Tucked away in our subconscious 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.
我们的潜意识里藏着一派田园诗般的风光！我们仿佛身处一次横贯大陆的漫漫旅程之中！乘着火车，我们领略着窗外流动的景色：附近高速公路上奔驰的汽车、十字路口处招手的孩童、远山上吃草的牛群、源源不断地从电厂排放出的烟尘、一片片的玉米和小麦、平原与山谷、群山与绵延的丘陵、天空映衬下城市的轮廓，以及乡间的庄园宅第。
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.
然而我们心里想得最多的却是最终的目的地。在某一天的某一时刻，我们将会抵达进站。迎接我们的将是乐队和飘舞的彩旗。一旦到了那儿，多少美梦将成为现实，我们的生活也将变得完整，如同一块理好了的拼图。可是我们现在在过道里不耐烦地踱来踱去，咒骂火车的拖拖拉拉。我们期待着，期待着，期待着火车进站的那一刻。
"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!"
“当我们到站的时候，一切就都好了！”我们呼喊着。“当我18岁的时候。”“当我有了一辆新450SL奔驰的时候！”“当我供最小的孩子念完大学的时候。”“当我偿清贷款的时候！”“当我官升高任的时候。”“当我到了退休的时候，就可以从此过上幸福的生活啦！”
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.
可是我们终究会认识到人生的旅途中并没有车站，也没有能够“一到永逸”的地方！生活的真正乐趣在于旅行的过程，而车站不过是个梦，它始终遥遥领先于我们。
So stop pacing the aisles and counting the miles. Instead, climb more mountains, eat more ice cream, 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，将更多的高山攀爬，多吃点儿冰淇淋甜甜嘴巴，经常光着脚板儿溜达，在更多的河流里畅游，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！
