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Chapter 5 Preface: Falling in love with life

tree in brooklyn 贝蒂·史密斯 903Words 2018-03-21
betty smith When I was a kid, I loved to listen. I used to hear grown-ups say, "Oh, I used to have ambitions!" "I used to have dreams!" People more or less miss the fullness of life. I won't.I will not miss the fullness of life.When I was fourteen years old, I secretly made up my mind.In an old copybook, I wrote down one by one the things to do in my life.I vowed to implement one by one. Those plans never materialized.As an adult, I had to work my ass off most of the time to support my family.A lot of the fulfillment of life is consumed in the competition in the business world.But I'm still young and optimistic.I told myself: these are temporary.One day, I will follow my dream.

But one year passed, and one year came again, and in a blink of an eye, people were middle-aged.The kids left and went elsewhere to pursue fulfilling lives of their own.I also started thinking: "If I start all over again..." One rainy night, I went downstairs to the grocery store to buy a paperback to pass the time before bed.I picked up a book by Émile Zola.I stood there, holding the book, trying to recall what I had read long ago.Then I finally remembered: Zola said that the so-called full life is to "raise a child, plant a tree, and write a book." I felt the silence around me.I realized that I had a child... I planted a tree... In fact I even wrote a book, but I think Zola's "book" must be a symbol, referring to any constructive Work honestly.

And so, according to the credo of a great man, I have lived a full life of my own.It always brings me joy when my children are growing up.The joys of parenting are calm but endless.Twenty-five years ago, I planted an abandoned sapling. Now this little sapling has grown into a towering tree, which is higher than my house and brings me shade.My children and grandchildren play in the shade.If God increases lifespan, perhaps I can live long enough for my great-grandchildren to play under the tree.I've even been lucky enough to have a book written about my hopes, my fears, and my dreams. None of this was in the original copybook because it was a natural part of me, something I took for granted.For example, from the moment I became aware of my womanhood, I knew I was going to have children.I shed childish tears when people cut down the trees in the yard of the rental house.I knew then that no matter where I lived, I would plant a tree.By the age of eight, I got an "A" in my composition, and I knew I would write a book someday.

I came to a conclusion, a conclusion that is universally applicable: living, struggling, loving our life, loving all the joys and sorrows that life presents, that is a kind of realization.The fullness of life is always there and available to everyone.
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