After the illness, then death, of a close family friend within a much too short six week period of time, I began to ponder the fragility

　　of life and the limited time we have here on earth... When faced withour own mortality, many of us wonder if we have made the right choicesabout our lives and what other paths we could have chosen。

　　在短短的六个星期内，经历了一个亲朋好友的病痛，死亡之后，我就开始思考生命的脆弱，以及我们到底有多少有限的时间。当我们面临死亡的那一刻，我们中的大部分人都想知道在一生中做出的选择是否都是正确的，如若不然，我们还有些什么样的其他选择。

　　考虑其他的选择

　　It is important to takethe time to consider our options and to evaluate the choices so that wehave time to work, time to play and time to make sure our life is asfulfilling as it can be. After all, the time we do have to "get itright" is limited. Sister Jean C. Peters, CSJ says in the CSJ Newsline"I do not suggest that hard work has no place in our lives, but itcannot have the only place. A sense of leisure and a spirit of playneed space in us as well"。

　　花一些时间去考虑、评估我们做出的选择是很重要的，因为这样我们才有时间去工作，娱乐，才能确保我们的生活过得最充实。毕竟，我们能够“做对”的时间是有限的。Jean C.Peters在CSJ新闻纵横上说：“虽然我不并不建议生覆盖不要努力工作，但是努力工作也不应该占据生活中的唯一位置。我们也需要一点悠闲的时间，一种游戏的精神。”Achieve Balance

　　达到平衡

　　How do we achievebalance in our lives? It takes planning and it takes action. A friendof mine recently downgraded her job, cut her hours (and her paycheck)so she could pick up her daughter from school several times a week. Itwasn't easy, but, she set up a budget and, with planning, calculatedhow she could live on her reduced income。

　　在生活中我们怎么才能达到平衡呢？要有计划和行动。最近我有一位朋友，减少了自己的工作量，工作时间和薪水，为的是每周有时间去学校接女儿放学。这是很不容易的，但是她制定了一份预算计划，合理地分配了符合缩水后薪水的生活消费。

　　灵活的工作选择

　　Flexibleschedule is another option. Working some hours in the office and somehours at home allows for more time with the family. Spending some of mywork hours at home has benefited my employer - we now have emailcoverage on evenings and weekends rather than strictly during officehours. For those of us who do work from home setting limits isimportant. For some telecommuters, designated office hours have helpedmanage their time. Job Sharing is an another alternative - two peoplecan often share one position。

　　灵活的工作制度是另外一个选择。在办公室里上几个小时的班，在家里多待点时间。我在家里工作也让我的上司获益，现在我们在晚上甚至周末都可以互通邮件，而不是按照严格的上班规定时间。对于在家工作的大部分人来说设置时限是很重要的。对于一些远程工作者来说，指定的工作时间可以帮助他们很好的管理自己的时间。工作分担是另外一种选择，两个人可以经常换工作做。

　　Keepin mind that the worst that can happen if you ask your boss aboutflexible work options is that he can say no. If you don't ask, youwon't have a chance. If you do, you may just be pleasantly surprised。

　　要记住，你开口向你的老板提出弹性工作制度的最坏结果只是他的拒绝。但是如果你不问的话，你连机会都没有。如果你开口问了，或许有意想不到的惊喜。

　　行动起来

　　Moredramatic measures are sometimes in order. Several years ago, MichaelLandes, author of the Back Door Guide to Short-Term Adventures starteda new life engaging in short-time work experiences. Michael recentlytold me that "It was all these short-term job adventures that allowedme to grow into this phase and open my eyes to what I really wanted -BALANCE in my career, life, relationships, and home. It's as if I camefull circle I left my secure job, home, relationship, and community sixyears ago to explore the world (along with nurturing my dream andpassion - my book, and everything that comes with that). The workcomponent had really consumed my life. Now is the time to go back towhat I left - but with fresh eyes and a new perspective... We will have phases through our entire life where one area will rise above the other - the key, however, is BALANCE."

　　还有很多有效地达到平衡的方法。几年以前，Back Door Guide to Short-Term Adventures一书的作者MichaelLandes开始尝试了一种短时间工作的经历。最近他告诉我说：“就是因为有这些短期工作的经验，我才能够达到今天的地步，我才能找到我真正想要的。在我的事业，生活，人际关系，和家庭生活之间找到平衡。就好像一个循环一样，六年前，为了探知一个未知的新世界，我离开了有保障的工作，家庭，抛弃了所有的关系。工作真的毁了我的生活。而现在，又回到了我离开前的样子了，唯一不同的是新鲜的看法和不同的观点。我们的整个生命进程中，都会有不同的阶段此起彼伏，而关键就是找到平衡。

　　Balance is possible and well worth the effort sometimes required to achieve it. After all, we really don't have forever。

　　找到平衡是有可能的，有时候是值得努力去达到这个平衡的。毕竟，我们没有永远。