佚名/Anonymous
Millions of people, everywhere, are expressing their happiness by doing what they love to do right now, at this very moment. They are writing (!), they are teaching, they are building, they are healing… they are doing it because it makes them feel happy!
Happiness. What is it? Is it more than just an emotion? I think so. At least, I feel that it is (ha ha). Nathaniel Hawthorn wrote,“happiness is as a butterfly, which, when pursued, is always just beyond your grasp. But if you sit down, quietly, it will alight upon you.”
When I go deep and ponder such things, I find myself in an abstract place. It is“the void”, where there are no words and there are no things. All that's there is just pure love and it's many counterparts— joy, peace, happiness, bliss, ecstasy… How do I begin to write about something that has such a profound affect on me? How can anyone write about such a feeling, when that feeling is part of the ocean and there is no end to the ocean?
I could list many things that make me feel happy, but I know that some of them would not be your idea of happiness. You might even consider them to be a form of punishment. I suspect that I'd be looking for an exit sign if you came by and suggested we go bunjee jumping together. No thanks; I'd rather have a root canal. So“happiness”feels good, it makes you smile, and it is based largely on your own personal experiences. Each day, you find different ways to feel happy. What make you happy right now? Do you know? Can you list five things, today, that make you feel really, truly happy? Great! Write them down!
Hopefully you've thought of about a dozen more things besides these five, but these five are great for starters. Read out loud. Louder please! Say it this time, with feeling. Good! Much better. Are you smiling yet? If not, why not? Lighten up, please. We are having some fun here! Do the same with the next 4. Read each one aloud, and say each one with feeling.
Isn't it great to know the things that make you feel happy? Isn't it great to be able to express this out loud?
Now, since your“happy thoughts”are already written down, place them in your journal, beside your computer, on top of your desk, at your bedside table—put your list into a picture frame if you want to, it doesn't matter. But please, don't hide this list away—keep it somewhere handy where you can see it. Because you are going to use it sometimes!
The next time you have a blue moment, or you feel UNHAPPY, pull out your five happy thoughts and read them all aloud. Remember—say them with feeling! Hopefully, after you read them out loud, you will feel a lot better.
But you're not finished! Not yet!
Next, get moving. Go help someone—either a friend or a stranger. Go and shovel their driveway or drive them to the grocery store. Go and clean out one of your closets. Go and do something constructive—perhaps something that you know you love to do. Go and introduce yourself to a neighbor, or read to someone at the hospital. It will move you, and I promise you, it will make you feel happy to“get out of your own way”.
And remember—happiness is part of love, and love is an ocean. Go dive in and get some, and then share it with everyone—there is an endless supply!
世界上数以百万的人们正传递着他们的幸福快乐——他们做自己喜爱的事：写作、教书、建房子、治疗……因为这些事能让他们感到幸福快乐。
幸福快乐是什么？仅仅是一种情感吗？至少，我不认为如此。霍桑曾写道：“幸福就像一只蝴蝶，当你去追逐它时，总也抓不住；如果你静静地坐下来，它便会落在你的身上。”
当我深入思考这些时，发觉自己处在一个虚幻的世界中。这个“空间”没有文字，没有物质，只有纯粹的爱和其他美好——欢乐、和平、幸福、福佑、欢喜……它对我有深刻的感染力，使我不知道如何描述。谁能将这种感觉写出来呢？这种感觉只是无边无尽的沧海一粟。
让我感到幸福快乐的事，不胜枚举。但是，我知道其中一些，对你来说，并不意味着幸福，你甚至会认为它们是一种惩罚。如果你过来建议我们一起去蹦极，我怀疑自己可能会找借口离开：“不，谢谢，我宁愿去做根管治疗。”“幸福快乐”的感觉很美妙，会让你露出笑容。所以，在很大程度上，它取决于你的个人经历。每天，你寻找不同的方式来感受幸福。现在让你感到幸福快乐的是什么呢？你知道吗？今天，让你感到真正幸福快乐的事，能列举出五个例子吗？太好了！写下来吧！
希望你已经想出了一打快乐的事，而不仅仅是五个。不过，五个对于刚开始来说已经很不错了。把第一件事大声读出来，请再大声点儿！这次，有感情地去读，很好！非常好！你笑了吗？如果没有，为什么？请放松，这儿有许多乐趣！同样地，把下面的四件事也大声读出来，并要带着感情。
知道哪些事让你感受幸福快乐，很不错吧？大声说出来，是不是很好呢？
现在，既然你“幸福快乐的想法”已经写下来了，那么请把它们放到日程表里、电脑旁或书桌上、床头柜旁——把你的清单放在画框里，如果你愿意的话，这都没关系。但是，请别藏起来——把它放在任何一个你容易看到的地方，因为你随时都可能用到它。下次，当你心情烦闷，或者感到不快乐的时候，把你的五个幸福想法拿出来，大声朗读。记住：要带着感情，希望读完后你会好受些。
但是，你还没有完全做完！还没有！
接下来，行动起来，去帮助某人——不论是一个朋友还是陌生人。帮他们清一下车道，或开车送他们去杂货店。清理一下你的衣柜，做些有用的事——比如那些你喜欢的。向一个邻居作自我介绍，或者到医院去给病人读些书，这些都会让你感动。并且，我保证，它会让你感到幸福快乐，“摆脱郁闷”。
最后，记住：幸福是爱的一部分，潜入爱的海洋，然后与他人分享自己的爱——爱是用之不竭的。
ponder ['p?nd?] v.仔细考虑；衡量
They are pondering the questions.
他们正在考虑这些问题。
ecstasy ['ekst?si] n.入迷；狂喜；忘形
His ecstasy to the pop music is unbelievable.
他对流行音乐的入迷程度令人难以置信。
blue [blu:] adj.蓝色的；忧郁的；沮丧的；下流的
Why do you look so blue?
你为什么看上去如此的沮丧？
shovel ['??v?l] v.用铲挖；铲除；把……胡乱塞入
Please help your neighbor shovel his walkway.
请帮助你的邻居清理走道。
幸福就像一只蝴蝶，当你去追逐它时，总也抓不住；如果你静静地坐下来，它便会落在你的身上。
________________________________________
这种感觉只是无边无尽的沧海一粟。
________________________________________
幸福是爱的一部分，潜入爱的海洋，然后与他人分享自己的爱。
________________________________________
When I go deep and ponder such things, I find myself in an abstract place.
go deep：深入
________________________________________
I suspect that I'd be looking for an exit sign if you came by and suggested we go bunjee jumping together.
jump together：相符；吻合
________________________________________