"I'm young again!" she shouts exuberantly.

她兴高采烈地大喊：“我更年轻了！”

As my friend raves on about her new love, I've taken a good look at my old one. My husband of almost 20 years, Scott, has gained 15 pounds. Once a marathon runner, he now runs only down hospital halls. His hairline is receding and his body shows the signs of long working hours and too many candy bars. Yet he can still give me a certain look across a restaurant table and I want to ask for the check and head home.

在我的朋友因为她的恋爱而喋喋不休的时候，我开始审视我的那一位，我的丈夫斯科特，我们结婚已经快20年了。他刚增重了15磅。他曾经是一名马拉松队员，现在却只在医院里跑来跑去。他的头发已经开始脱落，身体也因长时期的工作和太多的甜食而衰退。然而，他依然能从坐在饭店里桌子对面的我的眼神中读出我的心思，知道我想要付账回家了。

When my friend asked me "What will make this love last?" I ran through all the obvious reasons: commitment, shared interests, unselfishness, physical attraction, communication. Yet there's more. We still have fun.，spontaneous good times. Yesterday, after slipping the rubber band off the rolled up newspaper, Scott flipped it playfully at me: this led to an all-out war. Last Saturday at the grocery, we split the list and raced each other to see who could make it to the checkout first. Even washing dishes can be a blast. We enjoy simply being together.

当我的朋友问我“什么能使爱情长久？”时，我的脑海中略过了所有这些明显的理由：忠诚、共同的爱好、无私、身体上的吸引、交流。当然还有更多的。我们仍然拥有发自内心的快乐时光。昨天，在把捆报纸堆的橡皮圈弄掉后，斯科特嬉戏着把它扔到了我的身上，而这引起了我们之间的“战争”。上周六在杂货店里，我们撕碎了账单，还比赛着看谁能先跑到收银台。甚至连洗碗都是大斗一番。只要在一起，我们就很开心。

And there are surprises. One time I came home to find a note on the front door that led me to another note, then another, until I reached the walk-in closet. I opened the door to find Scott holding a "pot of gold" (my cooking kettle) and the "treasure" of a gift package. Sometimes I leave him notes on the mirror and little presents under his pillow.

我们之间充满惊喜。有一次，我回家时发现前门上贴着一张便条，指引着我找到了第二张、第三张。。。直到我走进了小储物室。我打开门发现了金罐子（我的做饭用的锅）和“财富”礼包。有的时候我也给他留便条，还在他的枕头下藏小礼物。

There is understanding. I understand why he must play basketball with the guys. And he understands why, once a year, I must get away from the house, the kids—and even him-to meet my sisters for a few days of nonstop talking and laughing.

我们之间相互理解。我懂得他为什么要和他的朋友们一起打篮球。而她也知道，我为什么每年都要离开家和孩子一次，甚至是离开他，去和我的姐妹们住一段时间，不停得聊天、说笑。

There is sharing. Not only do we share household worries and parental burdens—we also share ideas. Scott came home from a convention last month and presented me with a thick historical novel. Though he prefers thrillers and science fiction, he had read the novel on the plane. He touched my heart when he explained it was because he wanted to be able to exchange ideas about the book after I'd read it.

我们之间彼此分享很多东西。我们不仅共同承担家庭的烦恼和赡养父母的负担，我们也一起分享彼此的好主意。上个月，斯科特开完会回来，把一本厚厚的历史小说拿给我看。尽管他喜欢的是惊险的或是科幻的小说，他还是在飞机上读完了这本小说。但他说他想和我分享我读完这本书后的感想时，我的心被他打动了。

There is forgiveness. When I'm embarrassingly loud and crazy at parties, Scott forgives me. When he confessed losing some of our savings in the stock market, I gave him a hug and said, "It's okay. It's only money."

我们之间也会相互原谅。当我在聚会上大声、疯狂得吵闹，令人为难时，斯科特原谅了我。当他坦白承认将我们的积蓄炒股亏了钱时，我给了他一个拥抱，告诉他，“没关系。我们只是丢了点钱而已”。

There is sensitivity. Last week he walked through the door with that look that tells me it's been a tough day. After he spent some time with the kids, I asked him what happened. He told me about a 60-year-old woman who'd had a stroke. He wept as he recalled the woman's husband standing beside her bed, caressing her hand. How was he going to tell this husband of 40 years that his wife would probably never recover? I shed a few tears myself. Because of the medical crisis. Because there were still people who have been married 40 years. Because my husband is still moved and concerned after years of hospital rooms and dying patients.

我们都是性情中人。上周他回家时，从他进门的表情上，我就可以看出来，这一天他过得不顺。在他和孩子们呆了一会后，我问他发生了什么事。他告诉我了他的一个患者的故事。那个60岁的老人得了中风。当他看到那位患者的丈夫站在病床旁，抚摸着老伴的手时，他流泪了。他怎么忍心告诉这位老人，他那相伴了40年的妻子有可能再也无法恢复了？听着听着，我也流泪了，因为医学上的无奈，因为还有相伴了40年的婚姻存在，因为我的丈夫在有了多年的行医经历、看惯了垂死的病人后，还能被感动，还会关心他的病人。

There is faith. Last Tuesday a friend came over and confessed her fear that her husband is losing his courageous battle with cancer. On Wednesday I went to lunch with a friend who is struggling to reshape her life after divorce. On Thursday a neighbor called to talk about the frightening effects of Alzheimer's disease on her father-in-law's personality. On Friday a childhood friend called long-distance to tell me her father had died. I hung up the phone and thought, This is too much heartache for one week. Through my tears, as I went out to run some errands, I noticed the boisterous orange blossoms of the gladiolus outside my window. I heard the delighted laughter of my son and his friend as they played. I caught sight of a wedding party emerging from a neighbor's house. The bride, dressed in satin and lace, tossed her bouquet to her cheering friends. That night, I told my husband about these events. We helped each other acknowledge the cycles of life and that the joys counter the sorrows. It was enough to keep us going.

我们都有信念。上周二一个朋友来访时哭泣着告诉我，她的丈夫慢慢得失去了和癌症对抗的勇气；周三我和一个朋友吃饭，她正在挣扎了开始离婚后的新生活；周四一个邻居打电话时谈到了老年痴呆症对她公公人格上的可怕影响；周五又一个朋友打长途电话告诉我她父亲去世了。我挂掉电话，想着这一周发生了太多让人心痛的事情。泪眼模糊中，我出了门，准备去干点什么。这时我注意到了窗外的剑兰正开欢乐地开着橘黄色的花；我听到了儿子和他的朋友一起玩耍时的快乐笑声；我看到了一个邻居家正在举办婚宴，美丽的新娘身着绸缎和蕾丝的婚纱，正在把她的手捧花抛向同样高兴的朋友们。那天晚上，我把这些事情告诉了我的丈夫。我们相互安慰，明白了生命的轮回，悲喜的交替。这就足够了，让我们生活下去。

Finally, there is knowing. I know Scott will throw his laundry just shy of the hamper every night; he'll be late to most appointments and eat the last chocolate in the box. He knows that I sleep with a pillow over my head; I'll lock us out of the house at a regular basis, and I will also eat the last chocolate.

最后，我们彼此相知。我知道斯科特会每晚害羞得把他的衣服扔向洗衣篓；会在大多数约会的时候迟到；会吃掉盒子里的最后一块巧克力。而他知道，我喜欢蒙着枕头睡觉；我经常会把我们全家锁在门外；我也会吃掉最后一块巧克力。

I guess our love lasts because it is comfortable. No, the sky is not bluer: it's just a familiar hue. We don't feel particularly young: we've experienced too much that has contributed to our growth and wisdom, taking its toll on our bodies, and created our memories.

我猜想我们的爱情能够持续是因为我们觉得舒适。天空没有变蓝，它对于我们来说还是熟悉的色彩。我们也不觉得特别年轻。我们一起经历了太多。这些经历使我们成长，使我们更加睿智；虽然我们的身体在其中衰老，但这些经历也构成了我们的回忆。

I hope we've got what it takes to make our love last. As a bride, I had Scott's wedding band engraved with Robert Browning's line "Grow old along with me!" We're following those instructions.

我希望我们已经理解了爱情持续的秘诀。结婚时，斯科特给我的戒指上刻着罗伯特布朗宁的诗句“陪我一起到老吧！”我们正是信守了这份誓言。

If anything is real, the heart will make it plain.

当翻译到最后一句的时候，我仍然被深深得感动着。平淡的生活，却是幸福的所在。这篇简短朴实的文章，可以是如我这样的城外之人的希望和憧憬，也可以是已婚之人的思索和感知。

只是，最后一句，我译不出来。“平淡是真”？呵呵，也许吧！