Do not rely completely on any other human being, however dear. We meet all life’s greatest tests alone. -Agnes Macphail

不要完全依赖另一个人，无论他/她有多么珍贵。生活中最大的考验，我们只能独自经历。——加拿大首位女性议员艾格尼丝•麦克菲尔

I have found that the more time I spend alone, the more comfortable I become in my own skin because I can truly get to know myself. This provides me with more patience to accept myself as I am, wherever I am in my journey, on a daily basis.

我发现独处的时间越长，我越觉得舒服、放松和自信，因为这样我可以认识真正的自己。这让我每天都有更多的耐心来接受自己，接受自己在生活旅途中的位置。

This lesson was something I learned¹ after spending a summer alone in Italy with a family friend.

这堂人生课是我独自一人在意大利学到的，当时我在一位世交朋友家里度过了一个夏天。

I embarked² on the journey, turning off my phone for the first time, well, probably ever. I would be jetting all over America then landing³ in a country with a family basically⁴ unknown to me.

我踏上旅途，第一次关上了手机，嗯，这么多年来第一次。我在美国上方飞来飞去，然后降落在一个国家，和一家基本上不认识的人生活在一起。

It wasn’t until two years after I returned that I wished I had spent more time living in the moment while experiencing the greatest adventure of my life. I was not comfortable enough in my own skin to truly be present in the magical moments presenting themselves in a foreign country.

直到我回来两年后，我才希望当时要是我能有更多的时间活在当下，经历人生中最大的冒险就好了。当时我不够放松、自信，无法在一个陌生的国家，在那样神奇的时刻，把它们展现出来。

My mind stayed distracted⁵ as I wondered what people were thinking of me, and what I would post online to my friends back home.

当我在想我在人们心中是什么样子，当我在想回家后我会在网上发布什么内容时我就会分神。

At 19 years old, it seemed much more important to capture⁶ photos to upload to social media. The Internet was a crutch⁷ for me to not feel so alone in an unknown territory. As brave as I was to be completely alone in my adventure, I had a thousand people to "connect" with on my lonely nights!

19岁时对我来说，拍摄照片并把它们传到社交媒体上要更为重要。互联网对我来说是个拐杖，能让我在未知的领域中不会感觉到那么孤独。和我独自一人冒险时一样勇敢，在孤独的夜晚，我有一千人可以去“交流”。

Two years later I realized that I could have filled my days with activities for growth.

两年后，我意识到，我可以用有助于自己成长的活动来填满日子。

I now wish I had traveled to nearby cities, spent my days reading in a cafe, tried acupuncture—anything out of the ordinary.

现在我希望我能游遍附近的城市，把时间用在在咖啡馆里阅读、尝试针灸——任何与众不同的东西上。

The truth was I didn’t have the hobbies I have now. The trip did help me grow, but I regret that I could not simply enjoy the moments, instead of wanting thousands of others to see I was enjoying them.

事实上，我现在的爱好以前都没有。旅行确实帮我成长，但我后悔当时我没能享受当下的时光，而是去让成千上万个人看着我在享受。

I discovered that if I want to be happy, it would be my own doing. Happiness is an interior⁸ process and comes without validation⁹ from others.

我发现如果我想要开心，那是我自己的事情。幸福是内心的过程，不需要得到别人的认可。