Key words… Parents, Seattle, moving
关键词….父母，西雅图，搬家

Coffee Reggiegram: What makes a major move perfect?
Is near-prefect perfect enough for you?

咖啡短信 :如何做到老年人完美迁徙？
近乎完美对您而言是不是已经足够了？

Part 1: How would you make such a big decision?
第一部分 您是如何做出如此重大的决定？

Would you rate our cross country move as dramatic? In 2016, we moved to Seattle. Many friends worried that, at age 75 years, our 2,500 miles move might be very stressful. We would lose many old, old friends, and miss longtime warm relationships of church, community and hospital. Especially 47 lovely years serving in our mission minded mother church. Could we handle all that at our “high age”?
您是否认为我们的跨越国家的搬家是戏剧性的？2016年，我们搬家到西雅图。很多朋友担心，在75岁高龄，2500英里的搬家会相当有压力。我们会失去很多多年的挚友，失去和教堂、社区、医院长久以来温馨的关系，尤其是47个爱心满满的年头对母会的精心侍奉。我们在如此高龄，能否处理好所有这些？

The reason for the dramatic move was the urging of our west coast family to be close to them. For decades they lived thousands of miles away, and we only saw each other once a year or so. So we were also excited for this radical change.
这次戏剧性的搬家是我们西海岸的家人呼唤我们离他们近一点。几十年来他们住在几千里以外，我们一年大致见一次面。因此我们也乐于这样巨大的改变。

Did you know moving older parents’ can be a crisis? Many years ago, my dad in Hong Kong suddenly became very ill and bedridden. My parents had to be moved reluctantly, dad even carried on the back of our then teenage son into the plane, to Cincinnati. Our son was in charge of this very stressful and complicated move, see “Coming of age” on Reggietales.org. And he did not relish a rerun of history!
您知道吗迁徙老年父母会是极大的困难？多年前，我的父亲在香港突然重病卧床。我的父母只好不情愿的搬家，我的父亲甚至只能被我的还是少年的儿子背入飞机，前往辛辛那提。我的儿子负责这次困难又复杂的搬家，请阅Reggietales.org上的“从孩童到成人”。他可不愿意再来一次这样的搬家。

After 2 years of family discussions and prayers, we finally made one of the most difficult decisions in our life, our own big move!
经过2年的家庭讨论和祷告，我们最终做出我们人生中最困难的决定，我们自个大迁徙。

How confident would you be to buy a home you never visited? We had made only one previous choice ever in buying a home, to live there 44 years! So now what’s the best way to find a new home!?
买幢从未见过的房子该需要多大的勇气?我们既往只有一次买房经历，在那个房子一住就是44年！现在有什么好办法去找幢新房子？

Since we have always lived simply and frugally, this was a perfect time to also downsize to a small condo. Which however is easier said than done, after decades of accumulated “stuff”!
既然我们平时生活都非常简单和节省，这次正好是个机会缩减规模，住到小公寓去。但是这说起容易做起难，毕竟有几十年积累的东西。

But thanks be to God, we did not even have to find the condo ourselves. Our son and his wife called one Friday evening from Seattle, with a video and photographs of a unit they selected. Their seasoned realtor sealed the deal before Saturday noon, a sight-unseen deal in 19 hours. Plus, our condo price went up 30% within months. All quite “perfect”.
但是感谢上帝，我们没有亲自去找公寓。在一个周五晚上我儿子和他太太从西雅图打来电话，给我们展示了他们选择的一套房子的视频和图片。他们经验丰富的房地产经纪人在周六中午前，仅仅19个小时就搞定了一次没有事前看房子的交易。另外，我们的公寓在几个月内价格上涨了30%。这些都很“完美”。

Don’t you agree 2 minutes makes a great location? The realtor’s chant is “location, location, location”. Located in Seattle’s Newcastle area, we are now exactly only 2 minutes local driving from a shopping mall that has nearly everything we need. Even a good Chinese restaurant, and a library next door, our first time ever use of a modern public library!
你不同意2分钟的距离来判断是否是个好地段？房地产经纪人的信条是“地段，地段，还是地段”。坐落在西雅图纽卡斯尔社区，我们现在只要2分钟的车程就可到达几乎可以满足我们所有需求的卖场。甚至有一个不错的中餐馆，隔壁还有一个图书馆，我们第一次使用现代化的公共图书馆。

What do you think of cougars or bobcats? Our 20 minute very calm drive to Costco is on a private like road with practically no other cars, through a forest of elegant tall northwest trees. The average height of Washington trees is 200 feet, so the views are impressive.
美洲狮和山猫会勾起你什么样的联想呢？我们驾车去Costco卖场的20分钟车程要穿越长满高大挺拔的西北部大树的森林，这一段路简直像私家公路，根本没有其他的车，
这些华盛顿大树平均高度在200英尺，这景观让人过目难忘。

To add excitement, there are cougars and bobcats spotted in these areas also. One bobcat even visited our condo area!
来点惊喜，这个片区还有美洲狮和山猫出没。一只山猫还光临过我们公寓附近。

Even doctors’ visits usually are only10 to 20 minutes away on local roads, again through green forests which are literally everywhere!
看医生沿当地公路也只要10-20分钟，也要穿越无处不在的绿色森林。

Would you drive with glaucoma? Since essential services and family are so close by, we have stopped expressway driving, a huge change from frequent freeway drives in Cincinnati. Plus my one eye glaucoma has unnerved my wife so she has taken over driving. Which suits me fine, my personal chauffeuse!
有青光眼还开车吗？既然必需的生活实施和家人都在附近，我们不再上高速，这和在辛辛那提经常跑高速有明显的变化。加上我一只眼有青光眼让我的太太担心，她承担起驾驶的责任。我的私人女司机让我倍感舒适。

When expressway driving is needed, say to see the glaucoma specialist, our son or Esther’s nieces personally uber-escort us, a perfect arrangement at our age!
如果必须上高速路，比如去看青光眼专家，我的儿子和Esther的侄女会亲自驾车护送。这是我们这个年龄完美的安排!

So, do you think our move was perfect? Five years after our move, we decided it was a “perfect move”. Or nearly prefect. Being a glass half-full optimistic person, nearly perfect is perfect enough for me! Plus a bit of American hyperbole!
因此，您认为我们的搬家完美吗？我们搬家5年后，我们认为我们的搬家是完美的，或者说近乎完美。作为一名半个完美主义者，近乎完美对我而言就是相当的完美！再加上一点美式夸张！

Part 2: Have you heard about the infamous seattle weather?
第二部分 您听闻过西雅图糟糕的天气吗？

First, is Northwest forest air fresher? While not specifically on our wish list, we live in the middle of a big forest. Washington State has stringent rules preventing deforestation, so there’s plenty of forest still. Evergreens predominate, and remain reassuringly non-naked in winter, in contrast to pervasive bare-trees in the Midwest.
首先，西北部的森林是空气净化器吗?并非刻意，我们住在大森林的中间。华盛顿特区严禁采伐，因此那里至今都是茂密的森林。四季常青，在冬季也不萧条，和中西部冬天树木光秃秃的样子形成鲜明的对比。

All year round, we can breathe fresh mountain cool wet air, clean and little polluted. A great change from the heavily polluted Asian cities of my work and ministry for the last quarter century! Perfect to “clean out” the lungs.
一年到头，我们都能呼吸到新鲜的山间清凉湿润干净没有污染的空气。和我最后四分之一个世纪所工作和事奉的亚洲城市污染严重的空气相比有极大的变化！完美洗肺。

Would you like a real babbling brook? Our condo is right next to a brook that is literally babbling! We didn’t ask for that, didn’t even realize it, nor even heard its gurgling until a few months after moving in. A great pleasant surprise!  Day and night, water from a high mountain pours noisily, poetically and melodiously, down into our brook. Reflecting also the notorious fame of wet rainy Seattle.
您喜欢潺潺的小溪吗？我们的公寓紧邻一条潺潺的小溪！我们事先也没有料想到，也没有意识到，甚至没有听到它汩汩的流水声，一直到我们搬进去几个月以后。真是一个大的惊喜！不分昼夜，河水从高山喧嚣的倾泻而下，带着诗意、带着韵律，奔涌入我们旁边的小溪。这也是湿雨绵绵的西雅图声名远扬的写照。

Would you like rain all the time? Which gets me to the infamous Seattle weather. My helpful smartphone has the insolence to display an umbrella under rain icon when I type out Seattle. But for us, the weather is quite perfect because it fits well with my stage of life, and concept that prison is the best place to write (see Reggietales.org for this title).
您喜欢下个不停的雨吗？连绵的雨让我联想到西雅图天气不佳的名声。我在我的很有用的智能手机里一旦输入西雅图，屏幕就会在雨的图标下顽固的显示出一把雨伞。但于我们，这个天气实在是太完美了，因为它很契合我们所处的人生阶段，符合我的观念：牢房是最好的写作地方（请参阅Reggietales.org 与曾叔叔闲聊: 在狱中写作）

And we’re poetically in prison because 9 months of the year it’s really cloudy. Or gloomy if you’re a half empty person. This overcast weather allowed me to finish my 3 bilingual Coffee with Uncle Reggie books, in 4 instead of the projected 5 years, which is really exciting. I’m even thankful for covid19 since that further locked us in, giving me extra time to expand hugely our international book distribution! Perfect timing for me.
一年中有9个月都是阴云密布，我们诗意的呆在监牢里。如果您是一个悲观的人，您会很沮丧。这种阴天让我能够完成我的3本双语的“和Reggie叔叔喝咖啡”的书，原计划5年的工作4年就完成了，这真令人高兴。我甚至感谢新冠病毒，它可以让我们继续呆在屋子里，给了我更多的时间极大的全世界推广我们的书！于我是完美的时机。

Did you know Seattleites have an attitude? And since I’m a half full person it’s beautiful to see the short bursts of sunlight that peek out often, even when it’s cloudy/gloomy. It doesn’t come out for long, 20 to 30 minutes, but those flashes are inspiring, and makes me grateful to see it. I can imagine a southern California native probably not being as grateful, but we and many Seattleites are. It’s definitely a place to perfect our attitudes of gratitude. Don’t you like my half-full attitude!?
您知道吗西雅图的人有特别的态度？既然我是一个乐观的人，看到在阴云密布中经常透出的短暂的阳光，我会感到无比灿烂。这一抹阳光透出来的时间很短，不过20到30分钟，但它很鼓舞人，让我对能看到它充满感激。可以想到南方加利福尼亚的本地人可能不会对阳光充满感激之情，而我们和西雅图人却心怀感恩。这真是一个可以培养我们充满感激之情的地方。您不喜欢我的乐观的态度吗？

Except for July and August, the Seattle weather is mostly cool. Native Seattleites love the 50sF weather, often wearing shorts! No severe winters, so there’s minimal snow driving or shoveling. No severe summers, so minimal air-conditioning. Pretty perfect for our life stage, though I need sweater, scarf and cap most of the year.
除了7、8月，西雅图的天气非常凉快。当地的西雅图人喜欢10℃的天气，经常穿著短裤！没有严冬，因此那里极少雪中驾驶或者铲雪。无酷暑，很少空调。尽管一年中大部分时间我都需要毛衣、围巾和帽子，但对于我们的人生阶段而言已经相当完美，

Did we move for the weather? We did not move for climate, scenery or environment. Our “essential requirement” was our new home had to be physically close to family. It is. Our son is 12 minutes local driving south of us and Esther’s nieces are 8 and 12 minutes respectively north. And covid19 affirmed this.
我们是因为天气搬家的吗？我们不是因为气候、风景或者环境搬家的。我们“基本要求”是我们的新房一定要离家人近。它确实是这样的。我们的儿子向南开12分钟的车可到达，Esthe的外甥女分别在北方8分钟和12分钟的车程。同时新冠病毒肯定了这一点。

When seniors (that’s us!) were urged to stay at home, the family immediately responded. They regularly delivered essential groceries, and Chinese take-outs for in–home lunches with us. A historic new experience and clear vindication for our move, to be helped, or pampered by family when necessary. Necessary pampering sounds perfect.
但老年人（正如我们）被要求呆在家里，家人们立即就有反应。他们会定期送来必需品，和我们共享外卖的中餐。为我们的搬家提供有意义的新经验和清晰的分析，需要的时候家人给予帮助和“宠溺”。
“精心的呵护”看起来也是完美的。

What’s an All Nations illegal lobbyist? And we’ve found our new house of worship. Surprisingly, in a large multi-ethnic 4,000 member church, the first time in our life. It’s mostly white but amazingly has Chinese, African, Hispanic and even Asian Indian sub-congregations within its umbrella.什么是万国的非法说客？我们找到了我们新的敬拜之所。非常惊奇，我们一生中第一次在一个巨大的多个种族，可容纳4000人的大教堂。大部分是白人，但惊奇的是还有华人、非洲人、西班牙人，甚至印度人等少数会众，都在它的保护伞下。

This fits my decades-long dream of an All Nations Church from Cincinnati days. In this new church, we started a mini ministry to translate Sunday English messages to Chinese, a novelty for the church.
这是我从辛辛那提开始的多年的愿望，一个万国的教堂。在
这个新的教堂里，我们组建了一个小型的团队去将主日的英语信息翻译为汉语，这是教堂的新事物。

Plus, I became an “illegal Asian lobbyist”. A non-member, non-official Asian hanging out in the church lobby for 2 hours each Sunday, greeting and meeting people, especially visitors and minorities. I never had any official badge except for my cup of coffee and a smile, but no-one kicked me out, so I kept up the practice.
另外，我成了一名“illegal Asian lobbyist不合法的亚洲游说客”。英语的lobby是大厅. 英语的lobbyist是游说客). 不是成员，”非法定”亚洲人，每个主日游荡在教堂大厅两个小时，招呼和接待客人，尤其是初次到访的人
和少数族人. 我从来没有任何
正式的徽章，仅有一杯咖啡和微笑，但没有人把我踢出去，因此我继续干着。

So, what’s this popganmi ben sawan thing? So, all in all, our move worked out well, wouldn’t you agree? There is actually a fantastic promise, “Everything works out for the good of those who love the Lord”. A really optimistic cup half full promise which has been my perfect life guide. And explains our “perfect move”. Of course, the truly perfect move awaits us… popganmi ben sawan! (Thai: see you in heaven!)
因此，天堂见是怎么回事？总之，我们搬家进展不错，您同意吗？实际上有一个奇妙的承诺：爱上帝，诸事顺逐。真正乐观的承诺是我的完美人生指导，也印证在我们“完美搬家”上。当然，真正完美的搬家在等待我们….popganmi ben sawan! (泰语: 天堂见！)