妈妈的人生食谱

本文讲述了母亲用一生践行独特“人生食谱”的故事。她始终以微笑和善意对待陌生人，甚至改变了老年巴士上沉默的氛围。作者从年少时的尴尬转变为钦佩，并在母亲离世后继承了这份以友善待人、以身作则的生活智慧，让温暖得以延续。

Mom’s Recipe for Life
妈妈的人生食谱

I have a lot of Mom’s recipes in a blue box where all my special ones were put, like the pumpkin pie she made during my growing up years.
我有很多妈妈的食谱，都放在一个蓝色盒子里，里面装着我特别珍视的那些，比如我成长岁月里她做的南瓜派。

Even so, the recipe I treasure most is not on any index card, nor did she send it to me in a letter.
即便如此，我最珍视的那份“食谱”并不在任何索引卡上，她也没有通过信件寄给我。

Instead, she lived this recipe all of her life.
相反，她用一生践行了这份“食谱”。

My mother grew up in a small coal mining town in southwest Iowa.
我的母亲在爱荷华州西南部的一个小型煤矿小镇长大。

My grandfather once told me that she knew no stranger; she considered everyone in that community her friend.
我的祖父曾告诉我，她不认识陌生人；她把那个社区里的每个人都当作朋友。

That attitude continued wherever she lived for the rest of her life.
这种态度伴随她余生无论住在何处。

As a teen, I was embarrassed (尴尬的) every time my mother talked to strangers and offered a smile to everyone in the store or on the city bus.
青少年时期，每次母亲和陌生人交谈、对商店或公交车上的每个人微笑时，我都感到尴尬。

Almost all of them responded (回应) with a bright smile of their own.
几乎所有人都以灿烂的笑容回应她。

Some spoke, others nodded their heads at this elderly woman who brought a little light into their day.
有些人会说话，其他人则向这位为他们的日子带来一丝光明的老妇人点头致意。

What really sold me on Mom’s approach to life was her experience on the senior bus.
真正让我信服妈妈生活态度的，是她在老年巴士上的经历。

The weeks I could not be there, she used this low-cost transportation to the grocery store.
在我无法陪伴她的几周里，她利用这种廉价交通工具去杂货店。

After her first trip, I asked her how it went.
第一次乘车后，我问她情况如何。

“Ha!” she said, “I got on that bus and what did I see? Thirteen little old ladies and one old man, and not one word was spoken.”
“哈！”她说，“我上了那辆巴士，看到了什么？十三个小老太太和一个老头子，没人说一句话。”

I wondered how long it would be until the silence on that bus would change.
我在想，巴士上的沉默还要持续多久才会改变。

On my next visit, Mom mentioned the 13 little old ladies on the bus and something one of them had told her.
下次我去看她时，妈妈提到巴士上的13位小老太太，以及其中一人告诉她的话。

“Oh, are you talking with them now?” I asked.
“哦，你现在跟她们说话了吗？”我问。

“Of course,” she said. “One day I climbed up the steps of the bus and before I looked for a seat, I gave them a big smile and I said, ‘Isn’t it a wonderful day?’ I noticed a few shy smiles.”
“当然，”她说。“有一天我走上巴士台阶，还没找座位，我就给了她们一个大大的笑容，说：‘今天不是美好的一天吗？’我注意到几个害羞的微笑。”

Mom didn’t give up. She greeted them all each time she got on the bus and before long, the whole group was laughing and talking to one another.
妈妈没有放弃。每次上车她都问候所有人，不久之后，整个群体开始互相谈笑风生。

The bus became more than just transportation.
巴士不再仅仅是交通工具。

When we went to the various stores, I watched as she smiled and chatted with perfect strangers.
当我们去各家商店时，我看着她对着完全陌生的人微笑聊天。

Some of them looked like the poorest person you’d ever met, but once Mom smiled at them and started a conversation, most responded favorably.
他们中有些人看起来像是你见过最贫穷的人，但只要妈妈对他们微笑并开启对话，大多数人都会积极回应。

My mother didn’t embarrass me any longer. I found myself admiring her.
母亲再也不让我感到尴尬了，我发现自己开始钦佩她。

She’s been gone for ten years but I’ve carried on her recipe for life.
她已离开十年，但我一直延续着她的人生“食谱”。

It was me who had done the smiling first and all those people had responded.
是我先露出笑容，而所有那些人都给予了回应。

My mother didn’t lecture but taught me by example.
母亲从不训诫，而是以身作则教导我。

She’d given me a recipe for life.
她给了我一份人生的食谱。