Twisty Turns

Life can really throw you for a loop sometimes. Why on earth we think that we know what we want to do for the rest of our lives at 16, I don't know. Yet, there we are, starting college, picking majors that narrow our choices for the future. Pointing us down the path of no return. Sounds rather ominous now that I read that. It is not. I have a few friends who have proven this to be WRONG, WRONG, WRONG.

First, there's Sarge. We met in high school. He was writing poetry back then. (who wasn't?) We went to the same college. He majored in Biology, started medical school after that. All the time he was writing. That was his love. Then, he decided that he didn't really want to be a doctor and quit. This was a Very Big Deal. Worked for an ad firm. Still kept writing. Attended writers' workshops and, then, it happened. His first book of short stories won the Madrigal-Gonzalez Best First Book Award. He's now the literary editor for a national magazine in the Philippines. His second book was published in 2006 and is nominated for the National Book Award.

Then, there's Tris. Engineering degree from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Worked with my dad for a bit. Interned with a restaurant in the kitchen. Started his own catering business. Folded that. MBA from Columbia. Worked for a big-name financial firm spending a year or two in three Asian countries. Dropped the financial firm but kept going with the yoga he picked up in Thailand. Got certified as a Bikram Yoga instructor. He now owns a couple of yoga studios in Manila and teaches everyday. He's in the best shape of his life.

Finally, there's Cris. My college buddy who shared practically every class I took. Lab partner, partner in crime. Headed for the States after graduation. Took a lab tech position. Went back home. Went to medical school. Back to the States for residency. Decided that being a doctor was not really for him. No more seeing patients. He now works for a company that designs computer software for doctors. He's married and has a one year old daughter.

There and back again. They've ended up snug as bugs in niches of their own design. Content at last in the knowledge that the choices they've made along the way led them there.

I really like my job right now, but, when I wonder about what might come next, I think of them and am inspired to think that ANYTHING is possible.