A friend of mine opened his wife's underwear drawer and picked up a silk paper wrapped package:
"This, - he said - isn't any ordinary package." He unwrapped the box and stared at both the silk paper and the box.
"She got this the first time we went to New York, 8 or 9 years ago. She has never put it on. Was saving it for a special occasion.
Well, I guess this is it. He got near the bed and placed the gift box next to the other clothings he was taking to the funeral house, his wife had just died. He turned to me and said:
"Never save something for a special occasion. Every day in your life is a special occasion".
I still think those words changed my life. Now I read more and clean less. I sit on the porch without worrying about anything. I spend more time with my family, and less at work. I understood that life should be a source of experience to be lived up to, not survived through. I no longer keep anything. I use crystal glasses every day. I'll wear new clothes to go to the supermarket, if i feel like it. I don't save my special perfume for special occasions, I use it whenever I want to. The words "Someday..." and "One Day..." are fading away from my dictionary. If it's worth seeing, listening or doing, I want to see, listen or do it now.
I don't know what my friend's wife would have done if she knew she wouldn't be there the next morning, this nobody can tell. I think she might have called her relatives and closest friends.
She might call old friends to make peace over past quarrels. I'd like to think she would go out for Chinese, her favourite food. It's these small things that I would regret not doing, if I knew my time had come. I would regret it, because I would no longer see the friends I would meet, letters... letters that i wanted to write "One of this days". I would regret and feel sad, because I didn't say to my brothers and sons, not times enough at least, how much I love them.
Now, I try not to delay, postpone or keep anything that could bring laughter and joy into our lives. And, on each morning, I say to myself that this could be a special day. Each day, each hour, each minute, is special.
译文:
抓住每分每秒
我的一个朋友打开了装有她妻子内衣的抽屉，从里头拿出一件绢纸包装的包裹：
“这个”，他说，“并不仅仅是普通包裹。” 他打开了那包东西，接着便凝视着那绢纸和盒子。
“这东西是她在八、九年前，我们第一次去纽约时买的。可她从没有穿过。因为她希望可以把它珍藏到一个特殊场合在穿。没错，我想就是它。”
他走到床边，把礼品盒放下，紧挨着他出席葬礼时穿过的衣服——他的妻子刚刚过世了。他转身对着我，说：
“绝对不要把任何东西留给什么特殊场合。你生命中的每一天都是非比寻常的日子。”
至今我仍认为这些话改变了我的生活。现在我把时间更多用来阅读而非打扫。我坐在门廊上，而不去担心任何事情。我把更多时间用来陪伴家人而非工作。因为我懂得了生活当是快乐的来源，而不仅仅是生存。我不再保存任何东西。我每天都用水晶玻璃杯。我会穿着新衣服去超市，只要我想这么做的话。我也不为某个特殊场合而保存着我专用的香水，无论何时，只要我想用的时候就用。“某一天...”“有一天...”这类次从我的字典中消失了。只要某样东西值得去看、去听、去做，我就想立马去看、去听、去做。
我不清楚，要是我朋友的妻子知道第二天她将不在人世的话会怎么做，这个谁也说不准。我想她可能会带电话给她的亲朋好友。
她也许会和过去有过争吵的老友讲和。我敢肯定她会去中国餐馆，去吃她最喜欢的食物。如果我知道自己即将死去的话，正是没有做这些琐碎的小事而会让我遗憾。我将感到遗憾，因为我再也没法看见我的朋友。还有信...那些我想在“这段时间中的某一天”写的信。我将感到遗憾和沮丧，因为我还没有告诉我的兄弟们和儿子们，至少说的不够多，我有多爱他们。
现在，我试着不再拖延、耽搁，或保存任何可以给我们生活带来欢笑和快乐的东西。同时，在每个早晨，我告诉自己“今天会是个特别的日子”。每一天，每小时，每分钟，都是特别的。