【外刊英语精读】遗愿清单 | bucket list

A 'bucket list' has physical and mental advantages

“遗愿清单”对身心都有好处

A "bucket list" is a personal list of goals and activities someone wants to accomplish before the end of their life. Fortunately, I've been able to check off quite a lot of mine, an achievement that many people I know never get the opportunity to do.

“遗愿清单”是一份个人清单，列出了某人在有生之年想要完成的目标和活动。很幸运，我已经完成了其中的很多目标，我认识的许多人永远没有机会实现这个成就。

While most of us don't like to ponder our mortality, the hard fact is that it will come eventually. After the loss of several loved ones, I decided to make my bucket list so that, when I reflect on my life, I'll smile and know that I grabbed every chance at happiness that I could.

虽然我们大多数人都不喜欢思考死亡，但残酷的事实是死亡终究会来临。在失去了几位爱的人之后，我决定列出我的遗愿清单，这样当我回顾自己的一生时，想到自己抓住了每一个可以获得幸福的机会，我会会心一笑。

Some of the things on my bucket list that I've achieved — hiking the Plank Road in the Sky on Mount Huashan in Shaanxi province; diving off the highest platform of 15 meters (50 feet) into the sea at Ariel's Point in Boracay, the Philippines; doing the world's highest commercial bungee jump at 233 meters off Macao Tower in the Macao Special Administrative Region; octopus fishing in the Yellow Sea off South Korea; and much more.

我已实现遗愿清单上的一些事情——在陕西省华山长空栈道徒步，从菲律宾长滩岛艾瑞尔角15米（50英尺）高的最高平台跳入海中，在澳门特别行政区澳门旅游塔233米处进行世界上最高的商业蹦极，在韩国黄海捕捞章鱼，等等。

The top item on my bucket list, however, is much more difficult to achieve. Being adopted from South Korea to the United States in 1976, I have been searching for my birth parents for the past several years. I can't help but worry that they may not still be living. But having this item at the top of my list urges me to keep trying and I'm planning to visit Seoul in October to continue the search.

然而，遗愿清单上最重要的一项却很难实现。1976年，我从韩国被领养到美国，过去几年我一直在寻找我的亲生父母。我不禁担心他们可能已经不在人世了。但我仍然为这最重要的一项而努力，计划10月去首尔继续寻找他们。

When I've talked about my bucket list to others, some of the feedback I've received is that it seems "a bit morbid". Like, if you have a list, you're neurotically thinking about your death.

当我和别人谈论我的遗愿清单时，我收到的一些反馈是它似乎“有点病态”。就像是，如果你有一份清单，你就会神经质般地思考死亡。

In October 2019, the American Heart Association published an article listing the emotional and physical benefits of keeping a bucket list. According to research, pre-planning trips or adventures has been linked to happiness and more positive cardiovascular health outcomes. A bucket list also prioritizes "breaks" in routine life and helps to spell out how you want to be remembered after you pass.

2019年10月美国心脏协会发表了一篇文章，列出了遗愿清单对情感和身体的益处。根据研究，预先计划旅行或冒险可以增强幸福感、促进心血管健康。遗愿清单还让我们把日常生活中的“休息”作为优先项，并有助于阐明你希望在你去世后被如何记住。

As you get older, the list may change. And that's OK. Whether it includes visiting certain countries, getting in better physical shape, buying a particular item or just spending more time with loved ones, there is no wrong way to do a bucket list. Your list can include short-term goals, once-in-a-lifetime experiences or just personal goals. It can give a boost to your motivation and force you to take breaks when you might not otherwise think of doing so.

随着年龄增长，清单可能会发生变化，但这没关系。无论是去哪些国家旅行、身材变好、买某个东西，还是花更多时间与爱的人相处，制定遗愿清单没有一定之规。你的清单可以包括短期目标、一生中仅有一次的经历或只是个人目标。它可以增强你的动力，迫使你在原本可能不想休息的时候休息一下。

I consider my bucket list as a way to keep my hopes and dreams alive; a north star by which I can steer my life.

我认为遗愿清单是让我的希望和梦想保持活力的一种方式，是引导我生活的北极星。