I woke up feeling cranky. I didn't want to do housework, though the laundry was piling up. I did't want to read the work I brought home from the office. I didn't want to do anything that resembled responsible behavior. It was that kind of day.
醒来后感到很烦躁。不想做家务，尽管洗衣筐已经堆满。不想处理从办公室带回来的工作文件，不想做任何看起来要负责的事，今天就是这样的一天。
As I drank my morning tea, I thought I felt a headache coming on. Yes, there it was, a dull throb just behind my eyes. Maybe I should go back to bed until it subsided. As I put the dishes in the sink, it seemed that my muscles were beginning to ache. Or was the ache in my joints ? That could mean I was coming down with the flu. Everyone I knew had the flu this year. Why should I be the one to escape it ? I absolutely should be in bed.
喝完早茶后，我感觉到一阵头痛袭来，眼睛后面突突地跳，也许我应该回到床上躺会，直到感觉舒服点。就在我把碟子放到水槽时，好像肌肉又开始疼起来，还是关节疼？我想可能是得了流感。今年我认识的每个人都感染了流感，凭什么我能除外？我必须要回到床上去。
I shuffled back to bed, wiggled under the covers and shut my eyes. Another couple of hours of sleep would be so nice, but I was already completely awake. I ought to get up. But no, there was that headache and the beginning of a sniffle. Better get the tissues.
我拖着脚回到床上，卷着被子闭上眼睛。也许睡几个小时会好很多，但我已经完全清醒。我应该起床，但是又开始头痛和鼻塞，也许应该去拿点纸巾过来。
On my way back from the bathroom with a family-sized tissue box, I stopped to grab that gig new novel I had bought but had no time to read. I opened the book and settled against the pillows.
拿着纸巾盒从洗漱间回来的路上，我停下来拿起那本新买回来但没时间读的小说，翻开来重新靠在枕头上。
The morning was moving along and so was my reading. Another twenty pages and I was stretching. I should try to crack the report I was working on. I should at least get up and do the wash. What if I was contagious ? I certainly didn't want to spread and germs. The wash could wait. My family was resourceful enough to scrounge clothing for the next day.
看着书渡过了上午的时光，又看了20页我伸了个懒腰。我应该去攻克正在写的报告，或者至少起床去洗衣服。如果我感染了怎么办？我当然不想传播和感染细菌，衣服可以等一等再洗，明天穿的衣服家里人还能够找到。
Maybe I wasn't actually getting the flu. I didn't really want to be sick. To be truthful, all I wanted was a little time off. I needed to nurture myself away from people, chores, career and the outside world. Did I have to wait to be sick to do that ? As a child, the only respite from school or family chores was illness. But I wasn't a child any more. Did I have to manufacture symptoms to provide myself with an excuse ? No, I decided, I didn't .
可能我没有得流感，我并不想真的生病。老实说，我只是想要休息一会儿，我想要让自己远离人群、家务、工作和外面的世界。难道我一定要等到生病才能做这些吗？小孩子，唯一能从学校和家庭里解脱的办法是生病。但我已经不再是一个小孩，难道我必须要捏造这些症状才能给自己一个借口？不，我决定了，我不需要。
I talked to myself. Okay, I said, you need a day off. Admit it. Accept it. Toss out the guilt and enjoy a mini-vacation. What would you like to do ? Read ? You're already doing that. Pamper yourself ? Take a bubble bath. Be a hermit ? Let the machine answer the phone.
我对自己说，好的，你只是需要休息一天，承认吧，接受吧。丢掉这种负罪感，享受这个小小的假期。你想要做什么呢？阅读？你已经在做了。宠爱自己，来一个泡泡浴。做一个隐修者，设定电话答录。
I poured half the bottle of bath gel into the streaming water and added a hearty handful of chamomile bath salts. Then I lit a vanilla-scented candle and gingerly stepped into the bathtub. With a grateful sign, I immersed myself in my homemade spa. I heard the phone ring somewhere off in the distance and smiled.
我倒了半瓶沐浴露和一大把甘菊沐浴盐，然后点了一根香草蜡烛，慢慢走进浴缸。带着感恩的心，完全投入到自己准备的水疗中。听到远处的电话在响，我笑了起来。
It is funny how the aches subsided in the heat of the tub. They just slipped away with the last of the bubbles down the drain. My head felt just fine, the throb replaced b a sense of well-being.
有趣的是疼痛在浴缸的热度中减弱，他们随着最后一个泡泡消失在下水管道。我的头感到很舒服，阵痛被一种幸福的感觉取代。
By late afternoon, I was back at it, refreshed physically, mentally and emotionally. And rather than feeling helpless, I felt empowered. I had given myself permission to listen and respond to my needs, to care for myself the way I tended to my family. I didn't need the crutch of illness to justify a rest. It was such a simple awareness, but then isn't it the simple things that set us free ?
下午晚些时候，我的状态回来了。身体上、精神上和感情上都焕然一新。和上午无助感不同，我觉得自己充满了力量。我听到和回应了自己的需要，像照顾家人一样关爱自己。不需要用疾病来支持和证明休息的理由。这是一个如此简单的认知，但不正是这些简单的事情让我们感到自由和自在吗？
