Signs of Life

I am meeting a friend at the Shilin MRT. It's almost noon on a Saturday, and the masses of Taipei are mobilizing for weekend fun. Maybe a gathering for a lunch or a trip to Yangmingshan. Everyone's been on holiday since Thursday, which is the beginning of the Tomb Sweeping Holiday, and so I think people are more relaxed than usual.

我星期六坐捷運到士林,在那裡跟朋友有約.快中午,人已經很多,他們都想去出玩,可能想跟朋友去吃飯, 可能想去陽明山爬山.大家都已經從星期四放假,因為是清明節,所以我覺得台北人都蠻悠閒.

When I arrive at Shilin, I walk out of the train car and as I approach the stairs, I turn my head and see a little girl. She's maybe a year and a half, and she is running on the platform. It's a little worrisome, as I don't think it' a good idea for toddlers to be running in a place where they could fall and get themselves killed. But then I see her mother behind her, and they are both smiling. Actually, the little girl is giggling.

我到士林捷運站的話,我下車,往樓梯走,轉過頭來看到兩歲的女孩在月台跑著.我有一點擔心她,因為我覺得很危險,有可能她會因此而死掉.但我忽然看到她媽媽在她的後面微笑著.小孩子咯咯地笑.

Then, I see the giggling girl spread her arms wide open as she runs up to another adult. That is a special moment, and to me it represents pure life, the kind that we adults usually stay away from because we are too busy, or are too in a rush to feel, or sometimes we try to duplicate it, but we do a bad job of it. Sometimes, though, there's grace, and a burst of wonder does sneak up on us when we are least expecting it.

之後,看到孩子把兩手臂敞開,跑著到另外一個大人.這是一個很特別的一時刻,代表純粹的生活.我們大人通常沒有這重的經驗.我們一直都很忙,不知道我們心中的感覺.我們試著制造這樣的經驗,但沒有成功.偶爾,有緣分的話,我們忽然感覺這重的開心,就讓我們很驚訝.

I understand the scene. The girl's giggles are giggles of anticipation. She must have just gotten out of the train and seen another adult she knows well.

我了解.小孩咯咯地笑因為她看到她媽媽的朋友,讓她那麼激動.

As I walk down the stairs, I actually think this little girl is very lucky. If her mother allows her to run toward her heart's desire on a train platform when she is just a little girl, imagine what other beautiful things she'll run to in this life, even when danger's just a misstep away.

之後,我下樓梯,認為這個女孩子很幸運.我覺得如果她媽媽在月台讓她追她的心裡的喜好,張大以後我想像她會追別的快樂,不管很近有沒有什麼好危險的.