日落当前，工作靠边

by Laurie Granieri

I believe in leaving work at 5 oclock. In a nation that operates on a 1）staunch 2）Protestant work ethic， this belief could be considered radical. Working only 40 hours a week？ I just dont know many people who 3）punch out at 5 oclock anymore. It seems downright quaint， like pocket watches and shoeshines.

My father tried to teach me the importance of hard work， long hours and dedication to a career. But then there are the things he taught me 4）unintentionally， like when he arrived home from work for the last time and crawled up the stairs.

My father， a self-employed sales trainer， was that sick， that tired. His body was wracked with liver cancer， and he suffered the effects of a diabetic 5）ulcer. Still， he insisted on traveling to honor his commitment to give a seminar. He probably earned a lot of money that day， and he paid the price. He returned to the hospital soon after and was dead within three months at age 58.

Its been 10 years since I saw my father come home that night， and since then Ive thought a lot about work. Ive decided something： I will never crawl up the stairs. As much as I love my job as a newspaper reporter， I will never work myself into the ground， literally or 6）figuratively.

我认为下午五点就该放下工作了。在一个严格奉行新教工作道德的国家，这种信念可算是太激进。每周只工作四十小时？我已经看不到有多少人还会在五点钟就打卡下班了。这种事情看起来完全是古旧怪异，与过时的怀表和鞋油无异。

我的父亲曾试图教育我勤奋工作、多花时间以及献身事业的重要性。但后来，他却在无意中教会我一些道理，例如在他最后一次下班回家爬上楼梯的时候。

我的父亲是一名自雇的销售培训师。那时候，他已经病得不轻，疲惫不堪。肝癌拖垮了他的身体，而他还饱受糖尿病溃疡的折磨。然而，为履行承诺，他仍然坚持到外地主持一个研讨会。他那天可能赚了不少钱，但他也付出了代价。不久后，他又住进了医院，并且在三个月后就去世了，终年58岁。

那晚看到父亲回家距今已有十年了，自那以后，我对工作这件事多番思量。我作出决定：我绝不要步父亲后尘。作为一名报社记者，尽管我对自己的工作充满热忱，但我决不会玩命工作，“死而后已”，无论是从字面含义还是比喻意义上来说。

The idea of leaving work at work didnt come easily to me. After all， I am my fathers daughter. In college， I wasnt going to 7）keg parties in a 8） frat basement； I was the girl who lingered on the library steps each morning， waiting for the doors to open. I even dreamt about schoolwork.

My dad once told me he was unable to just gaze at a sunset. He had to be doing something as he looked at it—writing， reading， playing chess. You could say he was a success. He was a published author， an accomplished musician， fluent in German and the American 9）Sign Language. Thats an impressive list， but heres the thing： I want to gaze at sunsets. I dont want to meet a deadline during them or be writing a column at the same time， or glance at them over the top of a book.

This raises the question： If I leave work at 5 oclock to watch the sunset， what are the consequences？ Do I risk not reaching the top of my profession？ Maybe because honestly， knocking off after eight hours probably wont earn me the corner office or the 10）lucrative promotion.

But hey， leaving work at 5 oclock means I eat dinner with my family. I get to hop on my bike and pedal through the streets of my hometown as the shadows lengthen and the traffic thins.

And I get to take in a lot of sunsets. Thats got to be worth something.

只在工作时段工作的想法于我并非易事。毕竟，有其父必有其女。念大学时，我不去参加大学生联谊会的地下室啤酒狂欢派对，而是每天一早就在图书馆的阶梯上徘徊，等着图书馆开门。我甚至做梦时都在想着学校作业。

我父亲曾经告诉我，他就是没法一动不动地观看日落。看着日落时，他还得干点别的事——写作、阅读、下棋。你可以称他是一位成功人士：他是一名出版过作品的作家，一位有造诣的音乐家，能说流利的德语，也能熟练运用美国手语。这一连串成就让人印象深刻，但问题是：我想一动不动地观赏日落。我不想在欣赏日落的时候还得赶最后期限，也不想一边观赏日落一边还得给专栏赶稿，又或者是眼睛盯着书，偶尔才朝那一抹日落瞥上一眼。

这么做引发了一个问题：如果我五点就放下工作观赏日落，会有什么后果？我是否就无法攀上职业的高峰？也许是吧，因为说实话，工作八小时就歇工，很可能让我无缘搬进高层办公室或升职加薪。

不过，嘿，五点就放下工作意味着我能和家人共进晚餐。我跳上单车，蹬着踏板，穿梭于家乡的大街小巷，其时，夕阳将影子拉长，而街上则车少人稀。

因此，我观看到了不少日落美景。而这肯定有其价值所在。