Goodbye my red glasses / 再見紅眼鏡

寒假期間終於把我的紅眼鏡送修，老闆說，鏡片已經壽終正寢，該是換新眼鏡的時候了，雖然過去的幾個月裡，孩子們紛紛跑來問紅眼鏡的下落，覺得沒戴紅眼鏡的我不像我，我還是決定向前走。

I finally pulled myself together and sent my red glasses to the optician’s during winter break. The glasses were ruined, said the optician, and it was time for a new pair. In fact, in the past few months, students came to me inquiring about the whereabouts of my red glasses, making the comments that I no longer looked like me without them. I decided to get a new pair though it meant parting with my personal trademark.

今年的人生主題似乎繞著說再見打轉，下個月要搬家，再三個月就要和女孩們道別，再四個月就要暫時告別十年的工作，再七個月要去英國，和紅眼鏡的分離只是小小的彩排。

My theme of this year seems to center around saying goodbye. We’re moving away temporarily next month. In three months I’ll bid farewell to students who’ve spent three years with me. In four months, I’ll take a Sabbatical from work, which I’ve done for ten years. In seven months, I’ll fly to the UK. Leaving my red glasses behind is just a light-hearted rehearsal.

昨天參加完一場喪禮，雖然不認識過世的老太太，唱詩歌時居然哭了起來，家屬談起那些美麗的曾經，但貼上過去的標籤多少令人傷感。儘管我有可以期待的未來，我最要珍惜的是當下。


I went to a funeral yesterday. Though I didn’t know the old madam personally, I couldn’t help shedding tears when singing the hymns. The relatives mentioned the-once-beautiful moments, but no matter how beautiful they were, I felt heart-broken upon thinking of their being labeled as THE PAST.

I have an exciting future to look forward to, but I want nothing more than to cherish each present moment…