When I was in my 30's and newly married,
当我刚刚三十岁出头，新婚燕尔

I followed my husband to his native Japan.
我随着丈夫去了他的日本老家

His mother lived in a small town
婆婆住在一个小镇子里

where a son bringing home his American wife was unheard of.
从没有人听说过谁家的儿子带个美国媳妇回来

Japanese households were (in)famous for their myriad of rules.
日本人家素来有许多家规，因此臭名远扬

Not only what slippers were for which room
不仅有规定，哪双拖鞋只能在哪个房间里穿

- and in which rooms none were allowed -
还规定哪个房间不可以穿拖鞋

but also,
不仅如此

at mealtime what foods to eat
还有吃饭的时间可以吃什么食物

and in which order.
按照什么顺序吃

But
没想到

my elderly mother-in-law set me at ease at the very first meal,
我年老的婆婆从第一餐进门宴就让我放下警惕

announcing warmly to everyone
温暖的向每个人宣布

that I could do anything I wished
我可以做任何自己想做的事情

because there were no expectations.
对我没有任何条条框框

She said it so cheerfully to everyone present,
她如此兴高采烈的向在场每个人说明

that they agreed!
每个人都同意了！

I never forgot this gift!
我从未忘记她送我的这份礼物！

A few years later we moved to Los Angeles.
几年之后，我们搬到了洛杉矶

In this new city
在这个新城市里

I missed my family on the East Coast so much,
我非常想念自己在东海岸的家人

and desperately tried to make friends
求友若渴

to ease the loneliness.
希望缓解内心的孤独

An elderly neighbor
一个年老的邻居

who lived in a cottage behind our apartment
住在我家后面的小木屋里

would often say hello to me,
经常过来跟我打招呼

and one day
有一天

he made a picnic
他准备了一份野餐

and invited me and my child to join him!
邀请我和孩子们一起加入

He said,
他说

"Don't worry,
别担心

I decided I like you!
我决定要喜欢你了

You can make any mistake...
你可以出任何差错

it's OK."
没关系的

I never forgot this gift!
我从未忘记这份礼物

A few yew years later
几年之后

we moved to NYC.
我们搬到了纽约

It was wonderful to have visits from my family after so many years!
时隔多年，又有了亲朋好友的拜访，真是太好了

We settled down,
我们安定下来

our child in kindergarten
孩子去了幼儿园

and a new baby just born,
还有一个孩子刚刚出生

when I experienced post-partum depression.
我得了产后抑郁症

It took a few months,
病情持续了几个月

very busy and somehow very sad,
十分忙乱，情绪十分低沉

until a healthly balance returned.
直到生活恢复到积极的循环

During one especially hard day
其中一天我过得特别艰难

I took the baby for a walk
我带着婴儿去散步

in the stroller to help him sleep
把他放在摇篮车里，想让他尽快入睡

- I knew I had a terribly unhappy expression,
我知道自己脸上的表情非常糟糕

but couldn't pick myself up.
却无法让自己振奋起来

Down the sidewalk
沿着人行道，

came an elderly gentleman
远远的走过来一位老者

who saw me,
他看到我

beamed a bright warm smile,
脸上洋溢着微笑

and passed on by.
接着与我擦肩而过

And I never forgot this gift!
我永不会忘记他赠与我的礼物！

This week
这一周

I called my adult sons
我给两个成年的儿子打了电话

who are doing well
他们都还算顺利.

As I walked our dog down the street,
我牵着狗穿过街道

hoping I did not appear silly,
希望自己脸上没有显露出悲伤

because
因为

others I met along the way
沿途我遇到的路人

chose to keep a safe distance
都选择与旁人保持了安全距离

but forego the mask..
但他们还是没有带口罩

an elderly fellow rode a red bike down the road
一位老爷爷一路过来，骑着一辆红色的自行车

and sweetly nodded to me
带着甜甜的笑向我点头

saying,
对我说

"You look lovely dear!"
“你看上去真可爱！”

And I will never forget the gift!
我将永远不忘这份礼物！