The Garden My Mother Kept
My mother spent an hour in the garden every single day.
我妈妈每天都在院子里待一个小时。
When I was young I thought this was a waste of time.
我小时候觉得这是浪费时间。
The garden was small and produced almost nothing useful.
院子很小，也几乎没有什么用。
A few tomatoes, some flowers, one tree that never gave fruit.
几个西红柿，一些花，还有一棵从来不结果的树。
I once asked her why she did not simply buy tomatoes.
我有一次问她，为什么不直接买西红柿。
She laughed and said I had asked the wrong question.
她笑了，说我问错了问题。
Last year I moved into a flat with a small balcony.
去年我搬进了一间带小阳台的公寓。
For no clear reason, I bought three plants.
没什么特别的理由，我买了三盆植物。
I killed all three within two months.
两个月内我把三盆都养死了。
I had watered them too much, or not enough, or at the wrong time.
我浇水浇多了，或者浇少了，或者时间不对。
I bought three more and read about each one first.
我又买了三盆，这次先查了资料。
They are still alive, and one of them has flowers.
它们还活着，其中一盆开花了。
I now spend about twenty minutes on the balcony every evening.
现在我每天晚上在阳台上待二十分钟左右。
I am not growing food. I am doing the one thing in my day that cannot be hurried.
我不是在种吃的。我是在做一天中唯一不能着急的事。