Once, many summers ago, I found myself at an emotional in my grandmother’s backyard. The garden was wild and bright, with peonies and chrysanthemums standing bravely by an old wooden bench covered in faded . My job was to plant carrots and beside them, but instead, I created a from fallen petals and leaves, pretending to design a movie scene. My little cousin, the self-appointed , chased me around with a toy , demanding his turn to be the director. We laughed so much that day, our of memories growing larger than the garden itself. Later, when the sun dipped low, my uncle struggled with the for the he used to plan the new retirement path he called his “”—the grown-up version of a mood board, perhaps.
许多个夏天以前，我曾在我奶奶家的后院，站在人生的一个情感十字路口。 花园里野趣盎然，色彩明丽，牡丹和菊花在铺着褪色亚麻布的旧木长凳旁迎风而立。 我的任务是把胡萝卜和大蒜种在它们旁边，但我却用落下的花瓣和树叶拼凑成了一个情绪板，假装在设计一部大片里的场景。 我那充当反派的小表弟拿着玩具锤追着我跑，嚷嚷着要轮到他当导演。 那天我们笑得前仰后合，我们回忆的蒙太奇画面比花园本身还要广阔。 后来，当太阳西斜时，我叔叔正费力地摆弄着白板的延长线，他用这块白板来规划他称之为“投资组合”的新退休之路——也许，这就像是成年人版本的情绪板。
Now, many years and investments later, I sometimes stand in my own kitchen, holding a or washing , the scent of garlic on my hands, and remember that scene. Life’s plan never stays fixed, no matter how carefully you organize your portfolio or draw your dream garden on a whiteboard. Customer reviews and retirement plans, the of nostalgia—they all shape the story, but reality is always messier. Sometimes, preparing dinner feels like recharging after a long day, and sometimes the hum of the on my desk or the flicker of a movie on TV reminds me of the of anxiety that still rises now and then.
如今，经过许多年和许多投资之后，我有时会站在自家的厨房里，手里拿着一个菠萝或洗着菠菜，手上还带着大蒜的味道，想起那一幕。 生活的计划永远不会一成不变，无论你多么仔细地整理你的投资组合，或是在白板上画出你梦想中的花园。 顾客评价和退休计划，以及怀旧的偏见——它们都会塑造故事，但现实总是更加混乱。 有时，准备晚餐感觉就像漫长一天后的充电，有时，桌上订书机的嗡嗡声或电视上恐怖电影的闪烁画面，会勾起我心中那个时不时还会冒出来的焦虑魔怪。
As adults, we discover that life is more than we ever expected, and no extension cord is quite long enough to connect every hope to every outcome. Still, I keep a linen napkin folded in the drawer, a private in memory. It reminds me that somewhere between the laughter and the chores, the garden still grows inside me.
长大成人后，我们发现生活比我们预想的更像是先到先得，而且没有哪根延长线足够长，能够连接每一个希望和每一个结果。 尽管如此，我还是在抽屉里放着一条叠好的亚麻餐巾，这是我对记忆的一项私人投资。 它提醒我，在欢声笑语和日常琐事之间，花园仍在我的心中悄然生长。
