Last February I turned 51.
今年2月，我满51岁了。

And to be honest, it didn't make me jump with joy.
坦诚的说，对此我实在高兴不起来。

Of course, I still recognised the face in the mirror.
当然，我还是能认出镜子里自己的脸

But it definitely didn't reflect my inner me anymore.
但镜子里的脸再也无法显示我内心的样子了

While I retreated to the desolate land of quiet mourning,
这是一个宁静的早上，孤孤单单的，我一个人躲进孤寂之中，这时
 

a tsunami of hallelujah stories swept through the web
我忽然在网上看到了一大波令人振奋的故事

about age-enthusiasts who are carving out a whole new career,
关于那些不服老的人如何开创一番新的事业

accomplishing extraordinary feats,
达成十分卓越的成就
 

training to be extremely fit,
锻炼身体，成为非常健康的人
 

and feeling the best they ever felt.
感觉自己从未这么好过

'60 is the new 30!'
“60岁是新的中年标准！”

'Life starts after fifty!'
“50岁，生活才刚刚开始！”

'How I reinvented myself at the age of 55!'
“我是如何在55岁的年龄上，重新开发自己的！”

Right.
好吧。

All that we-are-older-and-don't-care didn't quite struck a chord with me.
这些鼓吹“我们变老了，但是我们不在乎”的故事并不能让我有丝毫触动。

It only depressed me even more,
这是会让我更加消沉

because I for one wasn't starting up a trendy design agency,
因为就我自己来说，我没有开创一个潮流设计品牌

or training for an ultramarathon , or being the best I'd ever been.
也没有去跑超级马拉松，也没有成为最好的自己。

As a life coach helping others enjoy the power of mindfulness,
作为一个人生导师，我能帮助其他人感受思想的强大力量

I felt even worse for feeling how I felt.
因此对于我此刻的消沉，我更难以接受
 

Mindfulness is about acceptance.
正念减压法的要义正是接受自我

About gratitude.
心存感恩

About gracefully going with the flow.
带着人性的优雅接受自然的安排

Not about resistance, resentment, and regret.
而不是抗拒，怨恨和后悔

So I found myself not only watching how my original self slipped through my fingers,
所以，我不仅是在眼睁睁的看着曾经的自己从指间溜走

but now I was also rapidly turning into the world's worst disciple.
还正迅速的魔化成世界上最糟糕的教徒

Until, three weeks ago,
直到，三个星期之前

husband comes home and shows me Face App on his mobile.
我丈夫回到家里，给我看他手机上的一个变脸App

The app has changed him into an 88-year old Clint Eastwood kind of hunk,
那个App已经把他变成了88岁的模样，一个Clint Eastwood(《廊桥遗梦》主演）版本的绿巨人。

wow!
哇噻！

I can't help myself
我简直情不自禁

and fall in love all over again.
第二次对他坠入爱河

Moreover, the change is simply hilarious
不仅如此，这变脸简直太搞笑了

and we laugh our heads off!
我们笑得停不下来

Then, of course, it is my turn.
接着，理所应当的，轮到我了

— eew —
呃……

Husband takes my picture,
丈夫给我拍了一张照片

puts it into the app.
输入到这个App里

App grabs my face,
App识别出了我的脸

crunches my features, and voilà,
对我的脸一番操作，接着，当当当！

poops out an 88-year old version of me.
它晒出了88岁的我

OMG!
我的天呐！

Husband rolls off the couch roaring.
丈夫已经笑得在沙发上打滚

But I don't know whether to laugh or cry.
而我却不知道该笑还是哭

It's me alright.
没错，这确实是我

I swallow.
我吞了一口唾沫

Then I take a closer look at my elderly avatar.
然后仔细端详了一眼耄耋之年的我的替身

My teeth are shorter.
我的牙齿变得又短又小

My wrinkles are deeper
皱纹更加深邃

My neck is seriously sagging.
脖子上松垂着一层层褶皱

Like an obsessed laborant
我像一个沉迷学术的实验员一样

I examine the result with such a laser sharp eye
开始用镭射扫描眼仔细审查那张照片

that it nearly burns a hole through the glass screen.
几乎可以在手机屏幕上烧出一个洞

But then I zoom out and look at the whole picture.
然后缩小照片，看着整张脸

I see softness glowing on the cheeks.
我看到她的脸颊上有温柔的光彩

The comfort of a warm smile.
唇边有温暖，令人感到舒适的微笑

A gaze lined with a lifetime of incredibly rich experiences.
眼神中透露出一世丰富的阅历

That night I share both my present and old me on social website.
那天晚上，我在社交网站上晒出了现在的照片和耄耋之年的照片

The next morning my friends seem to like the old me.
第二天早上我发现，我的朋友们似乎更喜欢年老的我

'I think you look pretty cool' one comments.
“我觉得你看起来很酷！”其中一个评论到

Again I study the older face critically.
于是我第二次批判的审视了一番年老的我

But suddenly I feel how my face smiles back at that older lady who might be me.
突然，我感到自己也在微笑，似乎是在回馈那个或许会变成我的老奶奶的微笑

Now, when I see myself in the mirror,
现在，当我再次看到镜中的自己

I'm sincerely pleased.
我感到由衷的满足

I haven't run an ultramarathon
 我没有跑过超级马拉松

or started a new cool career.
没有开创一番新事业

I can't boast about any physical or intellectual feat.
没有做出任何值得夸耀的身体或智力上的成就

My leap forwards is a purely emotional triumph .
我的进步纯粹是情感上的胜利

I've opened a door within myself
我打开了一扇心扉

and behind it discovered compassion,
在门的后面，我看到了对自己的热情

appreciation and love for myself.
欣赏，以及爱意

Whatever age she might be.
无论那个女人贵庚多少

Thanks to that silly app
我要感谢那个傻傻的App

I've mustered the courage to start crossing the bridge into my future.
我终于操控了勇气，敢于向未来的时光之桥迈出一步

On the other side of my present me — I now know — lives a lovely old lady.
桥这一头是当下的我——现在我终于知道——在桥的另一头，住着一个可爱的老奶奶

She is patiently waiting for me.
她正耐心的等待着我

And once I arrive, I'll be her best friend.
当我渡过这座桥，我会成为她最好的朋友