Last weekend, I was talking about winter vacation plans with a friend when I suddenly realized that this year I should start up an old plan of learning how to skate again.

上个周末，在我正和一个朋友谈论寒假计划，我突然意识到今年我应该重新开始一个学习如何滑冰的老计划。

I’ve always wanted to learn how to skate. As a child, my favorite TV sport was figure skating. I used to spend hours in front of the television, gawking at the screen as the pair in the skating rink jump and twirl with the most graceful posture one can imagine.

我一直想学习如何滑冰。小时数，我最喜欢看的体育节目就是花样滑冰。我曾经在电视前花上几个小时，呆呆地看着屏幕里那两人在溜冰场上以一个人能够想象到的最优美的姿势跳跃、旋转。

But I didn’t have a proper chance to learn figure skating. When I was young, the coastal city of about 20,000 people that I lived in had no ice rink. Back then, people didn’t often do sports for entertainment; they walked in the park or disco danced. My city didn’t even have a KFC until after I graduated from elementary school.

但是我没有学习花样滑冰的好机会。小时候，在我居住的那个大约有20000人的沿海城市里没有溜冰场。那时的人们不太经常为了娱乐消遣而运动；他们在公园里散步或者跳迪斯科。直到我小学毕业前我的城市甚至都没有一家肯德基。

My parents signed me up for classes at a skating school out of town. But I had to catch the early bus on the weekends to get there, and it took two hours to go and come back. So, I gave up learning how to skate pretty quickly.

我的父母给我在一所市外的溜冰学校报了班。但是我不得不在周末的时候赶早班公共汽车去那儿，而且往返都要两小时。所以，我很快就放弃了学习滑冰。

Now is my chance to fulfill my childhood dream!

现在就是我实现童年梦想的机会！

Excited, I started calling skating rinks in Beijing, hoping to sign up for lessons. But the results were disappointing.

我非常兴奋，开始给北京的溜冰场打电话，希望能报名参加课程。但是结果却很让人失望。

Some said they only had classes for children, especially children under the age of 10. A couple said it’s too much trouble to teach adults. One receptionist paused after my question and said strangely, "You never learned this as a child?"

一些溜冰场说他们只为小孩提供课程，尤其是10岁以下的孩子。一对夫妇表示说教大人太麻烦了。一位接待员在听到我的问题之后停顿了一下，奇怪地说道：“你小时候从来没有学过这个吗？”

I understand if they don’t get many adult clients, but to say that adults are harder to teach than children is such a slap in the face. I thought I lived in a society that encourages people to take on lifelong learning. Is there some unspoken rule that says after one reaches a certain age, he or she is not allowed to learn systematically with a trainer anymore?

如果他们没有多少成年客户的话我能够理解，但是说大人要比小孩更难教简直就是打脸。我认为我生活在一个鼓励人们终身学习的社会里。是否有潜规则说，达到某一年龄之后，人们就不再允许和教练进行系统学习了吗？

Are adults not allowed to pursue new hobbies?

成年人就不允许有新的爱好吗？

There are a number of things that I didn’t have time to properly learn when I was young, such as calligraphy, painting, basketball, and ballet. I had school, a social life, and so many things on the weekends.

我小时候没时间好好学习的事情有很多，例如书法、绘画、篮球和芭蕾。我要上学、我有自己的生活、周末还有那么多的事儿。

At that time, I failed to see how important hobbies were, and I was sick of my parents nagging me to do extracurricular activities. I thought that as long as I had books and TV, I could pass my time well enough.

那时，我看不出爱好有多么重要，也厌倦父母唠叨着要带我做课外活动。我那时认为只要我有书和电视，我就可以很好地消遣我的时间。

However, it proved untrue later in life. Now, when I get bored with being a couch potato and want to go out with friends, I find I have so few activities to do with them. I suck at sports, and I can’t sing or dance. I can’t even keep up with a jog through the park.

但是后来事实证明不是这样的。现在，当我厌烦了一个肥宅的生活、想要和朋友们一起出门时，我发现可以和他们做的活动少得可怜。我讨厌运动、也不会唱歌跳舞。我甚至不能跟上公园里慢跑的步伐。

Now, I’m being told that I can’t even make up for my childhood mistake. It seems that I’ve missed my chance. I missed it 20 years ago when I acted like the brat I was.

现在，我被告知我甚至不能弥补童年的错误。似乎我没有抓好我的机会。20年前我就像一个臭小鬼那样失掉了我的机会。

I did not realize I’d be regretting my decision as a grown-up. Now, I can only go on being ordinary. Perhaps I will transform my regret into nagging my children.

我没有意识到等我长大之后会后悔自己的决定。现在，我只能继续平凡。也许我会把我的悔恨变成对我孩子的唠叨。