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My third story is about death.
我的第三个故事是关于死亡
When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like: "If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you'll most certainly be right." It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: "If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?" And whenever the answer has been "No" for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.
在我17岁的时候，我读到了一句箴言，差不多是这样的：“如果你把每一天都当作生命中的最后一天去生活的话,那么终有一天你会发现自己是正确的。”这句话给我留下了深刻的印象，从那时算起的33年以来，我每天早晨都会对着镜子问自己：“如果今天是我生命中的最后一天，我还会做自己今天即将要做的事吗？”当答案连续多次都是“不”时，我就知道自己需要做些改变了。
Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything ?all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure - these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.
“记住你就快要死了”是我听过的最重要的箴言，它帮我做出了生命中非常重大的决策。因为几乎所有的一切——包括所有的外界期望、所有的骄傲、所有对于难堪或失败的恐惧——都会在面对死亡时化为虚无，留下真正重要的东西。你有时会想自己可能失去一些东西，“记住你就快要死了”是我知道的逃脱这种思维陷阱的最好办法。既然你已经赤身裸体了无牵挂了，你就没有理由不去遵从自己的内心。
About a year ago I was diagnosed with cancer. I had a scan at 7:30 in the morning, and it clearly showed a tumor on my pancreas. I didn't even know what a pancreas was. The doctors told me this was almost certainly a type of cancer that is incurable, and that I should expect to live no longer than three to six months. My doctor advised me to go home and get my affairs in order, which is doctor's code for prepare to die. It means to try to tell your kids everything you thought you'd have the next 10 years to tell them in just a few months. It means to make sure everything is buttoned up so that it will be as easy as possible for your family. It means to say your goodbyes.
大概在一年前, 我被诊断出患有癌症。那天早晨七点半，我接受了一次扫描，结果清楚地显示我的胰腺里长了一个肿瘤。我当时都不知道胰腺是什么东西，医生们告诉我，这几乎可以确定是一种无法治愈的癌症，我的寿命估计还有三到六个月的时间。医生们建议我回家把事情都做个了结，这是医生们的行话，意思是准备后事。这意味着在接下去的几个月里你要把未来十年要对孩子们说的话提前说完，意味着你要确保把每件事都安排妥当好让家人以后的日子尽量好过，也意味着你要对这个世界说再见了。
I lived with that diagnosis all day. Later that evening I had a biopsy, where they stuck an endoscope down my throat, through my stomach and into my intestines, put a needle into my pancreas and got a few cells from the tumor. I was sedated, but my wife, who was there, told me that when they viewed the cells under a microscope the doctors started crying because it turned out to be a very rare form of pancreatic cancer that is curable with surgery. I had the surgery and I'm fine now.
这个诊断一整天都萦绕在我心头，当天晚上，我做了一次活体组织切片检查：他们把一个内窥镜伸进我的喉咙，穿过我的胃一直进到肠子里，用一枚探针伸进胰脏取得了一些组织细胞。我当时被麻醉了，在场的妻子告诉我，医生们把这些细胞放到显微镜下观察之后都惊叫起来，因为他们发现这是一种非常罕见的、通过手术可以治愈的胰腺癌。后来我做了手术，现在已经康复。
