Live Happily Ever After

It was many years ago.

许多年前，

I was a young dad sitting on the couch, reading a fairy tale to my little girl.

那时我还是个年轻父亲，正坐在沙发上，给我的女儿讲童话故事。

She sat next to me with her head on my arm as I told the tale.

她坐在我身边，把头枕在我的肩膀上听我讲着。

When it came to the end, I finished with those famous words: "And they lived happily ever after."

我用那句经典的话结束了这个故事：“从此他们过上了幸福的生活。”

As I looked over to her with her wavy, brown hair and big, innocent eyes, I could see the smile on her face and I never wanted it to end.

我看着女儿棕色的卷发和大大的、充满童真的双眼，从她的脸上看到笑容，多么希望能够一直这样看着她。

It dawned on me then that the ending of the book was what I wanted for her. I wanted her to "live happily ever after."

我忽然明白了童话的结尾就是我对女儿的期许，我希望她也能“永远快乐地生活下去。”

Still, deep in my heart, I knew that this couldn't always be so.

虽然我内心深知世事难预料。

I knew that there would be times when her heart was broken. I knew there would be times when she cried in grief and I couldn't comfort her. I knew there would be times when all she felt was fear, sadness, sorrow, and despair.

我知道有时她可能会被伤害；我知道有时她可能会伤心地哭泣，而我却不能安慰到她；我也知道有时她的世界可能只剩恐惧、悲伤、懊悔和绝望。

As I stroked her hair and smiled at her, I hoped that those times would be brief and that she would have joy in her life more often than not.

我微笑地看着女儿，轻抚她的头发，心里祈祷那些伤心的日子能短一些，再短一些，希望有更多的快乐降临在她的生活。

Living happily ever after, though, seemed out of the question.

然而，永远快乐地生活下去，似乎是不现实的。

It took me a lot of years to realize that it is possible to live happily ever after. You just have to do it "one day at a time."

多年之后，我才发现永远快乐地生活下去是可以实现的，你只需要“开心地度过每一天”。

Happiness isn't some reward that you get at the end of your journey. Happiness isn't something dependent on what life hands you.

快乐并不是旅程结束后的奖励，也不是取决于生活给予你什么。

Happiness is something you create in your life, choice by choice and day by day.

快乐是你在生活中一次次的选择、一天天的积累所创造的。

The truth is that happiness comes when you love. It is love that mends broken hearts. It is love that heals grief. It is love that gives us joy.

事实上，快乐是爱的付出。爱愈合破碎的心灵；爱抚平伤痕；爱赐予我们快乐。

Choose to "live happily ever after, one day at a time."

希望我们都能选择“永远快乐地生活下去，开心地度过每一天”。