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So I started experimenting. I got a few dozen things out of the boxes,
我开始尝试。我从箱子里挑选了几十样东西，
I put them about in a room, and I invited people to come in and ask me about anything that they found interesting.
将它们摆放在一个房间内，邀请人们前来并询问他们感兴趣的事物。
The results were terrific. A good story became a launching pad for a much deeper discussion,
结果非常棒。一段好的故事会激发出更深入的讨论，
in which my visitors made meaningful connections to their own lives.
让我的访客建立起和他们自身息息相关的联系。
Derrius asked me about a Leonard Peltier T-shirt that I'd worn a lot in the '80s, that, sadly, is still relevant today.
Derrius曾问过我关于Leonard Peltier T恤的故事，我在80年代经常穿它，令人感伤的是，它与现在仍紧密相连。
Our conversation moved quickly, from a large number of political prisoners in American jails,
我们的对话进展很快，从美国监狱中关押的大量政治犯，
to Derrius wondering about the legacy of the Black Liberation Movement of the '60s,
到Derrius想要了解60年代黑人解放运动的遗留问题，
and how his life might be different if he'd come of age then, instead of 30-odd years later.
以及如果他在那时就已成年，而不是30年后，他的人生将是什么样子。
At the end of our conversation, Derrius asked me if he could have the T-shirt.
在谈话的最后，Derrius问我能否把T恤给他。
And giving it to him felt just about perfect.
我想这可能是最完美的做法。
As these conversations established common ground, especially across generations,
当这些对话建立起共同点，特别是跨世纪的共同点，
I realized I was opening a space for people to talk about things that really mattered to them.
我意识到我开拓了一片新天地，人们可以谈论他们真正关心的事情。
And I started seeing myself with a renewed sense of purpose
我的人生也有了全新的使命感，
not as the old guy on the way out, but as someone with a role to play going forward.
我不再是将要离世的老人，而是有角色要扮演的人，在向前迈进。
When I was growing up, life ended for most people in their 70s.
在我小时候，大多数人会在70岁逝世。
People are living far longer now, and for the first time in human history,
但是人们的寿命在延长，人类史上第一次发现，
it's common for four generations to be living side by side.
四世同堂是一件很平常的事情。
I'm 71, and with a bit of luck, I've got 20 or 30 more years ahead of me.
我已经71岁了，如果幸运的话，我还可以活20年或30年。
Giving away my stuff now and sharing it with friends, family,
现在就拿出我的收藏，把它们的故事讲述给我的朋友、家人，
and I hope strangers, too, seems like the perfect way to enter this next stage of my life.
我甚而希望是陌生人，似乎是进入人生新阶段的最好方式。
Turns out to be just what I was looking for:
这正是我所找寻的：
a ritual that's less about dying and more about opening the door to whatever comes next. Thank you.
一个与死亡无关的仪式，敞开大门，迎接未来，谢谢你们。
