Amanda Chao

Since my early childhood, people around me have asked, “what do you want to be when you grow up?” And in turn, I’ve spent countless hours pondering, “do I value money or satisfaction in a career?” Pursuing a job for a high income may end in misery, while choosing a job that’ll be more fun than work, may end in financial instability. But apart from these hypotheticals, the moment of sudden insight--the moment where one decides: “this is it, this is my dream,” hasn’t hit me yet; and apart from lukewarm likes and dislikes in various fields, I haven’t the slightest clue where I could end up in the future. I feel as lost as the wandering clouds in the sky, rotating with the Earth on routine, with no final destination in sight. So with my “one wild and precious life”, I don’t have a clear path to take, and so, I plan to follow my heart. If the fervent desire for wealth takes over, so be it. If a passion for one of my lukewarm interests takes over, so be it. To tell the truth, I wouldn’t be able to answer if I was asked what I’d like to do in the future, but with this “one wild and precious life” that I have, I plan to do whatever it takes to find contentment. So that when I reach the last stretch of my time on Earth, I’ll be able to say that my wild ride had a happy-ever-after.