生活中的轻重缓急

　　Friday afternoon,a stack of paper six inches thick sat on my desk.I laid a ruler on the top of the sheet,using it to keep my place.I was a senior financial analyst at the biggest bank in Minneapolis,and my division was responsible for a billion dollars.Every number had to add up.But that's not what worried me.My mind kept wandering to a bigger problem:what my manager would say when I told him I was expecting my first child.

　　周五下午，一叠6寸厚的文件在我办公桌上放着。我在最上边放了一根尺子，以表明工作进度。我在明尼阿波斯市最大的银行工作，是一个高级金融分析师。我的部门负责10亿美元的业务，每一笔款项都必须计算进去。但是，这并不令我担忧。我心中不停地想着另一个更大的问题：当我告诉经理说我已怀上第一个孩子时，他会说什么？

　　My due date meant I'd miss next year's entire budget season.Dan,my hard-driving boss,would never understand.He was so work-obsessed he practically ate three meals a day at his desk.Today he looked utterly exhausted,rushing to pack his briefcase full of work to take home.Does he have any time for his family!I wondered.Will I!

　　我的预产期意味着，我将不能参加明年的整个预算工作。我的老板丹是永远不会理解的，他对下属特别苛严，简直是把人当驴使。他是一个工作狂，一天三顿几乎都是在办公桌上吃的。今天他看上去极度疲劳。他匆匆忙忙地往他的公文箱里塞满文件，准备带回家去干。我纳闷：他还有时间顾及家庭吗？我会有时间料理我的家事吗？

　　I thought of talking to Mike,my team leader.Mike went home at 5 o'clock almost every night.He had two boys and a wife who went to school in the evenings.“I've got to be on time for the second shift at home”he joked.His cubicle was plastered with pictures of his children on the jungle gym he had built for them and T-ball team he coached and the family dressed up for church on Easter.

　　我想和迈克谈一谈，他是我的组长。迈克几乎每天下午5点就下班回家。他有两个男孩，太太要上夜校。“我得赶紧回家，以便能按时在家上下一个班。”他开玩笑说。他的隔间里贴着三张照片，一张是他的孩子们在他亲手为他们做的攀援游戏架上玩耍，一张是他担任教练的足球阻截手训练队的照片，还有一张是复活节全家穿着盛装准备去教堂前的合影。