覃鳳麗

（湖北省武漢市新洲一中陽邏校區(qū)）

越來越多的人開始接觸瑜伽和冥想，因為人們慢慢意識到安靜和獨處的重要性，因此也就有了“Me-Time（獨處時光，私人專屬時間）”的概念。Me-Time 指的是自我享受時間，非正式表達。忙碌的你花時間做你喜歡做的事情，做你享受的事情，這個時間就叫Me-Time。它是你留出的與自己的思想、身體和精神同在的時間。花時間照顧自己對保持健康、幸福和生產(chǎn)力都非常重要。

The Birds and the Bees

By Kat Gottlieb

The timer was set for ten minutes.I sat down on a soft pillow and crossed my legs with hands resting on my knees,palms up,eyes closed.“Okay,time to center myself,inhale,exhale.Relax...Re-lax...RELAX!”

I cracked an eye to check the timer.Thirty seconds had passed.Oh boy,this“me time”was going to be difficult!

As a working mother,my years passed in a blur of family-oriented activity without time for relaxing.When the kids were fi ally out of the nest and I was able to retire from my full-time career,I thought,Now I can take some time for ME!

Of course,as a lifelong list maker,I did my research.There were many possibilities.There were relaxation activities like yoga,meditation,getting pampered at a spa,exercise,socializing...I was determined to find the one thing that truly filled my soul.And so began my not-so-smooth journey to finding myself

Meditation was the first to come and go.I never fully understood how to shut my mind off for any length of time.I always felt like I was just waiting for it to end.

Next,I tried“Teatime as Me Time.”At first,I was very enthusiastic about this dainty endeavor.I envisioned sitting across from a dear friend,sipping from delicate cups and nibbling tiny sandwiches,but that is as far as it ever went.I have the fancy tea set(never used) and a pantry（餐具柜）shelf full of tea packages that I will never consume.(I prefer the electric jolt of coffee in the morning.)

Many other me-time experiments left me wanting less of them,not more.I felt like a failure at this relaxation thing,especially when I found myself procrastinating to begin a me-time routine.I would criticize myself for“wasting”precious hours daydreaming on my front porch with my two dogs,watching the big,fuzzy（毛茸茸的）bumblebees（大黃蜂）buzz about my garden.In those moments,time stood still.I could while away the morning watching the bugs,birds,and critters（生物，動物）do their thing.I would delight in the seasons — Mother Nature birthing and dying in her perennial cycle.

A profound perspective is gained when noticing the small details of this miraculous world.My self-absorbed human concerns were really nothing in the grand scale of things.Taking the focus off myself was a relief.I realized that all the shoulda-woulda-couldas of living my best life placed more expectations on me,my relaxation and my performance.Ironically,I discovered that I truly desired less emphasis on meal together.

Maybe the experts had this me-time thing all wrong,and it had little to do with“me”or“time”as I was defining it.Perhaps we are too concerned with how we spend our time instead of enjoying the nothing-ness of simply being.Instead of viewing it as a void,a hesitation between activities,we can shift our consciousness into embracing timelessness.Witnessing simple,humble moments of nature re-centered my soul better than anything else.Maybe a better version of“me time”is simply“be time”...or,better yet,“bee time”!

I just watched a young robin sunning its outstretched wings in the afternoon warmth.He closed his eyes as if to fully appreciate the moment,and I wondered if he was taking a little me time for himself.I watched until he flew away,and I am not sure how much time transpired.It could have been a minute or ten,but I enjoyed every second of it.However,I wonder,“Does it count as me time when I watch a bird enjoying his?”

【內容簡介】

孩子成年離家，作者終于有屬于自己的時間。怎么才能有意義地度過自己的時間呢？瑜伽？冥想？……作者嘗試了很多種方式，最后發(fā)現(xiàn)，當我們不再關注自身，而是跟隨大自然的節(jié)奏，靜靜地感受細節(jié)的奇妙之時，那才是真正的“私人專屬時間”。

全篇譯文

鳥和蜜蜂

凱特·戈特利布

計時器設定為十分鐘。我坐在一個柔軟的抱枕上，雙腿交叉盤著，雙手放在膝蓋上，手心向上，雙眼緊閉。“好了，是時候集中精神了，吸氣，呼氣。放松……放松……放松!”

我睜開一只眼看了看計時器。30秒過去了。哦，天哪，這個“私人專屬時間”將會很難!

作為一名全職媽媽，我的歲月在模糊不清的家庭活動中度過，沒有時間放松。當孩子們最終離開了家，我可以從我的全職工作中退休時，我想，現(xiàn)在我可以為自己抽出一些時間了!

當然，作為一個終身制作清單的人，我做了研究。有很多可以做的事。比如瑜伽、冥想、泡溫泉、鍛煉、社交這樣的放松活動……我下定決心要找到一件真正充實我靈魂的事情。于是我開始了一段不那么順利的自我發(fā)現(xiàn)之旅。

冥想是第一個被我嘗試又被拋棄的。我從未完全明白如何在任何一段時間內封閉自己的思想。我一直覺得我只是在等待一切結束。

接下來，我試了“下午茶時間作為私人專屬時間?！币婚_始，我對這個美好的嘗試很有熱情。我想象著自己坐在一位親愛的朋友對面，用精致的杯子喝（茶），吃著小小的三明治，但也僅此而已。我有一套精致的茶具(從來沒用過)，還有一個儲藏室的架子，上面放滿了我永遠也不會喝的茶包(我更喜歡早上來杯咖啡)。

許多其他“私人專屬時間”的嘗試使我不那么想要“私人專屬時間”了。在放松這件事情上，我覺得自己是個失敗者，尤其是當我發(fā)現(xiàn)自己開始拖延時間不想開始私人專屬時間活動的時候。我會責備自己將寶貴的時間“浪費”在和我的兩只狗一起在前廊做白日夢，看著毛茸茸的大黃蜂在我的花園里嗡嗡地飛來飛去。在那些時刻，時間靜止了。我可以在早上看著蟲子，鳥兒和小動物做他們的事情。我喜歡在四季里尋找歡樂——感受大自然母親四季輪回的生老病死。

當我們注意到這個神奇世界的細節(jié)時，我們會獲得一個深刻的視角。無比自我的人類所關注的事情與自然界大規(guī)模的事情相比真的算不得什么。把注意力從自己身上移開是一種解脫。我意識到，所有那些本應該——也許——可以過上最好生活的事情，都讓我對自己、對自己的放松和自己的表現(xiàn)有了更多的期望。具有諷刺意味的是，我發(fā)現(xiàn)我真的希望少強調一起吃飯。

也許專家們把“私人專屬時間”這個概念完全弄錯了，它和我所定義的“自我”或“時間”幾乎沒有什么關系。也許我們太在意如何度過我們的時間，而不是享受簡單存在的虛無。我們可以將意識轉變?yōu)閾肀в篮?，而不是將其視為一種空虛，一種活動間的猶豫。親眼看到大自然簡單而微小的時刻，比任何其他事情都更能重新定位我的靈魂。也許“私人專屬時間”的一個更好的版本是簡單的“度過時間”……或者，更好的是，“蜜蜂時間”！

我剛剛看到一只小知更鳥在午后溫暖的陽光下展開翅膀曬太陽。他閉上了眼睛，好像很投入地享受這一時刻，我不知道他是不是在度過“私人專屬時間”。我一直看著他，直到他飛走。我不知道花了多長時間?？赡苤挥幸环昼娀蛘哂惺昼?，但是我很享受每一秒。然而，我想知道，“當我在看一只鳥在享受它的自我時間的時候，這算不算是我的私人專屬時間?”

詞匯積累

inhalevt.吸入

exhalevt.散發(fā)出；排出；vi.呼氣；逸散；蒸發(fā)

blurn.（移動的）模糊不清的東西vt.（使）變得模糊不清

pampervt.嬌慣；縱容；溺愛；對……關懷備至

daintyadj.美味的；精美的；過分講究的；挑剔的

envisionvt.設想；預想；展望

sipn.一小口；一抿的量vt.小口喝；抿

procrastinatevi.拖延；耽擱

nibblevi.小口地咬；啃；輕咬；（一點一點地）削減，侵蝕

joltn.搖晃；搖動；顛簸；震動；震驚；vt.使搖晃；推；撞；使震動；使震驚

perennialadj.永久的；持久的；長期的

ironicallyadv.具有諷刺意味的是；反諷地

voidn.空洞；空間；空曠adj.無效的；空的

transpirevi.蒸發(fā)；散發(fā)

佳句賞析

1.I sat down on a soft pillow and crossed my legs with hands resting on my knees,palms up,eyes closed.（我坐在一個柔軟的抱枕上，雙腿交叉盤 著，雙手放在膝蓋上，手心向上，雙眼緊閉。）

2.I envisioned sitting across from a dear friend,sipping from delicate cups and nibbling tiny sandwiches,but that is as far as it ever went.（我想象著自己坐在一位親愛的朋友對面，用精致的杯子喝（茶），吃著小小的三明治，但也僅此而已。）

3.I would criticize myself for“wasting” precious hours daydreaming on my front porch with my two dogs,watching the big,fuzzy bumblebees buzz about my garden.（我會責備自己將寶貴的時間“浪費”在和我的兩只狗一起在前廊做白日夢，看著毛茸茸的大黃蜂在我的花園里嗡嗡地飛來飛去。）

4.I just watched a young robin sunning its outstretched wings in the afternoon warmth.（我剛剛看到一只小知更鳥在午后溫暖的陽光下展開翅膀曬太陽。）

閱讀小練

1.What can be inferred from the first two paragraphs

A.The author was favorable to“me-time”.

B.The author had difficulty enjoying“me-time”.

C.The author was tolerant of“me-time”.

D.The author paid little attention to“me-time”.

2.What kind of person is the author according to

Paragraph 3 and 4?

A.Strong-willed.

B.Well-organized.

C.Fully-dedicated.

D.Self-contented.

3.What do the underlined words“while away” mean?

A.Treat casually.

B.Take seriously.

C.Enjoy casually.

D.Watch carefully.

4.What was the experts’ opinion of me-time according to the another?

A.We should appreciate simple moments.

B.We should embrace timelessness.

C.We should enjoy bee time.

D.We should concentrate on ourselves.

5.What is the passage mainly about?

A.Adopting the pace of nature.

B.Wanting less of daily life.

C.Valuing more of me-time.

D.Seeking peace in busy life.

推此及彼

假如你叫李華，是校學生會主席。為了給高三的同學們減壓，同時提升保護大自然的意識，最近你校學生會發(fā)起了一個名為“走進大自然”的主題活動，請你代表學生會寫一個倡議書。內容包括：

1.走進大自然的必要性；

2.如何走進大自然；

3.提出倡議。

Dear fellow students,_______________________________________

The Student Union

答案和解析

【閱讀小練】

1.B。細節(jié)推斷題。根據(jù)第一、二段內容可知，作者用計時器設定了10 分鐘，她偷看時間時只過了30 秒，作者認為“this‘me time’was going to be difficult!”。故可知，她覺得“這種度過‘私人專屬時間’的方式太難了”，即她很難享受“me-time”。故選B。

2.B。細節(jié)推斷題。根據(jù)第三、四段內容可知，作者先以家庭為重，后又為自己的生活做調查，特別是第四段中的“Of course,as a lifelong list maker,I did my research.”（當然，作為一個終身制作清單的人，我做了研究），說明作者做事情有條不紊，很有條理。故選B。

3.C。詞義猜測題。根據(jù)第七段第四、五句可知，作者能看鳥兒、小動物們做它們的事情，由此可推知，作者應該是“悠閑地度過”自己的時間。故選C。

4.D。推理判斷題。根據(jù)第九段內容可知，作者認為“專家的理解和‘我’定義的自我時間沒有什么關系。專家的觀點使得我們太關注于怎么樣度過時間而不是享受簡單的無所事事?！庇纱送瓶芍?，作者和專家對me-time 理解不同，專家認為的自我時間就是我們要刻意地關注怎樣度過時間，即“關注自身”。故選D。

5.A。主旨大意題。整篇文章記錄了作者探索不同自我時間的方式，最后發(fā)現(xiàn)最好的自我時間方式不是刻意去追求的，而是跟隨大自然及微小事物的節(jié)奏而自然而然得到的。A 項“接受大自然的節(jié)奏”，符合文章主旨。故選A。

【推此及彼】

Dear fellow students,

With the purpose of relieving our pressure as well as raising the awareness of protecting nature,our school is organizing an activity themed“Getting close to nature”.

Many ways are available to us to get close to nature.We can go to a park with our family or friends,resting ourselves on a bench,eye closed,listening to birds’ singing.Planting trees or growing some flowers around our house is also a good idea.What’s more,even if we are on campus,we can slow down our pace,watching a bird sunning its outstretched wings in the afternoon warmth or smelling the fragrance of flowers.

Getting close to nature will make us realize how wonderful our nature is and it’s our duty to protect nature.

The Student Union