《華爾街日報》記者“重生”自述：戒的不是咖啡，而是麻木的生活
What Quitting Coffee Taught Me About Savoring Life
戒掉咖啡之后，我學會了如何細細品味生活
By Charles Lane
My coffee habit developed in my mid-20s. I was working at the time as a reporter in Central America， where they produce some of the world’s finest beans. A local friend taught me to drink it strong and black， with plenty of sugar. That became my go-to formula for decades.
我是在二十五六歲的時候養成了喝咖啡的習慣。那時我在中美洲做記者，那里盛產全球最優質的咖啡豆。一位當地朋友教我喝又濃又苦的黑咖啡——不加奶，只加大量糖。這成了我幾十年來雷打不動的喝法。
This began to change a couple of months ago when I felt a painful burning sensation between my throat and breastbone. When I saw the cardiologist two weeks later， he immediately ordered a procedure to check and potentially fix my heart.
幾個月前，事情開始發生變化，當時我喉嚨和胸骨之間感到一陣灼燒般的疼痛。兩周后我去看心臟病專家，醫生立刻給我安排了一項檢查，如果有問題就手術治療我的心臟問題。
Three anxious days later， I was recovering in a hospital room and listening to another cardiologist tell me that I had been on track for a massive“widow maker” heart attack， but a newly installed stent restored blood flow and I was good to go.
焦慮的三天過去了，我在病房里休養，另一位心臟科醫生告訴我，我當時的左冠狀動脈主干堵塞，隨時可能心臟病發作猝死，好在他們及時搭了支架恢復血流，我算是撿回一命。
My near-near-death experience has forced me to be honest with myself about all the things I mindlessly do. Eating junk food and sedentary channel-surfing are directly harmful to cardiovascular health. So is reacting to one high-stress situation after another.
這次差點死掉的經歷迫使我正視自己生活中那些下意識、不假思索的行為。吃垃圾食品、久坐看電視，這些對心血管健康都極其有害。應對一個又一個高壓場景，也同樣傷身。
Basically， I am quitting coffee just to show that I can. I want to prove to myself that it is possible to be intentional about things I might have taken for granted， to change the way I live and stick to it.
說到底，我戒咖啡其實是想證明我做得到。我想向自己證明，那些曾被我當作理所當然的習慣，其實是可以被有意識地重新選擇和改變的。而我，也能堅持這種改變。
Sorry， Starbucks. I will miss your caffeinated beverages， for sure. But I now understand that I have been pouring them down my throat without really savoring it. And what good is life if we don’t relish it to the last drop?
抱歉了，星巴克。我肯定會想念你家的咖啡因飲料。但如今我明白了，過去我喝咖啡不過是往喉嚨里猛灌，根本沒認真品味。而如果我們不能細細品味生命直至杯底，活著又有什么滋味呢？
生詞好句
1.quit something
主動停止某個習慣或行為
拓展:
quit sugar戒糖
quit social media戒斷社媒
2.savor
英[?se?v?]美[?se?v?r]
v.品嘗，品味；（有意識地、緩慢地）享受（某種體驗）
拓展:
She savored her few hours of freedom.
她充分享受短短幾個小時的自由。
3.fine
英[fa?n]美[fa?n]
adj.精美的，高級的
拓展:
fine dining高級餐飲
fine wine醇酒
4.strong and black
不加奶，濃度高的（一般指黑咖啡，濃縮咖啡）
拓展:
I take my coffee strong and black—no cream no sugar.
我只喝純黑濃苦的咖啡，不加奶不加糖。
5.go-to
英[?ɡ???tu?]美[?ɡ???tu?]
adj.最信賴的，最常用的(relied on and regularly turned to)
拓展:
go-to outfit不用費腦，穿上就走的行頭
go-to guy最靠譜的萬能顧問，救火隊長
6.burning sensation
灼燒般的疼痛感；（心理上的）羞恥感
拓展:
After that spicy hotpot， I had a burning sensation in my throat all night!
吃完辣火鍋，我嗓子一晚上都火燒火燎的！
His mocking words left a burning sensation in my chest.
他的嘲諷讓我胸口發燙。
7.cardiologist
英[?kɑ?di??l?d??st]美[?kɑ?rdi?ɑ?l?d??st]
n.心臟科醫生，心臟病專家
拓展:
前綴cardio-：表示“心臟相關的“
后綴-ologist：表示“某某學家“
8.procedure
英[pr??si?d??]美[pr??si?d??r]
n.（本文）醫療操作；程序
9.on track for something
（本文）即將發生某事；往某處的軌道上
拓展:
If you keep eating junk food like this， you're on track for diabetes.
你再這么吃垃圾食品，糖尿病就在向你招手了。
10.massive
英[?m?s?v]美[?m?s?v]
（本文）adj.極具破壞力的，致命的
11.widow maker
（本文）左冠狀動脈主干堵塞
拓展:
widow n.寡婦，鰥夫
12.stent
英[stent]美[stent]
n.支架
拓展:
install/insert a stent搭支架
13.good to go
（口語表達）沒問題，可以走了
14.mindlessly
英[?ma?ndl?sli]美[?ma?ndl?sli]
adv.無意識地
15.sedentary
英[?sedntri]美[?sednteri]
adj.久坐不動的
拓展:
sedentary job久坐的工作
sedentary lifestyle久坐不動的生活方式
16.channel-surf
英['t??n?l-s?:f]美['t??n?l-s?:f]
v.不停切換電視頻道
17.cardiovascular
英[?kɑ?di???v?skj?l?]美[?kɑ?di???v?skj?l?r]
adj.心血管的
拓展:
vascular adj.血管的
cardiovascular disease心血管疾病
18.basically
英[?be?s?kli]美[?be?s?kli]
adv.說白了，歸根結底
拓展:
Basically， he joined the gym just to use their shower.
說白了，他辦健身卡就是為了蹭浴室。
19.intentional
英[?n?ten?nl]美[?n?ten?nl]
adj.刻意為之的（強調帶著明確目的行動，而非無意識或慣性行為）
拓展:
I'm being intentional with my snacks—only almonds after 8 pm.
我現在吃零食很講究，晚上8點后只吃杏仁。
20.caffeinated beverage
含咖啡因的飲品
拓展:
decaffeinated coffee低因咖啡（同義：decaf）
21.relish it to the last drop
（本文）痛快、徹底地享受人生的每一個片刻；喝光飲料
拓展:
relish v.享受，品味
relish the first sip of cold beer after work享受下班后第一口冰啤酒的舒爽
relish proving your doubters wrong享受打臉質疑者的快感