人生与垂钓

by Michael T. Smith

It was a beautiful morning； the summer heat was hours in the future； the sky was a 1）canopy of blue satin stretched over our heads in all directions. It was chilly， considering 2）the hundred degree heat wed suffered through for weeks.

Small birds chirped in the trees. Various species of ducks floated on the water， some with their backsides pointed to the sky， as they ate the 3）vegetation that rose from the bottom of the pond.

My oldest grandson， Seth， now twelve， stood on the small dock and waited for me to bait his hook with a lively worm. It wriggled in my fingers and 4）smeared me with moist black soil from the container that held eleven of its brothers.

I fastened the worm securely to the hook. “Here you go， Sethman.” as my wife Ginny and I both call him. “Youre all set.”

He cast his line into the water. His 5）bobber bounced on the tiny waves created by the small breeze that breached the 6）blockage of trees at the edge of the pond. The waves that sparkled with the reflected sun.

I baited my own hook and cast my line into the water.

We sat on the dock， enjoyed the brief reprieve from the heat and watched our bobbers for signs of a bite.

那是个美丽的早晨，夏日的酷热还有几小时才来，天幕如同蓝色的绸缎在我们的头顶上向四面八方铺开。相对持续了好几个星期华氏100 度的高温，今天的天气有点清冷。

小鸟儿在树上吱吱喳喳地叫着。不同类的鸭子浮在水面上，有些屁股朝天，低头吃着从池塘底部长出来的水草。

我最大的孙儿——12岁的塞夫，站在小码头上，等着我为他的鱼钩挂上鲜活的虫子。虫儿在我的手指间蠕动，并把从罐子里带来的湿湿的黑泥巴蹭到了我手上，那罐子里还装着它的11个兄弟。

我把虫子牢牢地挂到钩子上。“给，塞夫曼。”我和妻子金妮都那么叫他。“你已经一切准备就绪了。”

他把鱼线抛到水里。微风突破了池塘边树木的封锁，在水面上泛起小波浪，塞夫的浮子随着小波浪一起一伏。波浪中闪耀着太阳的倒影。

我为自己的鱼钩装上鱼饵，也把鱼线抛入水中。

我们坐在码头上，享受着暑热还没到来前的短暂时光，双眼盯着浮子，观察着是否有鱼上钩。

Seth reeled his line in. “What are you doing？” I asked.

“Theres no fish there.”

“Sure there are！” I said. “They arent hungry right now， but theyre there.”

He ignored me， pulled his bobber and bait in and cast his line in another direction.

I sat and watched Seth cast. Hed wait a few minutes， reel it in and cast again.

“Seth！” He looked at me. “Seth！ Patience！ Fishing is a game of patience： You cast your bait into the water and wait.”

“Poppa， there are no fish here.”

“Are too！ Seth， fishing is a game， a very slow one. Sometimes you win， but mostly you lose. The fish are clever. Its a waiting game. Toss your bait to the water and wait. The fish usually win. Theyre smart. You need to be smarter.”

We went home that day empty handed， but I hoped he learned a lesson.

Nothing is easy in life. We go through pains， struggles and dreams， but if we are patient， our goals will bite the hook and we can reel them in.

Im still waiting for mine. I know its out there， under the waters， searching for the hook baited with my written words. One day it will happen.

In the meantime， I keep fishing.

塞夫把他的鱼线卷了回去。“你在干什么？”我问。

“那里没鱼。”

“当然有！”我说道，“它们现在不饿，但鱼一定在那儿。”

他不管我，拉起浮子和鱼饵，把鱼线投向另一个地方。

我坐在那儿看着塞夫抛出他的鱼线。他等了几分钟，把它卷了回去，然后又再投了出去。

“塞夫！”他看着我。“塞夫！要有耐心！钓鱼是关乎耐心的游戏：你把鱼饵抛进水里，等着。”

“爷爷，这儿没鱼。”

“这儿也有！塞夫，钓鱼是个游戏，节奏非常慢的游戏。有时你会赢，但多数时候你会输。鱼是很聪明的。这是个等待的游戏。把你的鱼饵扔进水里等着。鱼通常会赢，它们很聪明，你得比它们聪明才行。”

那天，我们空手而回，但我希望他能学到一课。

人生中没有容易的事。我们经历痛苦、挣扎和梦想，但如果我们有耐心，我们的目标就会“上钩”，我们就能把它们钓回来。

我依然等待着我的“鱼”。我知道它就在那里，在水下，搜寻着我用文字做饵的鱼钩。终有一天梦想会成真。

与此同时，我会一直“垂钓”不息。