Too Soon Old Too Late Smart 英文原版

　　After service in Vietnam, as a surgeon for the 11th ArmoredCavalry Regiment in 1968-69, at the height of the war, Dr. GordonLivingston returned to the U. S. and began work as a psychiatrist.In that capacity, he has listened to people talk about theirlives-what works, what doesnt, and the limitless ways (many of themself-inflicted) that people find to be unhappy. He is also a parenttwice bereaved; in one thirteen-month period, he lost his eldestson to suicide, his youngest to leukemia. Out of a lifetime ofexperience, Gordon Livingston has extracted thirty bedrock truths:We are what we do. Any relationship is under the control of theperson who cares the least. The perfect is the enemy of the good.Only bad things happen quickly. Forgiveness is a form of lettinggo, but they are not the same thing. The statute of limitations hasexpired on most of our childhood traumas. Livingston illuminatesthese and twenty-four others in a series of carefully hewn,perfectly calibrated essays, many of which focus on our closestrelationships and the things that we do to impede or, lessfrequently, enhance them. Again and again, these essays underscorethat we are what we do, and that while there may be no escaping whowe are, we have the capacity to face loss, misfortune, and regretand to move beyond them-that it is not too late. Full of things wemay know but have not articulated to ourselves, Too Soon Old, TooLate Smart offers solace, guidance, and hope to everyone ready tobecome the person theyd most like to be.