Salad Days

My neighbor, a New Yorker retiree, told me during our casual evening talk that he wishes he could go back to aged 24. I told him, "You will. Life goes like a cycle."

He said, "You believe in reincarnation? To me, death-and-burial is the end of story. Unless, you somehow demonstrate to me there is an afterlife."

I said, "Some people said I will be successful in the future, but that does not really happen until a right employer hands over me a right job at the right time. At this point, all I can do is to believe that it will eventually happen, but just a matter of what, when, and where."

I continued, "This is perhaps a good analogy to life. We might not necessarily begin a new life in a new body, but we need to believe that there will be something ahead, something to hope for - even beyond the point of death."

He didn't say anything.

Yea, I consider that a cool moment in my life.

Salad Days：

1）the best time of youth；

2）少不更事的时期；

3）(美俚) 创作家等的最佳时期。

来源于莎士比亚写于1606年的第五大悲剧《安东尼与克莉奥佩特拉》（Anthony and Cleopatra）。

My salad days,
       When I was green in judgment: cold in blood,

在我年纪轻轻时，阅历尚浅，血气方刚
       To say as I said then! But, come, away;
       Get me ink and paper:
       He shall have every day a several greeting,
       Or I'll unpeople Egypt.
                              _____ William Shakespeare

从此，Salad Days 流传至今。