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Twenty years ago, I drove a cab for a living. It was a cowboy's life, a life for someone who wanted no boss.

二十年前，我以開出租車為生。這是一種富有冒險(xiǎn)精神的生活，適合那些不想受老板管制的人。

What I didn't realize was that it was also a ministry. Because I drove the night shift, my cab became a moving confessional. Passengers climbed in, sat behind me in total anonymity, and told me about their lives. I encountered people whose lives amazed me, ennobled me, made me laugh and weep, but none touched me more than a woman I picked up late one August night.

開始我沒有意識(shí)到它也是一種牧師職業(yè)。由于我上夜班，我的出租車就成為一個(gè)流動(dòng)的懺悔室。乘客們爬進(jìn)車?yán)铮�坐在我后面，素不相識(shí)，然后給我講述他們的生活。我遇到過很多人，有些人的生活讓我感到驚奇，有些人的生活讓我肅然起敬，有些人帶給我歡笑和哭泣。然而最使我感動(dòng)的，是在八月的一個(gè)晚上乘車的一位老婦人。

I was responding to a call from a small brick fourplex in a quiet part of town. I assumed I was being sent to pick up some people who had been partying, or someone who had just had a fight with a lover, or a worker heading to an early shift at some factory for the industrial part of town.

我正在接電話，是從一座磚造四套公寓住宅小樓打來的。我想可能是讓我去那里接一些參加舞會(huì)的人，或者剛與愛人打過架的人，或者要去城鎮(zhèn)工業(yè)區(qū)的某個(gè)工廠趕早班的工人。

When I arrived at 2:30 a.m., the building was dark except for a single light in a ground floor window. Under these circumstances, many drivers would just honk once or twice, wait a minute, then drive away. But I had seen too many impoverished people who depended on taxis as their only means of transportation. Unless a situation smelled of danger, I always went to the door. This passenger might be someone who needs my assistance, I reasoned to myself. So I walked to the door and knocked.

凌晨兩點(diǎn)半我趕到的時(shí)候，樓里除了第一層窗戶那兒亮著一盞孤燈外，漆黑一片。在這種情況下，很多司機(jī)都是按一兩下喇叭，等一會(huì)兒，然而就開車離開了。但我見過太多窮困的人們，他們把出租車作為唯一的交通工具。除非嗅到危險(xiǎn)的氣氛，我總是走到門前。這位乘客也許需要我的幫助，我為自己找理由。于是我走到門前，敲門。

"Just a minute," answered a frail, elderly voice. I could hear something being dragged across the floor. After a long pause, the door opened. A small woman in her 80s stood before me. She was wearing a print dress and a pillbox hat with a veil pinned on it, like somebody out of a 1940's movie. By her side was a small nylon suitcase.

“請(qǐng)等一下。”一個(gè)虛弱而蒼老的聲音答道。我能聽到在地板上拖著東西的聲音，過了好一會(huì)，門開了。一位80多歲的弱小老婦人站在我面前。她穿著印花外套，戴著別有面紗的筒狀女帽，就像從20世紀(jì)40年代的電影里走出來的人。她身旁是一個(gè)小型的尼龍手提箱。

The apartment looked as if no one had lived in it for years. All the furniture was covered with sheets. There were no clocks on the walls, no knickknacks or utensils on the counters. In the comer was a cardboard box filled with photos and glassware.

這座公寓看上去很多年沒人住過了，所有的家具都用帆布蒙著，墻上沒有掛鐘，柜臺(tái)上也沒有任何裝飾物或家用器具。墻角放著一個(gè)紙箱，里面堆滿了照片和玻璃器皿。

"Would you carry my bag out to the car?" she said.

“你能幫我把包拿到車上嗎?”她說。

I took the suitcase to the cab, then returned to assist the woman. She took my arm and we walked slowly toward the cab. She kept thanking me for my kindness.

我把箱子放到車上，又回來攙扶老婦人。她挽住我的胳膊，我們慢慢走到車旁。她不停地感謝我的好心。

"It's nothing, I told her." I just try to treat my passengers the way I would want my mother treated."

“沒什么，”我對(duì)她說，“我想要?jiǎng)e人這樣對(duì)待我的母親，我就得盡力這樣對(duì)待我的乘客。”

"Oh, you're such a good boy," she said.

“哦，你真是個(gè)好孩子。”她說。

When we got in the cab,she gave me an address,then asked, "Could you drive through downtown?"

當(dāng)我們坐進(jìn)車?yán)飼r(shí)，她遞給我一個(gè)地址，然后又問道：“你能從城鎮(zhèn)中心穿過去嗎?”

"It's not the shortest way," I answered quickly.

“那不是最近的路。”我很快回答。

"Oh, I don't mind," she said. "I'm in no hurry. I'm on my way to a hospice."

“哦，沒關(guān)系，”她說，“我不急著趕路，我就要去臨終關(guān)懷醫(yī)院了。”

I looked in the rear view mirror. Her eyes were glistening. "I don't have any family left," she continued. "he doctor says I don't have..."

我從后視鏡看了看，她的眼睛閃著光。她繼續(xù)說著：“我沒有任何家人了，醫(yī)生說我沒有…”

I quietly reached over and shut off the meter.

我輕輕地伸手關(guān)掉了計(jì)量表。

"What route would you like me to take?" I asked.

“您想讓我走哪條路線?”我問。

For the next two hours, we drove through the city. She showed me the building where she had once worked as an elevator operator. We drove through the neighborhood where she and her husband had lived when they were newlyweds. She had me pull up in front of a furniture warehouse that had once been a ballroom where she had gone dancing as a girl.

接下來的兩個(gè)小時(shí)，我們開車穿過了整個(gè)城市。她指給我看當(dāng)年她做電梯操作負(fù)的那座大廈，她和她的丈夫當(dāng)年新婚時(shí)生活過的小區(qū)，她讓我在一家家具商店前面停車，那兒以前是個(gè)舞廳，她還是個(gè)小姑娘時(shí)常去那兒跳舞。

Sometimes she'd ask me to slow in front of a particular building or corner and would sit staring into the darkness, saying nothing.

有時(shí)經(jīng)過一個(gè)特殊的大樓或角落時(shí)她會(huì)讓我放慢車速，她會(huì)坐在那里注視著夜空，默默無語。

As the first hint of sun was creasing the horizon, she suddenly said, "I'm tired. Let's go now."

當(dāng)?shù)谝豢|陽光打破了地平線，她突然說：“我累了，咱們現(xiàn)在就走吧。”

We drove in silence to the address she had given me. It was a low building, like a small convalescenthome, with a driveway that passed under a portico.

我們默默地驅(qū)車向她給我的那個(gè)地址駛?cè)ァＤ鞘且蛔�低矮的樓房，就像一個(gè)小療養(yǎng)院，在門廊的下面有一條車道。

Two orderlies came out to the cab as soon as we pulled up. They were solicitous and intent, watching her every move. They must have been expecting her. I opened the trunk and took the small suitcase to the door. The woman was already seated in a wheelchair.

我們剛停車，就有兩個(gè)護(hù)理員出來向我們走來。她們關(guān)切而熱心地注視著她的一舉一動(dòng)，看樣子一定是在等著她的到來。我打開車尾的行李箱，把她的小型手提箱提到門口。老婦人已經(jīng)坐進(jìn)輪椅里，

"How much do I owe you?" she asked, reaching into her purse.

“我該給你多少錢?”她邊說邊把手伸進(jìn)錢包。

"Nothing." I said.

“不用了，”我說。

"You have to make a living." she answered.

“你得謀生呢，”她說。

"There are other passengers." I responded.

“還有其他的乘客，”我回答。

Almost without thinking, I bent and gave her a hug. She held onto me tightly.

幾乎想也沒想，我彎下腰擁抱了她一下。她也緊緊地抱著我。

"You gave an old woman a little moment of joy," she said. "Thank you."

“你給了一個(gè)老婦人片刻的歡樂，”她說，“謝謝你。”

I squeezed her hand, then walked into the dim morning light. Behind me, a door shut. It was the sound of the closing of a life.

我緊緊地握了握她的手，便走進(jìn)了微弱的晨光中。門在我身后關(guān)上了。這也是生命關(guān)閉的聲音。

I didn't pick up any more passengers that shift. I drove aimlessly, lost in thought. For the rest of that day, I could hardly talk. What if that woman had gotten an angry driver, or one who was impatient at the end his shift? What if I had refused to take the run, or had honked once, then driven away? On a quick review, I don't think that I have done anything more important in my life.

那晚我沒有拉其他的乘客。我漫無方向地開著車，陷入沉思中。那天其余的時(shí)間，我?guī)缀跽f不出話。如果那位老婦人碰到一位狂暴的司機(jī)，或者急著結(jié)束晚班的司機(jī)，那會(huì)怎么樣呢?如果我拒絕跑這趟車，或者只是按一聲喇叭，便開車離開，那又會(huì)怎么樣呢?匆忙回顧了一下，我認(rèn)為我做了一件生命中再重要不過的事情。

We're conditioned to think that our lives revolve around great moments. But great moments often catch us unaware--beautifully wrapped in what others may consider a small one. People may not remember exactly what you did, or what you said, but they will always remember how you made them feel.

我們習(xí)慣性地認(rèn)為我們的生命中有一些重大的時(shí)刻，然而重大的時(shí)刻往往在不經(jīng)意時(shí)降臨到我們身上——也許在別人眼中是小事，但它有著美麗的包裝。人們可能不會(huì)完全記住你所做的事，或者你所說的話…但他們卻會(huì)永遠(yuǎn)記住你帶給他們的感覺。

Take a moment to stop and appreciate the memories you have made, the memory making opportunities around you and make someone feel special today.

花上片刻的時(shí)間，停下腳步欣賞一下你的回憶，那些為周圍的人創(chuàng)造了機(jī)會(huì)的回憶，那些使他人今天仍然感覺特別的回憶。