退休者的時間
作者：滌然 / 中譯：以恩
有一次，我和我的朋友一起喝茶。 他說："不著急，不著急，我們退休的人擁有我們所需要的時間。"
"什麼？"，我在心裡大喊。 "為什麼我總覺得我的時間有限，或沒有足夠的時間？" 我想起了已故的丈夫在廿年前我生日那天對我說過的話。他開玩笑地說，"不要以為你加了一年，你應該認為你已經失去了一年。" 他說的是真的，從那時起我又失去了廿多年。
有時候我因此而討厭自己，這只是我討厭自己的事情之一！為什麼即使在夢中，我也要和時間竸賽？例如，我有天做了一個夢，我的癌症復發，我需要做手術。在我的夢中，我的第一個想法是，"哦，不...... 我己經沒有時間消耗在醫院裡！" 醒來之後，我嘲笑自己對時間的擔心，我應該想到要面臨的死亡或痛苦才對啊。
另一方面，我真的很羨慕那些可以忘記時間，完全享受退休生活的朋友。也許我們的個性不同，因為即使我和朋友一起享受，我也會秘密設定截止日期。如果我錯過了一個最後期限，我會責怪自己無用。若我能完成最後期限的工作，我會在讓自己休息一個下午以獎勵自己，然後設定更多截止日期。
在我辛苦地與時間的競賽時，我試圖理解上帝對退休人員時間的看法。
首先，時間是上帝給我們的禮物。我們應該明智地使用它，但不要太緊張。我總是早到的習慣使我所有的朋友在我很罕見地遲到時擔心我。他們擔心我是否有了意外或突發疾病。
其次，上帝喜歡我們過一個平衡的生活，所以我們應該每天工作，娛樂和休息。在上帝的眼中，工作狂是不可接受的。
第三，無論是在做什麼，或在哪裡，按上帝的旨意生活便是使用時間的正確方式。我們可能躺在病床上或被困在家務中，但是，如果一個人能高興地履行職責並心存感激，那麼他(她)就是一個明智的時間消費者。
相反地，如果一個人只是為了自己，或者忙於自己的慾望和利益，那麼他就是在浪費時間，因為他所作的在上帝眼中都不算數。
第四，我們應該向上帝求智慧，並按照上帝的時間表設定最後期限。我們祈禱聖靈不斷地提醒我們，這樣我們才能過上平衡的生活。
關於我和我的朋友....難道你不認為我們都該做出一些妥協來實現更好的平衡嗎？你呢？我們是否應該在個人生活中尋求上帝的計劃，以便我們所有人都能在退休後享有幸福？
The Retiree's Time
by: Evelyn O. Shih
Once, my friend and I had tea together. He said, "No hurry, no hurry; we retirees have all the time we need."
"What?", I cried in my heart. "How come I always feel that my time is limited or I do not have enough time?" I thought of something my late husband once said to me on my birthday about twenty years ago. He said jokingly, "Don't think you have added one year, you should think that you have lost one year." What he said is true, and, since then I have lost twenty more years.
Sometimes I hate myself for that, this being only one of the things for which I hate myself! Why do I keep on racing with time, even in my dreams? For example, I had a dream one night that my cancer had returned and I needed surgery. In my dream, my first thought was, "Oh, no....I can't afford to spend time in a hospital again!" After I awoke, I laughed at myself for caring so much about time. I should have thought of death or suffering.
On the other hand, I really envy people like my friend who can forget about time and enjoy his retired life wholly. Maybe our personalities are different because, even when I am relaxing with friends, I secretly set deadlines. If I miss a deadline, I blame my uselessness. When I meet my deadline, I reward myself with one afternoon's rest and then immediately set more deadlines.
In my miserable race with time, I try to understand God's viewpoint on our retiree's time.
First, time is God's gift to us. We should use it wisely, but not nervously. My indomitable habit of promptness causes all my friends to worry about me on the rare occasion when I am late. They are sure that I have suffered an accident or sudden illness.
Second, God likes us to have a balanced life, so we should work and play and rest everyday. The workaholic is not acceptable in God's eyes.
Third, to live in God's will is the right way to spend our time, no matter what one is doing, or where one is. We may be lying in a hospital bed or trapped in housework, however, if one does one's duty cheerfully and accepts the situation gratefully, then one is a wise time-spender.
On the contrary, if one goes one's own way or is busy with one's own desires and profits, then one's time is wasted because one is not remembered on God's account.
Fourth, we should ask for wisdom from God and set our deadlines according to God's schedule. We pray that the Holy Spirit will remind us constantly, so we can live a balanced life.
About my friend and me....don't you think that we should each make some compromises to achieve a better balance? How about you? Should we all seek God's plan in our individual lives so all of us can be happy in retirement?