“Yoga at your age... ” I 12)started.
“Oh it is just laughter. Laughing on purpose, no one needs to bend themselves into a knot,” Mrs. Rosewood laughed. “And time has taught me I took the right road. I met my husband at a movie theater when I went to see a Goldie Hawn movie! Not to mention other friends I met through laughter.” She bent towards me. “You see I am following the advice of the neighbor... I inherited that 13)cross stitch picture from her. ”
I looked at the picture above her TV. “The Purpose of Life Is Joy,” it said.
这可是我之前从来没有思索过的问题。罗斯伍德夫人转身走进厨房,留下我站在那里。我等了一小会,接着忍不住问道:“她说这话是什么意思呢?”
我又一次听到了她的笑声。在雨中,一只乌鸫正在鸣唱,歌声优美动听。“我还以为你永远都不会问这个问题呢!”她回到客厅里,“那么我来告诉你她说了些什么。停留在消极的思想中,抱怨个不停,只不过说明了你不相信生活可以很美好。所以不妨有意地去寻找快乐和笑声,通过这种方式去思考人生!”
“嗯,这听起来挺不错的,”我说。
“是的,确实如此,”她微笑道,“而我就是从那时开始有意地去‘寻找’笑声。我买笑话书。我去看喜剧片。我抄下我发现的最棒的笑话。而这个星期……哦,这真是太有趣了……我发现了有一种叫‘笑声瑜伽’的运动!下个星期我就要去试试!”
“您这个年纪还学瑜伽……”我吃了一惊。
“噢,就是笑笑而已。有意地大笑罢了,没人真的要将身体弯成一个结,”罗斯伍德夫人大笑道,“而且时间告诉我,我的人生选对了方向。我在电影院里看歌蒂·韩的喜剧片时认识了我丈夫!更别提我通过笑声认识的其他朋友了。”她向我弯下腰来。“你看,我一直听从那位邻居的建议……她留了那幅十字绣作品给我。”
我看着电视机上方的那幅画。“生活的意义在于快乐,”上面写着。
Later Mrs. Rosewood gave it to me before she died and said: “Look at this and remember it. Always try to be the sound of laughter in the rain. Life is so hard for so many people; it is like an eternally continuing rainy day. They are not happy. So you be happy, show them the way. Be the laughter in the rain for them. Be as happy as you can—only then can you spread happiness to others.”
Even though twenty years have passed since that rainy day, I’ll always remember Mrs. Rosewood. We became good friends, and she often invited me to watch funny movies with her. When Mrs. Rosewood died, she donated all her money to a local theater with the instruction the money was to be used to produce one comedy play per year. Guess what the first play was called? Laughter in the Rain.
To me she gave all her funny movies and pictures of her “funny people”. I still have them hanging on my study walls; all faded with time of course, but just as valuable as ever. Their smiles haven’t faded at all. And when I look at the cross stitch message “The Purpose of Life Is Joy”, I always remember the first time I heard her laughter in the rain. And to honor her life’s work of bringing joy to the people around her, I try to be the sound of laughter in the rain to others as well.
后来,在罗斯伍德夫人去世前,她把那幅画送给了我,并对我说:“看看这幅画,记住它。永远都要努力成为那飘荡在雨中的笑声。对于太多人来说,生活太过艰难,就像是永不停歇的雨天。他们过得不快乐。所以你要快乐,并给他们指明方向。为了他们,成为那飘荡在雨中的笑声。尽你所能地快乐——只有这样,你才能将快乐带给其他人。”
尽管那个雨天已经过去了二十年,但我会永远记得罗斯伍德夫人。我们后来成为了好朋友,她经常邀请我和她一起看喜剧片。罗斯伍德夫人临终前将所有的钱都捐给了本地的一家电影院,并指明这笔钱要被用作往后每年创作一部喜剧作品的资金。猜猜第一部作品的名字是什么?《飘荡在雨中的笑声》。
她将她所有的喜剧片和“滑稽角色”的照片都送给了我。我依然将它们挂在我家书房的墙壁上;当然,随着时间的流逝,照片都已经褪色了,但依然和从前一样珍贵。他们的笑容一点都没有褪去。而且,每当我看着那幅十字绣上的文字——“生活的意义在于快乐”时,我总能记起我第一次听到她那飘荡在雨中的笑声时的情形。而为了对她毕生的“工作”——为她周围的人们带来快乐——表示敬意,我也在努力成为其他人可以听到的那飘荡在雨中的笑声。
