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An Ideal Position
理想职业
Life is good. My career in elementary education in Canada is now just a fond memory.
生活是美好的。在加拿大教小学的职业生涯，如今成了美好的回忆。
I think back on the many years of service and I recall the many classed I taught, the different schools I worked at, the countless staff meetings I attended and the many committees I served on.
回顾多年的工作，我想起了我教的许多班级，我工作过的多所学校，我出席过的数不清的教职员工会议，以及我参与服务的众多委员会。
I estimate that the number of faculty members I worked with over the years is in the hundreds and well over a thousand students have called me teacher.
我估计，这些年来，和我一起工作过的同事有好几百人了，而有一千多名学生叫过我老师。
Is it any wonder that I can say that I always felt comfortable walking in school corridors?
我要是说我走在学校走廊上总是觉得很愉快，没什么奇怪吧？
Sometimes I worked with students at the intermediate level. In Canada, students at that level are youth in their preteen years as well as teenagers.
有时，我的工作是教中年级的学生。在加拿大，这个阶段的学生和十几岁青少年都是青春期前的孩子。
When I decided to retire, I knew that the first step in the procedure was to write a letter to my employer, a school board, to resign my position.
当我决定退休的时候，我知道办手续的第一步是写一封信给我的老板，即学校董事会，要求辞去我的工作。
I postponed mailing the letter. I was reluctant to add the postage to the letter, knowing that once I mailed it, the decision could not be reversed.
我推迟了寄信。我不太愿意把邮票贴到信封上，因为我知道一旦把信寄出，这个决定就不能更改了。
Because I was a veteran teacher of many years, I would be eligible to receive a pension.
因为我是工作多年的老教师，我有资格领取一份退休金。
I calculated that the revenue I would receive each month would be sufficient to sustain my current lifestyle.
我算出我每月领到的退休金足够维持我现在的生活方式。
If I was smart about my spending habits, I might even have a surplus of money. I certainly would not need to pinch every penny.
如果在花钱时精打细算，我甚至可能还有剩余。当然，我不需要去节省每个便士。
I knew the money would not come to me in the form of a check. Instead, it would be deposited directly into my bank account.
这些钱不会以一张支票的形式发到我手上，而是直接存入到我的银行账户。
I could withdraw cash from my investments if I needed to supplement my income, my credit rating would allow me to be eligible for a loan when some unforeseen financial crisis a rose.
如果我需要补贴收入，可以撤回一些投资换成现金，而且，我的信用等级使我有资格在出现无法预料的财政危机时得到银行贷款。
I knew, therefore, that there was no reason to panic, as my future was secure even if inflation increased or a recession occurred.
因此，我知道没有理由惊惶失措，即使是通货膨胀或者出现经济衰退，我的将来也是有保障的。
In either case my income would only be minus a few dollars, a fraction of the total amount.
不论出现哪种情况，我的收入只不过是减少这些钱，那只是总数中的一小部分而已。
I decided to take the plunge, but waited another fortnight before I mailed the letter.
我决定冒险一试，但我又等了两个星期才把信发出去。
I even paused briefly with the letter part way into the mail slot before I thrust the letter into the mailbox. I knew that the simple act of mailing that letter would alter my life.
甚至在信已经部分插入投信口时，还犹豫了一会儿才把它推进邮筒。我知道寄出这封信的这一简单举动将改变我的生活。
I looked for clues to determine how striking the changes in my daily life would be. How would I spend my time?
我在寻找一些线索，以便决定如何就会日常生活的改变。我该如何消磨时光？
In spite of having many long yearly vacations when I could pursue other interests, I had not bothered to make an earnest effort to confine my activities to one particular hobby.
尽管有了很多一年一次的假期，可以让我追求其他的兴趣爱好，我还是想尽力把我的活动放在追求一个特别的爱好上。
Would I find life as a retiree boring? What new adventures might await me? Would I use my time to volunteer at a hospital or maybe work for a local charity?
我会厌烦退休人员的生活吗？会有什么新的冒险生活在等着我吗？我会利用我的时间在一所医院或者本地的一家慈善机构做自愿服务者吗？
Maybe I would apply for membership in a golf league. Maybe I would donate my time and work with the Better Business Bureau.
也许我会申请成为一个高尔夫球协会的会员。也许我会把时间贡献出来为商业扶助局工作。
I night decide to enter local politics and run for a position on town council or I could run for the position of Deputy Mayor of my town, or maybe even consider submitting my name to be a candidate in an election for member of parliament.
我可以决定进入本地的政界，竞选市议会议员的位置，或者可以竞选一下本市的副市长，甚至可以考虑让自己成为国会议员选举中的一位候选人。
I would need to campaign and then wait to see if people would vote for me on Election Day at the polls.
我需要参加竞选活动，然后，等着看是否有人会在选举日到投票处把票投给我。
In spite of the fact that the possibilities all had merit, I had to admit that I only had a superficial interest in pursuing any of them. In fact, I was indifferent to most of the options.
尽管这些可能的选择都是有益的，我必须承认我对它们之中的任何一个都没有多大兴趣。事实上，我对其中的大多数选择都不动心。
Did I think they might interfere with other commitments or mean I would have to cancel other appointments?
是否因为我认为它们可能干扰我决定要做的其他事情，或者意味着我将不得不取消其他的约会呢？
Or was I just too attached to the idea of teaching, feeling that it formed part of my identity?
还是我对教书的想法太执着，觉得那已经成为我自身的一部分？
I examined my emotions about the new direction my life would take.
我在心里仔细衡量着我的新生活究竟要走向何方。
Would retirement add a new dimension to my life and multiply my feeling of satisfaction or would the world apprehension be more applicable?
是退休给我的生活带来一种全新的方式，使我倍感称心呢，还是（走出去与人）沟通交流更切实可行?
Did I feel guilty about not being gainfully employed when I was qualified and capable?
当我够资格有能力但没被高薪聘用时，我会觉得惭愧吗？
As a certified teacher, did I feel obligated to work in the field of education?
作为一个有执业资格的教师，我是觉得有义务在教育领域里工作吗？
Did I feel entitled to sleep in late each day, or would that bother my conscience?
我觉得有资格每天睡懒觉呢，还是那样会使我良心不安？
Would I simply grow old gracefully or would feel that ridiculous?
我是这样悠闲地衰老下去呢，还是会觉得那样很可笑？
My instincts told me that although I would feel grateful for my good health, curiosity about other countries and lifestyles would overtake the desire to spend my time with senior citizens, playing board games, such as chess all day.
我本能地告诉我，尽管我觉得身体很健康，应该保持，但对其他国家和其他生活方式的好奇心，超过了希望把时间花在与老人们整天玩像国际象棋这样的棋盘游戏上。
Wouldn't I rather learn about other cultures and at the same time be an ambassador for my own country?
难道我不能学习其他文化，同时做一名我自己国家文化的使者吗？
