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一位“刺猬女士”如何重燃她的使命感

生活情感人物双语阅读

标准 2116

How One “Hedgehog Lady” Reignited Her Sense of Purpose?

一位“刺猬女士”如何重燃她的使命感？

I’ve been a “Hedgehog Lady” for almost a decade, a known spike whisperer, someone who usually has an emotional support animal so inconspicuous, you wouldn’t even know when I brought him to work, nestled in a pouch against my body, sleeping the day away as nocturnal creatures normally do. In time, I’ve learned a lot of secrets and loved many, but it all started with a Craigslist ad back in 2013…

我做“刺猬女士”已经快十年了，是一个有名的刺猬耳语者。通常有一只支持我情感的动物，它非常不起眼，你甚至不知道我什么时候带它去工作，让它靠在我身体的一个袋子里，像夜间活动的生物一样睡一天。随着时间的推移，我知道了很多秘密，也爱上了很多小动物，但这一切都是从2013年Craigslist网站上的一个广告开始的……

I was puttering around the Internet when something suddenly caught my eye: a pudgy pincushion, all rolls of fat and wrinkles, only the size of a golf ball and dwarfed by the hand holding him. The ad read: “HELP! My hedgehog abandoned her two babies, and I cannot go to school full-time and hand raise both of them. Good home with experience needed ASAP!”

当我在漫无目的地浏览网页时，突然有个东西吸引了我的注意：一个矮胖的枕形物，一圈圈的脂肪和皱纹，只有高尔夫球那么大，与端着它的手相比显得又矮又小。广告上写着：“救命！我的刺猬抛弃了她的两个孩子，我白天要去学校没办法亲手抚养。它们需要尽快有个善待它们、有养育经验的家！”

I had absolutely no experience with baby hedgehogs. I was an animal person through and through and had raised orphan kittens, guinea pigs, birds, turtles. But this tiny creature was new to me, and it touched me that he was rejected, that maybe I could love him and be the best mom for him. I had suffered a miscarriage at four months not long before and was lonely for a little baby to need me.

我对养小刺猬毫无经验。我是一个完完全全的动物爱好者，养过被遗弃的小猫、豚鼠、鸟和海龟。但是这个小家伙对我来说是新的，它受到遗弃这件事触动了我。也许我可以爱它，成为它最好的妈妈。不久前，我在怀孕四个月时流产了，感到十分孤独，此时正巧有一个小婴儿需要我。

I wrote the most heartfelt plea I could, that I had a feeling we needed one another and I already loved him. That was how I found my Louie. True to my word, he was my baby. He soon developed a sense of confidence and swagger outsized to his little form. Lou didn’t know he was a hedgehog, didn’t know that he had an expertly evolved defense mechanism in his spikes. He never spiked up or curled into a ball, and he adored my two cats, no fear. The cats, however, were (rightfully) afraid of him, as he had a tendency to barrel into the room, peeping up a storm (like a baby bird) and being generally mischievous (chasing the cats and harassing my feet).

我写下了我最衷心的请求，我觉得我们需要彼此，我已经爱上它了。我就是这样找到我的路易的。正中了我的话，它是我的孩子。它很快就有了自信，走起路来大摇大摆，虽然它身体小小的。小路易不知道它是一只刺猬，也不知道它的刺中有一种经过专门进化的防御机制。它从不竖起身上的刺，也不蜷缩成球，它还喜欢我的两只猫，一点儿也不害怕。然而，猫（理所当然地）害怕它，因为它好像随时会冲进房间，（像小鸟一样）偷看窗外的暴风雨，而且常常很调皮（追着猫不放，或者对我的脚挠痒痒）。

By the time he reached old age, rambunctious Louie had only three feet and used his stump like a peg leg. He was still a “Houdini Hog” and staged elaborate escapes from his enclosure, climbing the stairs to visit the other hedgehogs and peep loudly at them. He was perfectly unique and completely at ease, no matter what. He helped me realize my dream of hedgehog photography, a hobby that began during childhood with guinea pigs and dollhouses.

当它年老时，鲁莽的路易只有三只脚，它的残肢就像假腿一样。它仍然是一只“胡迪尼猪”，精心策划了逃离围栏的过程，爬上楼梯探望其它刺猬，大声地对它们吱吱叫。无论在什么方面，它都独一无二，放松自在。它帮助我实现了给刺猬摄影的梦想，这个爱好始于童年，当时我喜欢豚鼠和玩具娃娃屋。

Life has meaning because of the purpose we imbue. Lou needed a good home and mom, and in return, I got to be a good mother and be needed. Hedgehogs require immense amounts of patience, trust, and knowledge—but the payoff is pretty epic.

生活之所以有意义，是因为我们所赋予了它目标。小路易需要一个善待它的家和一位妈妈，而我想要做一位好妈妈，想要被需要。养刺猬需要有极大的耐心、信任和知识量，但我收获的回报也是难以想象的。

【VOCABULARY】

1. hedgehog n. 刺猬

2. inconspicuous adj. 不显眼的

3. nestle v. 依偎；（舒适地）安顿

4. pouch n. 小袋；小包；囊状袋

5. nocturnal adj. 在夜间的；（指生物）夜间活动的

6. putter v. 闲逛

7. heartfelt adj. 衷心的

8. plea n. 恳求；借口

9. swagger v. 大摇大摆地走

10. outsize v. 体型超过...