Healing

Sophie Zhang

∷段会香 注

I woke up today and realized that it has been almost six months since that fateful day my ex-boyfriend broke up with me.1. fateful: 重大的，决定性的；break up: 分手。It’s amazing2. amazing: 令人惊异的。how much your life can change in a short period of time. But it’s also amazing how much you have to leave in the past in order for that change to be productive.3. in order for: 为了使……；productive: 有益的。Six months ago, I never thought I could be happy again. I woke up each morning feeling empty and alone, and each smile and laugh I put on felt fake and forced.4. put on: 假装； fake: 假的，冒充的；forced: 被迫的。When my alarm would ring, signaling the start of a new day, I would lie in bed lingering for a few extra seconds, wondering when life would possibly get better.5. 闹钟响起预示着一天的开始，我会在床上多躺几秒钟，思考什么时候生活可以变好。signal: 表明，预示；linger:逗留，徘徊。Could it get better?

But it does. People fall in love again. One of the wonderful things about human beings is that we forget what we want to forget and remember what we want to remember. I will never forget how sad I was six months ago, but I no longer remember what that pain felt like. I have not let that pain stop me from falling in love again.

People also learn. In six months, many things have changed: I turned 20.Winter turned into spring, which is now gradually transitioning6. transition: 过渡，转变。to summer. I found a new boy to talk, laugh, and have fun with. I got a summer job. I started laughing for real again. I made new friends. I went to new places. In short7. in short: 简而言之，总之。, life isn’t the same as it was before. We always want life to be perfect and we like it letting us down when things don’t quite go our way.8. let sb. down: 使某人失望；go one’s way:（事件、形势等）对某人有利，如其所愿。But happiness is measured relative to our other experiences.9. 但是幸福是相对于其他经历而言的。measure: 测量，衡量。We appreciate that sunny day much more when it has been raining for a week straight10. straight: 连续不断地。. We appreciate our families much more when we haven’t seen them in a long time. We appreciate love much more when you have gone through loss, and you realize that love is a gift, not a given.11. go through: 经历，经受；given: 假设。

年轻的我们，经历一点点事情就会有被生活抛弃了的感觉。但一段时间以后，我们会发现，生活不会抛弃任何一个人，生活只是一场赌博，有输有赢，这就是人生。赢了，皆大欢喜。如果输了，也不要对生活失去信心，让我们整装待发，继续下一场人生之旅。

Sometimes I still stay awake late in the night wondering what will happen if I never do get hurt like I did six months ago. Sometimes I am able to recall those empty days and how overwhelmingly suffocated I felt.12. recall: 记起，回想起； overwhelmingly: 无法抵抗地，势不可挡地；suffocated: 感觉窒息的。Sometimes I even recall those feelings on purpose, just because a little part of me doesn’t want me to forget what it felt like. But despite the pain, we make choices to take risks.13. despite: 尽管，虽有；take risk: 冒险（做可能失败的事）。We sacri fice everything for happiness. It’s the biggest gamble we can ever take, but it’s also the most worthwhile when it pays off.14. 这是我们所能进行的最大的一场赌博，但是如果成功，也是我们最值得做的。gamble: 冒险，赌博；worthwhile: 有价值的，值得做的；pay off: 成功，赢利。When I first fell in love almost three years ago, I didn’t know what gamble I was taking until I lost. But, even though I now know what it feels like15. feel like: 想要，感觉。to win and lose, I keep playing the game. And I will keep playing the game until the winnings are mine to keep forever.

I’m only 20 and I know that I will keep learning as I grow older. Maybe I will think I’m na ve16. na ve: 天真的，幼稚的。. Perhaps I am. But all I know is that human nature craves affection, craves friendship, and craves love.17. 但是我所知道的是，人性渴望情感，渴望友谊，渴望爱情。crave: 渴望；affection: 情感，喜欢。In a world full of greed, violence, money, and malice, love is the only thing we keep fighting for.18. greed: 贪婪；malice: 恶意。Life is still good when you have your family, friends, and partners.Otherwise, you’re just alone.

Are humans just stupid? I hear stories of people giving up their entire lives to be with their one true love. Or are we just incredibly19. incredibly: 不可思议地，难以置信地。brave? I’m not sure—but we have to keep living life with the glass half full.20. 我也不确定——但是我们必须坚持生活下去，虽然我们的杯子只是半满。