肯尼亞的召喚

繁重的學業，快節奏的生活，電腦、手機等高科技設備的出現……現代社會的紛紛擾擾、熙熙攘攘讓我們漸漸忽略了大自然的美好，變得緊張焦慮、迷茫失落。想一想，你有多久沒有投入大自然的懷抱了呢？一花一世界，一鳥一天堂。當你來到大自然，你會在不知不覺間卸下身心的包袱，重拾點滴的幸福。你，聽到大自然的召喚了嗎？

Alarmed by an unfamiliar noise， I took my eyes off the path beneath my feet just in time to see a little green bird take off in front of me. I rushed after it， my camera ready， hoping to capture its unique splendor.

My eyes focused on the bird as it darted1） off to the right. After it had disappeared from sight， my eyes readjusted. The beauty of what lay before me was striking： from the edge of the trail2）， I was presented with a complete image of the Kenyan landscape. The lush3） forests of Mt. Kenya rushed down the mountain and blended with the flourishing farmland， which in the distance reached the wide-open plains of the savanna4）. In this moment， the vast beauty of the country overwhelmed me.

My trip to Kenya was not a leisurely sequence5） of five-star safari6） camps found in travel journals， rather I had come to Kenya as an assistant teacher working in a rural primary school， and volunteering at the nearby orphanage which meant that I kept a busy schedule. Although there was a lot of work to be done， I was pleased to take a day off to experience what Kenya had to offer by spending the day hiking Mt. Kenya.

I took a moment to explore the other details that I had been overlooking as my mind wandered from my to-do list to my calendar and back. Once I had escaped from my unconscious distractions， I was awed by what I found： colobus7） monkeys hiding behind the vines8） of an African oak， leopard tracks trailing off9） into the bush and an army of driver ants10） scurrying11） to find shelter from the approaching storm. Off in the distance I heard the grunting12） of a water buffalo that drowned out13） the chirps14） of the birds that were gathering seeds from an African rosewood15）.

I never cease to be astounded16） by the exquisite17） beauty in our world that goes unnoticed as daily concerns consume our lives. Whether it be rushing from the car to front door and failing to admire the fresh spring day， or that moment of panic when I realized how much time the hike had taken， I regularly find that my life revolves around18） the need for expediency19）. We live in a world in which Wikipedia and YouTube have become substitutes20） for learning through experience ourselves. It only takes a small but significant moment to remind us that there is a world around us that operates outside the sphere21） of technology， work and efficiency. In these moments， I remember that we are all part of a greater picture22）. As a result， those daily worries become mere trivialities23）. On that hike， I found satisfaction in the knowledge that the drifting thoughts and daily concerns that previously divided us had faded as we developed an appreciation for the same view that stood before each of us. In that moment none of us thought about the college essay we had to write， or the flights home that we had to check in to that night.

As modern conveniences become more accessible， the importance we place on expediency distracts us from the richness of a world around us that operates at a different pace. I have found the most remarkable moments in my life to be those in which I am able to take a step back from the chaos that is my day-to-day life， and absorb the natural wonders of the earth. When I am overwhelmed by daily stresses， I think back to those birds， darting in and out of the canopy24） of trees， adding color and life to an already vibrant landscape. Remembering that moment， I remind myself of how fortunate I am to live in such a beautiful place， and my worries are slightly diminished. Those moments have served as a source of comfort to me over the years as the demands and pressures of modern society continue to build and weigh upon25） my shoulders.

我被某種不尋常的聲音所驚擾，便把視線從我腳下的小徑移開，剛好看到一只綠色的小鳥從我面前飛起。我慌忙追趕著它，并將我的相機準備就緒，希望捕捉到它獨特的美麗。

我緊盯著這只小鳥，看著它猛地向右飛去。當它從我的視線中消失之后，我重新調整了下視線。我眼前的美景令人震撼：從小路的邊緣放眼望去，一幅肯尼亞景觀的全貌呈現在我的面前。肯尼亞山那郁郁蔥蔥的森林從山上傾瀉而下，與繁茂的農田融為一體，農田又在遠處與廣袤的稀樹大草原連成一片。此時此刻，這片國土廣闊無垠的美景令我深深地陶醉。

我的肯尼亞之行并不是在旅行雜志上能看到的那種不緊不慢地參加一個接一個的五星級野生動物考察野營活動。相反，我是以助教身份來到肯尼亞的。我在一所鄉村小學教書，并在學校附近的孤兒院擔任義工，這意味著我的日程安排很緊。盡管有許多工作需要完成，我還是很開心可以抽出一天的時間，利用這一天去肯尼亞山徒步，體驗肯尼亞的自然饋贈。

我花了一點時間仔細地觀察了一下別的一些細節，它們被我給忽略掉了，因為我的思緒剛才在我的待辦事項和日程安排之間來回游走。我一擺脫這種無意識的走神，眼前的一切就令我驚嘆不已：一只只疣猴躲在一棵非洲橡樹的藤蔓后面；豹子的足跡漸漸消失于灌木叢中；一大群矛蟻飛快地爬著，尋找著藏身之所，以躲避即將到來的暴風雨。我聽到遠處傳來一只水牛的哼哼聲，那聲音淹沒了正從一棵非洲黃檀木上采集樹籽的鳥兒們的啁啾鳴唱聲。

隨著日常紛擾消耗我們的生命，世界的那種精致之美總是被人忽視，但我卻從未有一刻不被這種美所震撼。無論是從車里沖向大門而未能領略到清新的春日時光，還是當我意識到徒步旅行花掉了我那么多時間時所感到的片刻恐慌，我常常發現自己的生活都是圍繞一時所需而展開的。在我們所生活的世界里，維基百科和YouTube業已替代了通過親身體驗來學習。我們只需要用小小的一瞬間（但這一瞬間卻意義重大）就可以提醒自己：在我們周圍還存在著這樣一個世界，它的運轉無關技術、工作和效率。在這些瞬間，我想起來我們都是一個更廣闊世界當中的一部分。這么一想，那些日常的煩惱就變成了區區瑣事。那次徒步旅行中，我感到很滿足，因為我意識到當我們開始欣賞在我們每個人面前都存在著的同一處景色時，那些之前令我們產生分歧的紛飛思緒和日常擔憂就逐漸消失不見了。在那一瞬間，我們當中沒有一個人在想著我們不得不寫的大學論文，也沒有一個人在想著我們必須要在那天晚上辦理登機手續的歸家航班。

隨著現代化的便利設施變得越來越觸手可及，我們對一時所需的重視讓我們看不到周遭世界的豐富多彩——那個世界以另外一種節奏在運轉。我發現我人生中最精彩的時刻會是這樣的一些時刻：我能從自己日常生活的煩擾中后退一步，并充分感悟地球上的自然奇觀。當我因日常壓力感到不堪重負時，我就會回想起那些鳥兒，它們在樹冠中忽而飛進忽而飛出，為那已然充滿生機的風景更添色彩和活力。每當回想起那個時刻，我就提醒自己，能生活在這樣一個美麗的地方是何其的幸運，而我的煩惱也因此而稍微少了一點。隨著這些年來現代社會的種種要求和壓力不斷強健我的雙肩并不斷給我的雙肩加壓，在肯尼亞的那些時刻已然成了我的慰藉之源。

What's More

Go outside. Choose a place that you think that you could thoroughly enjoy. One of the key things is that it must be calm and quiet. Any natural setting26） will do， whether it is a forest or grassland， lake or mountain.

Sit down on a rock， some dry leaves， or simply on the ground. Get comfortable with your surroundings， and really take in the sounds and the feel of everything around you. Try not to focus on \"the big picture\"—instead， notice the little details of things； for example： how many veins27） are there on a leaf？ Do you see any animals （or bugs） around you？

Do something peaceful， such as fishing or meditating28） in the woods. You will be amazed at how relaxing it is to just sit back and enjoy the natural sounds of the woods and birds. Don't forget to look at the stars， whether you know anything about them or not. Often， they will appear brighter and more numerous when you are away from the light and smog of cities.

（From wikihow.com）

1.dart [dɑ?t] vi. 猛沖；飛奔

2.trail [tre?l] n. （鄉間或森林里的）小路，小徑

3.lush [l??] adj. （植物）茂盛的，繁茂的，郁郁蔥蔥的

4.savanna [s??v?n?] n. （尤指非洲等熱帶國家的）稀樹草原

5.sequence [?si?kw?ns] n. 一系列；一連串

6.safari [s??fɑ?ri] n. （尤指在東非進行的）考察野生動物之行，游獵

7.colobus [?k?l?b?s] n. （非洲）疣猴

8.vine [va?n] n. 藤，藤蔓

9.trail off： 逐漸變小，減弱

10.driver ant： 矛蟻（產于非洲和亞洲，大隊成群出行，食昆蟲、動物等）

11.scurry [?sk?ri] vi. 碎步疾跑

12.grunt [ɡr?nt] vi. 像豬一樣發呼嚕聲；咕噥；嘟噥

13.drown out： （聲音等）壓過，蓋過，淹沒

14.chirp [t???p] n. （尤指鳥的）啁啾聲；吱喳聲；唧唧聲

15.rosewood [?r??zw?d] n. 黃檀木，花梨木（產于熱帶，木質堅硬，氣味芬芳，用于制作高檔家具）

16.astound [??sta?nd] vt. 使震驚；使大驚

17.exquisite [?k?skw?z?t] adj. 賞心悅目的；精美的；精致的

18.revolve around： 圍繞；以……為中心

19.expediency [?k?spi?di?nsi] n. 不得已而做的事；權宜之計

20.substitute [?s?bst?tju?t] n. 代替物

21.sphere [sf??（r）] n. 范圍；領域

22.picture [?p?kt??（r）] n. 情況；局面

23.triviality [?tr?vi??l?ti] n. 瑣事；小事

24.canopy [?k?n?pi] n. 頂篷似的樹陰；樹冠層

25.weigh upon： 加重……的心理負擔；使……陷入困境

26.setting [?set??] n. 環境

27.vein [ve?n] n. 葉脈

28.meditate [?med?te?t] vi. 沉思；冥想