

Again I study the older face critically.
于是我第二次批判的審視了一番年老的我

But suddenly I feel how my face smiles back at that older lady who might be me.
突然，我感到自己也在微笑，似乎是在回饋那個或許會變成我的老奶奶的微笑

Now, when I see myself in the mirror,
現(xiàn)在，當(dāng)我再次看到鏡中的自己

I'm sincerely pleased.
我感到由衷的滿足

I haven't run an ultramarathon
?我沒有跑過超級馬拉松

or started a new cool career.
沒有開創(chuàng)一番新事業(yè)

I can't boast about any physical or intellectual feat.
沒有做出任何值得夸耀的身體或智力上的成就

My leap forwards is a purely emotional triumph .
我的進步純粹是情感上的勝利

I've opened a door within myself
我打開了一扇心扉

and behind it discovered compassion,
在門的后面，我看到了對自己的熱情

appreciation and love for myself.
欣賞，以及愛意

Whatever age she might be.
無論那個女人貴庚多少

Thanks to that silly app
我要感謝那個傻傻的App

I've mustered the courage to start crossing the bridge into my future.
我終于操控了勇氣，敢于向未來的時光之橋邁出一步

On the other side of my present me — I now know — lives a lovely old lady.
橋這一頭是當(dāng)下的我——現(xiàn)在我終于知道——在橋的另一頭，住著一個可愛的老奶奶

She is patiently waiting for me.
她正耐心的等待著我

And once I arrive, I'll be her best friend.
當(dāng)我渡過這座橋，我會成為她最好的朋友