又一年畢業季 大學同學聚會你參加嗎?

As the fifth-year college reunion approaches, we have been looking forward to it with equal parts excitement and unease.

期待已久的大學第五次聚會日益臨近，我們激動滿懷的同時又有些惴惴不安。

Of course there's the enjoyment of reuniting with friends who now live all over the globe, and the chance to relive some of the messy fun of college. But the formal reminder of time passed also presents an opportunity to evaluate life decisions over the past few years, which carries the risk of regret and insecurity from comparing yourself to others' formidable achievements.

誠然，能與現居世界各地的朋友們重聚、有機會重溫嘻嘻哈哈的大學趣事自然不亦樂乎。但這逝去的時光也正式藉機提醒我們去衡量一番過去這麼些年的人生選擇。相較他人的恢宏成就，重聚或帶來懊悔與安全感缺失。

Reunions shortly after college are particularly popular, followed by a dip around the 15-year reunion mark. During this time, graduates often seem to be under family or career stress and struggle to make the commitment.

畢業沒多久就聚會尤其受歡迎，次於其後的是15年聚會。此時，畢業生通常都處於家庭和事業的壓力之下，掙扎着兌現承諾。

Then 25th-year reunion which marks a shift from previous reunions, during which alumni are more focused on their careers.

以往聚會校友們更關注事業，25週年聚會則是一大轉折。

There's a point around that age where people want to start to re-engage their minds intellectually. It’s also a time when people are more settled in their lives. They've raised family, built a strong career, and so they're ready to re-engage back with some of their memories.

這一年齡段，人們會想要重新開動腦筋;也是這一時期，大家的生活趨於安定，養家謀生、事業穩固，想着要重新拾起某些記憶。

By the 25th reunion, everybody's experienced something hard. They've had loss, disappointment, their path didn't go the way they thought it was going to go. As people get older, they start to get it—that life is about much more than their title or what they're making.

25週年聚會時，每個人都經歷了艱辛。有失落、有失望，道路並未如計劃想象一般。隨年齡增大，人們開始明白，頭銜和工作只是生活太小的一部分。

But while our perspectives on what matters in life may change, college friendships stay intact, even after classmates go decades without seeing each other.

儘管我們的人生觀會變，但即便幾十年過去了，大學友誼卻完好無損。