12 truths I learned from life and writing | Anne Lamott

Translator: Sophia Mwema Reviewer: Joachim Mangilima

My seven-year-old grandson sleeps just down the hall from me,

Chumba cha mjukuu wangu mwenye miaka saba kipo karibu na changu

and he wakes up a lot of mornings

mara nyingi huamka asubuhi

and he says,

na kusema,

"You know, this could be the best day ever."

"Unajua, leo inaweza kuwa siku bora kuliko zote. "

And other times, in the middle of the night,

Na mara nyingine, usiku wa manane,

he calls out in a tremulous voice,

huita kwa sauti za woga

"Nana, will you ever get sick and die?"

"Nana, utaumwa na kufa siku moja?"

I think this pretty much says it for me and most of the people I know,

Nadhani hili linasema mengi kwangu na watu wengi ninaowajua,

that we're a mixed grill of happy anticipation

kwamba sisi ni mchanganyiko wa matarajio yenye furaha

and dread.

na hofu.

So I sat down a few days before my 61st birthday,

Hivyo, siku chache kabla ya kutimiza miaka 61, nilitafakari

and I decided to compile a list of everything I know for sure.

nikaamua kukusanya orodha ya kila kitu ninachojua.

There's so little truth in the popular culture,

Kuna ukweli mchache sana katika utamaduni wetu,

and it's good to be sure of a few things.

na ni vizuri tuwe na uhakika na mambo machache.

For instance, I am no longer 47,

Kwa mfano, umri wangu sio 47 tena,

although this is the age I feel,

Ingawa ndio umri ninaojisikia,

and the age I like to think of myself as being.

au umri ningependa kufikiri niko.

My friend Paul used to say in his late 70s

Rafiki yangu Paulo alisema katika miaka yake ya 70

that he felt like a young man with something really wrong with him.

kwamba alihisi kama kijana mwenye matatizo mengi tu.

(Laughter)

(Vicheko)

Our true person is outside of time and space,

Nafsi yetu ya kweli ipo nje ya muda na sehemu

but looking at the paperwork,

lakini nikiangalia nyaraka,

I can, in fact, see that I was born in 1954.

Naweza, kwa kweli, kuona kwamba nilizaliwa mwaka wa 1954

My inside self is outside of time and space.

Hisia zangu binafsi zipo nje ya muda na sehemu.

It doesn't have an age.

Haina umri.

I'm every age I've ever been, and so are you,

Nina kila umri ambao nimewahi kuwa,na wewe pia,

although I can't help mentioning as an aside

Ingawa siwezi kuepuka kusema,

that it might have been helpful if I hadn't followed

kwamba ingesaidia kama nisingefuata

the skin care rules of the '60s,

kanuni za huduma ya ngozi za miaka ya 60,

which involved getting as much sun as possible

ambayo ilihusisha kuota jua kama iwezekanavyo

while slathered in baby oil

nikijisiliba mafuta ya mtoto

and basking in the glow of a tinfoil reflector shield.

na kumeremeta chini ya foii ya aluminium

(Laughter)

(Vicheko)

It was so liberating, though, to face the truth

Nilijisikia uhuru sana, ingawa, nilbidi kuutizama ukweli

that I was no longer in the last throes of middle age,

kwamba sikuwa tena katika miaka ya mwisho ya rika la kati,

that I decided to write down every single true thing I know.

hivyo niliamua kuandika kila kitu nilichojua.

People feel really doomed and overwhelmed these days,

Siku hizi watu wamejisikia wameelemewa,

and they keep asking me what's true.

na huniuliza ukweli ni upi.

So I hope that my list of things I'm almost positive about

Hivyo, natumaini orodha ya vitu ninavzo fahamu kwau fasaha

might offer some basic operating instructions

itatoa misingi ya uendeshaji

to anyone who is feeling really overwhelmed or beleaguered.

kwa mtu yeyote anayehisi kuelemewa au kuchanganyikiwa.

Number one:

Namba moja:

the first and truest thing is that all truth is a paradox.

Jambo la kwanza na ukweli kabisa ni kwamba ukweli wote ni kitendawili.

Life is both a precious, unfathomably beautiful gift,

Maisha yana thamani, na zawadi nzuri sana kupita maelezo,

and it's impossible here, on the incarnational side of things.

na haiwezekani kutelezeka kwa kiumbe cha mwili.

It's been a very bad match

Imekuwa uwiano mbaya sana

for those of us who were born extremely sensitive.

kwa wale ambao tulizaliwa nyeti sana.

It's so hard and weird that we sometimes wonder

Ni vigumu sana na ni ajabu kwamba wakati mwingine tunajiuliza

if we're being punked.

kama tunataniwa.

It's filled simultaneously with heartbreaking sweetness and beauty,

Imejazwa na wema na uzuri wa umbo,

desperate poverty,

umasikini,

floods and babies and acne and Mozart,

Mafuriko na watoto na chunusi na Mozart,

all swirled together.

vyote vilibiringizwa pamoja.

I don't think it's an ideal system.

Sidhani ni mfumo mzuri.

(Laughter)

(Vicheko)

Number two: almost everything will work again

Namba mbili: karibia kila kitu kitafanya kazi tena

if you unplug it for a few minutes --

ukikichomoa kwa dakika chache --

(Laughter)

(Vicheko)

(Applause)

(Makofi)

including you.

hata na wewe.

Three: there is almost nothing outside of you

Tatu: karibia, hakuna chochote nje ya wewe

that will help in any kind of lasting way,

kitakachokusaidia kwa njia yoyote ya kudumu,

unless you're waiting for an organ.

isipokuwa kama unasubiria kiungo.

You can't buy, achieve or date serenity and peace of mind.

Huwezi kununua, kutekeleza au kuchumbia utulivu na amani.

This is the most horrible truth, and I so resent it.

Huu ni kweli ya kutisha, na ninauchukia.

But it's an inside job,

Lakini ni kazi ya ndani,

and we can't arrange peace or lasting improvement

na hatuwezi kupanga amani au uboreshaji wa kudumu

for the people we love most in the world.

kwa ajili ya watu tunaowapenda duniani.

They have to find their own ways,

Wanapaswa kutafuta njia yao wenyewe,

their own answers.

majibu wenyewe.

You can't run alongside your grown children

Huwezi kuenda pamoja na watoto wako wakubwa

with sunscreen and ChapStick on their hero's journey.

kwenye safari yao ya kishujaa.

You have to release them.

Unapaswa kuwaacha huru.

It's disrespectful not to.

Sio heshima kuwavunga.

And if it's someone else's problem,

Na kama ni tatizo la mtu mwingine,

you probably don't have the answer, anyway.

labda hata wewe hauna jibu, pia.

(Laughter)

(Vicheko)

Our help is usually not very helpful.

Msaada wetu mara nyingi hausaidii.

Our help is often toxic.

Msaada wetu mara nyingi ni sumu.

And help is the sunny side of control.

Na msaada ni upande chanya wa udhibiti.

Stop helping so much.

Acha kusaidia sana.

Don't get your help and goodness all over everybody.

Usisambaze msaada wako na wema kwa kila mtu.

(Laughter)

(Vicheko)

(Applause)

(Makofi)

This brings us to number four:

Hii inatuleta kwa namba nne:

everyone is screwed up, broken, clingy and scared,

kila mtu amevunjika, amevunjwa, ana wivu na hofu zake,

even the people who seem to have it most together.

hata wanaoonekana kuwa pamoja zaidi.

They are much more like you than you would believe,

Wako kama wewe kuliko unavzoweza kuamini,

so try not to compare your insides to other people's outsides.

hivyo usilinganisha undani wako na nje za watu wengine.

It will only make you worse than you already are.

Itakufanya ujisikie ovyo kuliko ulivyo tayari.

(Laughter)

(Vicheko)

Also, you can't save, fix or rescue any of them

Pia, huwezi kuwaokoa, kurekebisha au kuwakomboa

or get anyone sober.

au kumpatia mtu yeyote busara.

What helped me get clean and sober 30 years ago

Kilichosaidia kupata nafuu na kukaa safi na madawa kwa miaka 30 iliyopita

was the catastrophe of my behavior and thinking.

ilikuwa janga la tabia na fikra zangu.

So I asked some sober friends for help,

Hivyo niliomba msaada kwa marafiki,

and I turned to a higher power.

na nikamrudia muumbaji.

One acronym for God is the "gift of desperation,"

Kifupisho kimoja cha Mungu ni "zawadi ya kukata tamaa,"

G-O-D,

M-U-N-G-U,

or as a sober friend put it,

Au kama rafiki yangu mmoja alivyoiweka,

by the end I was deteriorating faster than I could lower my standards.

mwishoni nilikuwa nikipungukiwa kuliko nilivyoweza kupunguza viwango vyangu.

(Laughter)

(Vicheko)

So God might mean, in this case,

Kwa hiyo Mungu anaweza kumaanisha, katika kesi hii,

"me running out of any more good ideas."

"mimi kuishiwa na mawazo yoyote mazuri zaidi."

While fixing and saving and trying to rescue is futile,

Wakati kurekebisha na kuokoa na kujaribu kuokoa ni bure,

radical self-care is quantum,

Kujitegemea na kujitunza ni quantum,

and it radiates out from you into the atmosphere

na hujiangaza katika mazingira yako

like a little fresh air.

kama hewa safi.

It's a huge gift to the world.

Ni zawadi kubwa kwa duniani.

When people respond by saying, "Well, isn't she full of herself,"

Watu wanapojibu kwa kusema, "Mmh, mtizame anavyojisikia,"

just smile obliquely like Mona Lisa

tabasamu tu kama vile Mona Lisa

and make both of you a nice cup of tea.

na kuwatengenezea kikombe cha chai.

Being full of affection for one's goofy, self-centered,

Kuonyesha upendo kikamilifu kwa uzuzu wa mtu, ubinafsi,

cranky, annoying self

ukimwa, usumbufu wako

is home.

ni nyumbani.

It's where world peace begins.

Ndipo amani ya dunia huanzia.

Number five:

Namba tano:

chocolate with 75 percent cacao is not actually a food.

chokoleti yenye asilimia 75 kakao sio kweli chakula.

(Laughter)

(Vicheko)

Its best use is as a bait in snake traps

Matumizi yake bora ni katika mitego ya nyoka

or to balance the legs of wobbly chairs.

au kusawazisha miguu ya viti vinavyotetema.

It was never meant to be considered an edible.

Haikuwahi kumaanishwa kama chakula.

Number six --

Namba sita

(Laughter)

(Vicheko)

writing.

Kuandika.

Every writer you know writes really terrible first drafts,

Kila mwandishi unayemjua huanaandika rasimu mbaya za mwanzo,

but they keep their butt in the chair.

Lakini hutuliza kitako kwenye kiti.

That's the secret of life.

Hiyo ndio siri ya maisha.

That's probably the main difference between you and them.

Hiyo labda ndio tofauti kuu kati yako na wao.

They just do it.

Wanafanya tu.

They do it by prearrangement with themselves.

Wanafanya kwa makubaiano na wao wenyewe.

They do it as a debt of honor.

Wanafanya katika deni la heshima yao.

They tell stories that come through them

Wanasimulia hadithi kutokea kwao

one day at a time, little by little.

siku moja banda ya nyingine, kidogo kidogo.

When my older brother was in fourth grade,

Kaka yangu alipokuwa darasa la nne,

he had a term paper on birds due the next day,

alitakiwa kuwasilisha insha juu ya ndege kesho yake,

and he hadn't started.

Na hakuanza bado.

So my dad sat down with him with an Audubon book,

Basi baba akaketi naye na kitabu cha Audubon,

paper, pencils and brads --

karatasi, penseli na brads -

for those of you who have gotten a little less young and remember brads --

kwa wale ambao mmekuwaa wadogo kidogo na mna kukumbuka brads -

and he said to my brother,

na akamwambia kaka yangu,

"Just take it bird by bird, buddy.

"Chukua tu ndege kwa ndege, rafiki.

Just read about pelicans

Soma tu juu ya Mwari

and then write about pelicans in your own voice.

na kisha andika kuhusu Mwari kwa sauti yako mwenyewe.

And then find out about chickadees,

Na kisha soma kuhusu chickadee,

and tell us about them in your own voice.

na utuambie kwa sauti yako mwenyewe.

And then geese."

Na kisha bata bukini. "

So the two most important things about writing are: bird by bird

Hivyo vitu viwili muhimu kuhusu kuandika ni: ndege kwa ndege

and really god-awful first drafts.

na kwa kweli rasimu ovyo za mwanzo.

If you don't know where to start,

Kama hujui uanzie wapi

remember that every single thing that happened to you is yours,

kumbuka unamiliki kila kitu kilichokutokea

and you get to tell it.

na unaweza kusimulia.

If people wanted you to write more warmly about them,

Ikiwa watu walitaka uandike mazuri kuhusu wao,

they should've behaved better.

wangemudu tabia zao vizuri zaidi.

(Laughter)

(Vicheko)

(Applause)

(Makofi)

You're going to feel like hell if you wake up someday

Utajisikia ovyo siku moja utakapoamka

and you never wrote the stuff

na hujaandika juu ya mambo

that is tugging on the sleeves of your heart:

yanazo anazokukereketa, unayotunza moyoni:

your stories, memories, visions and songs --

hadithi zako, kumbukumbu, maono na nyimbo -

your truth,

Ukweli wako,

your version of things --

mtizamo wako wa vitu -

in your own voice.

katika sauti yako mwenyewe.

That's really all you have to offer us,

Hicho pekee ndicho unachokubui kutupatia,

and that's also why you were born.

Hiyo ndiyo sababu ulizaliwa.

Seven: publication and temporary creative successes

Saba: kuchapishwa na mafanikio ya ubunifu ya muda mfupi

are something you have to recover from.

ni kitu ambacho unapaswa kuponywa kutoka.

They kill as many people as not.

Vinaua watu wengi kama visivo.

They will hurt, damage and change you

Vitakuumiza, kukuharibu na kukubadilisha

in ways you cannot imagine.

kwa njia ambazo huwezi kufikiria.

The most degraded and evil people I've ever known

Watu dhilifu na waovu kuliko wote niliowahi kujua

are male writers who've had huge best sellers.

ni waandishi wa kiume walioandika vitabu vilivyo uza vizuri mno.

And yet, returning to number one, that all truth is paradox,

Na bado, tukurudia namba moja, kwamba ukweli wote ni kitendawili,

it's also a miracle to get your work published,

Pia ni muujiza kupata kazi yako kuchapishwa,

to get your stories read and heard.

Ili hadithi zako zisomwe na kusikika.

Just try to bust yourself gently of the fantasy

Jaribu tu kujitahidi polepole na fantasia

that publication will heal you,

ambayo itakuponya,

that it will fill the Swiss-cheesy holes inside of you.

itajaza mashimo ya chizi ya Uswisi ndani yako.

It can't.

haiwezekani.

It won't.

haitokuwa.

But writing can.

Lakini uandishi unaweza.

So can singing in a choir or a bluegrass band.

Pia unaweza kuimba kwenye kwaya au bendi.

So can painting community murals or birding

Pia uchoraji au ufugaji wa ndege

or fostering old dogs that no one else will.

au kukuza mbwa wazee ambao hakuna mtu mwingine anataka.

Number eight: families.

Ya nane: familia.

Families are hard, hard, hard,

Familia ni ngumu, ngumu, ngumu,

no matter how cherished and astonishing they may also be.

haijalishi namna gani tunaipenda au wavyotushangaza.

Again, see number one.

Tena, rudia namba moja

(Laughter)

(Vicheko)

At family gatherings where you suddenly feel homicidal or suicidal --

Katika mikusanyiko ya familia ambapo ghafla hujisikia kuua au kujiua --

(Laughter)

(Vicheko)

remember that in all cases,

Kumbuka kwamba katika hali zote,

it's a miracle that any of us, specifically, were conceived and born.

Ni muujiza kwamba yeyote kati yetu hasa, alizaliwa.

Earth is forgiveness school.

Dunia ni shule ya msamaha.

It begins with forgiving yourself,

Inaanza kwa kujisamehe,

and then you might as well start at the dinner table.

na kisha unaweza pia kuanza kusamehe watu mezani.

That way, you can do this work in comfortable pants.

Hivyo unaweza kufanya kazi hio katika hali tulivu.

(Laughter)

(Vicheko)

When William Blake said that we are here

William Blake aliposema kuwa tuko hapa

to learn to endure the beams of love,

kujifunza kuhimili miale ya upendo,

he knew that your family would be an intimate part of this,

alijua kwamba familia yako itakuwa sehemu kubwa ya hili,

even as you want to run screaming for your cute little life.

Hata unapotaka kukimbia, kupiga kelele kwa ajili ya kimaisha chako.

But I promise you are up to it.

Lakini ninakuahidi uko tiyari.

You can do it, Cinderella, you can do it,

Unaweza, Sindereli, unaweza,

and you will be amazed.

Na utashangaa.

Nine: food.

Tisa: chakula.

Try to do a little better.

Jaribu kufanya vizuri zaidi.

I think you know what I mean.

Nadhani unajua ninachmaanisha.

(Laughter)

(Vicheko)

Number 10 --

Namba 10 --

(Laughter)

(Vicheko)

grace.

neema.

Grace is spiritual WD-40,

Neema ni WD-40 ya kiroho,

or water wings.

Au mabawa ya maji.

The mystery of grace is that God loves Henry Kissinger and Vladimir Putin

Fumbo la neema ni kwamba Mungu anapenda Henry Kissinger na Vladimir Putin

and me

na mimi

exactly as much as He or She loves your new grandchild.

sawa kama anavyompenda mjukuu wako mpya.

Go figure.

Embu fikiria.

(Laughter)

(Vicheko)

The movement of grace is what changes us, heals us

Harakati ya neema ndio kinachotubadilisha, hutuponya

and heals our world.

na huponya ulimwengu wetu.

To summon grace, say, "Help," and then buckle up.

Kuita neema, sema, "Nisaidie," na kisha jiandae.

Grace finds you exactly where you are,

Neema hukukuta wewe mahali ulipo,

but it doesn't leave you where it found you.

lakini haikuachi itakapokukuta.

And grace won't look like Casper the Friendly Ghost,

Na neema haitofanana na Casper zimwi rafiki,

regrettably.

kwa bahati mbaya.

But the phone will ring or the mail will come

Lakini simu itapiga au barua itakuja

and then against all odds,

Na kisha dhidi ya vikwazo vyote,

you'll get your sense of humor about yourself back.

utapata ucheshi wako kuhusu mwenyewe tena.

Laughter really is carbonated holiness.

Kicheko kweli ni utakatifu wenye kaboni.

It helps us breathe again and again

Inatusaidia kupumua tena na tena

and gives us back to ourselves,

Na kujipa tena,

and this gives us faith in life and each other.

Na hutupa imani katika maisha na wengine.

And remember -- grace always bats last.

Na kumbuka - daima neema huja mwishoni.

Eleven: God just means goodness.

Eleven: Mungu anamaanisha wema tu.

It's really not all that scary.

Hata haiogopeshi.

It means the divine or a loving, animating intelligence,

Ina maana ya kimungu au upendo, kimaarifa

or, as we learned from the great "Deteriorata,"

au, kama tulivyojifunza kutoka kwa "Deteriorata" mkuu

"the cosmic muffin."

"keki ya kikosmiki."

A good name for God is: "Not me."

Jina jema la Mungu ni: "Sio mimi."

Emerson said that the happiest person on Earth

Emerson alisema mtu mwenye furaha zaidi duniani

is the one who learns from nature the lessons of worship.

ni anayejifunza ibada kutoka kwa mazingira.

So go outside a lot and look up.

Hivyo nenda nje na angalia juu.

My pastor said you can trap bees on the bottom of mason jars without lids

Mchungaji wangu alisema unaweza kutega nyuki ndani ya glasi bila kufunika

because they don't look up,

kwa sababu hawaangalii juu,

so they just walk around bitterly bumping into the glass walls.

hivyo wanatembea tu kwa huzuni na kuingia ndani ya glasi.

Go outside. Look up.

Nenda nje. Tazama juu

Secret of life.

Siri ya maisha.

And finally: death.

Na hatimaye: kifo.

Number 12.

Namba 12.

Wow and yikes.

Wow na yikes.

It's so hard to bear when the few people you cannot live without die.

Ni vigumu kuhimili kifo cha watu wachache tunaowapenda kwa dhati.

You'll never get over these losses, and no matter what the culture says,

Kamwe huwezi kusahau hasara hizi, haijalishi utamaduni unasemaje,

you're not supposed to.

hautakiwi.

We Christians like to think of death as a major change of address,

Sisi wakristo tunapenda kufikiria kifo kama mabadiliko makubwa ya anwani,

but in any case, the person will live again fully in your heart

Lakini katika hali yoyote, mtu huishi tena katika moyo wako

if you don't seal it off.

usipoufunga na sili.

Like Leonard Cohen said, "There are cracks in everything,

Kama Leonard Cohen alisema, "Kuna nyufa katika kila kitu,

and that's how the light gets in."

na ndio jinsi mwanga unavyoingia.

And that's how we feel our people again fully alive.

Na ndivyo tunavyojisikia wapendwa wetu wakiwa hai tena.

Also, the people will make you laugh out loud

Pia, watu watakufanya ucheke kwa nguvu

at the most inconvenient times,

katika mida isio sahihi,

and that's the great good news.

na hiyo ndiyo habari njema.

But their absence will also be a lifelong nightmare of homesickness for you.

Lakini kutokuwepo kwao pia utakuacha na ndoto mbaya na ukimisi nyumbani daima

Grief and friends, time and tears will heal you to some extent.

Huzuni na marafiki, muda na machozi vitakuponya kwa kiasi fulani.

Tears will bathe and baptize and hydrate and moisturize you

Machozi yatakuosha na kukubatiza na kukuhidrati na kukurutubisha

and the ground on which you walk.

na ardhi unayotembelea.

Do you know the first thing that God says to Moses?

Unajua kitu cha kwanza Mungu amwambia Musa?

He says, "Take off your shoes."

Anasema, "Vua viatu vyako."

Because this is holy ground, all evidence to the contrary.

Kwa sababu hii ni ardhi takatifu, ushahidi wote unakanua hili.

It's hard to believe, but it's the truest thing I know.

Ni vigumu kuamini, lakini ni jambo la ukweli kabisa nalojua .

When you're a little bit older, like my tiny personal self,

Unapokuwa mzee kidogo, kama mtoto mie,

you realize that death is as sacred as birth.

unatambua kifo ni takatifu kama kuzaliwa.

And don't worry -- get on with your life.

Na hujali tena - bali uendelea na maisha yako.

Almost every single death is easy and gentle

Karibu kila kifo ni rahisi na polepole

with the very best people surrounding you

pamoja na wapendwa wakikuzunguka

for as long as you need.

kulingana na unavyohitaji.

You won't be alone.

Hautokuwa peke yako.

They'll help you cross over to whatever awaits us.

Watakusaidia kuvuka kwa chochote kinachokusubiri.

As Ram Dass said,

Kama Ram Dass alisema,

"When all is said and done,

"Yote yakishasemwa na kutendwa,

we're really just all walking each other home."

tunatembea tu katika nyumba ya kila mmoja wetu. "

I think that's it,

Nadhani nimemaliza,

but if I think of anything else,

lakini kama nikifikiria kitu kingine chochote,

I'll let you know.

Nitawajulisha.

Thank you.

Ahsante.

(Applause)

(Makofi)

Thank you.

Ahsante.

(Applause)

(Makofi)

I was very surprised to be asked to come,

Nilishangaa sana nilipoulizwa kuja hapa,

because it is not my realm,

Kwa sababu sio eneo langu,

technology or design or entertainment.

Teknolojia au tarakibu au burudani.

I mean, my realm is sort of faith and writing

Yaani eneo langu ni imani na uandishi

and kind of lurching along together.

na huambatana pamoja.

And I was surprised,

Na nilishangaa,

but they said I could give a talk, and I said I'd love to.

Lakini waliniuliza niwasilishe majadiliano, na nilikubali.

(Video) If you don't know where to start,

(Video) Kama hujui utaanzia wapi,

remember that every single thing that happened to you is yours

kukumbuka kwamba unamiliki kila kitu kilichokutokea

and you get to tell it.

na una haki ya kusimulia.

Anne Lamott: People are very frightened and feel really doomed

Anne Lamott: Watu wana hofu sana na kuhisi kweli wamepotea

in America these days,

katika Amerika ya leo,

and I just wanted to help people get their sense of humor about it

na nilitaka tu kuwasaidia watu kuuona ucheshi kuhusu hilo

and to realize how much isn't a problem.

na kutambua ni kiasi gani sio tatizo.

If you take an action,

Ukikuchukua hatua,

take a really healthy or loving or friendly action,

chukua kweli hatua katika upendo, katika kirafiki,

you'll have loving and friendly feelings.

utabaki na hisia za upendo na urafiki.