美文欣赏：简化你的生活

　　and free up time to do what you love most

　　挤出些时间做你最想做的事

　　【1】Two years ago Shirley Michels of St. Louis found herself getting up earlier and earlier, and going to bed later and later, just to meet everyday demands. The wife, mother and ophthalmic technician met her responsibilities『责职;任务』, but lacked time for the things that mattered most.

　　【1】两年前，圣路易斯州的雪莉 米歇尔斯发现自己起得越来越早，睡得越来越晚却仅能满足日常的生活需求。尽管无论是作为一名妻子，一位母亲，还是眼科技师她都已尽了职责，但她却没有时间做最重要的事情.

　　【2】She and her husband, Vic, an attorney, began searching for ways to simplify『简化;精简』their lives. “We had to decide what was really important,” says Shirley. They knew they wanted more time to play with their three-year-old son, Ryan, to exercise and eat right, and to nurture『培育;养育』friendships.

　　【2】她和她的丈夫维克，一名律师，开始想办法简化他们的生活。雪莉说：“我们得决定什么是生活中真正重要的。”他们知道自己想拥有更多的时间和三岁的儿子瑞安在一起，做做游戏，做做运动，让他吃好，以培养他们之间的感情.

　　【3】So the couple chose to live more modestly『适中的;适度的』, shopping with care for necessities and enjoying inexpensive pleasures such as reading, cooking and going to the park. Shirley quit her job and began working part time from home. She printed up business cards that read “At your service―buy yourself a little time,” and hired herself out for personal tasks such as shopping, paying bills, organizing parties, doing Internet research―whatever clients needed.

　　【3】 因此这对夫妻选择了一种更简单的生活方式，注意只买生活的必需品，从事一些花钱不多的消遣，诸如阅读、烹调、逛公园。雪莉辞掉了原来的工作，开始做半天工作，比如说为私人购物、付款、组织聚会、做国际互联网研究方面的事情――做客户所要求做的一切。她在她的商业名片上印上“听候您的吩咐――给你自己留点时.

　　【4】“I still work hard, but being able to control my hours makes all the difference,” she says. “I can carve out『(雕)刻出;开辟出』time to take my son to the zoo or play basketball with him. My stress headaches are gone. Having a chance to get to know neighbors not only has been fun, but it’s also helped us further simplify.

　　【4】她说：“我仍然在努力工作，但现在能够自己控制时间却使一切变得大不一样了。我能抽出一些时间领儿子去动物园或，和他一起玩玩篮球。我因压力而造成的头痛消失了。有机会去了解邻居不仅给生活带来了乐趣，而且还有助于使我的生活变得更加简单化。 .

　　【5】According to trend watchers『趋势;时尚』, the Michelses are far from『完全不』 alone in wanting to slow down『减速』 and live a more satisfying life. A Gallup Poll found that half of all Americans claim they lack enough time to do what they want. Fifty-four percent of parents say they spend too little time with their children, and 47 percent of married couples complain that they lack time together.

　　【5】根据时尚观察者们所说，米歇尔斯们并非单单想放慢生活的节奏，过一种更舒服的生活。盖洛普民意测验，发现有一半美国人说他们缺少足够的时间来做他们想做的事。54%的家长说他们和孩子呆在一起的时间太少了。47%的已婚夫妇抱怨他们缺少在一起的时间.

　　【6】When Lyn Petit from Ridgewood, N. J., was a stay-at-home『不出门的;经常呆在家里的』mom to her two daughters, Sarah, ten, and Elizabeth, 12, she taught Sunday school, helped run a thrift shop『节俭商店;慈善性二手货商店』and chaired just about any committee she was invited to take on. After returning to her job as a floral designer, she continued trying to do it all.

　　【6】新泽西州Ridgewood 市的林恩 柏蒂是位有二个女儿的家庭主妇：萨拉10岁，伊丽莎白12岁。她在主日学校教书，帮助经营一个廉价旧货店，还被邀请担任某些员会的主席。 在她重新做花样设计师后，她仍然尽量帮助做一切事情。

　　【7】Eventually her impossible schedule led to anxiety attacks『(疾病等的)发作;(工作等的)开始、着手』, which forced her to prioritize『把事情按优先顺序排好』and limit her volunteer work to the Girl Scouts and PTA. Now the family sits down to dinner together every night. Petit is there to help with homework, and she says, “It’s great to get to know my husband again.”

　　【7】她的那些难以实施的计划最终导致忧虑的开始，迫使她依主次安排活动。使她把志愿工作限定在女童子军和学生家长和学生的联谊会上。 现在家人每晚坐下来一起吃晚餐。柏蒂辅导孩子做功课，并且她说：“能再次了解我丈夫真是太好了。”

　　【8】“No is a two-letter word that can free up many hours a week,” says Elaine St. James. Say it gently but immediately, offering a brief explanation, such as “I just don’t have time.” Avoid giving detailed excuses―the other person is likely to see a way you actually could fit in the request.

　　【8】“不”是两个字母的词它却能让你在一周内节省出很多时间。和颜悦色但要马上说“不”，做简单的解释，比如说：“我只是没时间。”避免做详细的解释，因为其它的人也许能看出来你真的合适做这件事。

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