I wish people weren’t so quick to dismiss fortune cookies as being valuable sources of information. Sometimes a patron of Joy Garden is lucky enough to receive a real gem like “You look pretty.” I got that one about three years ago, and it actually prompted me to go find a mirror to see if those little slips of paper really do tell the truth.
Was I looking particularly attractive that day?
Probably not, but I still tend to put a lot of stock in the things fortune cookies tell me. That might stem from my past experiences receiving fortunes that really do mean something. I have a lot of favorites, but I can recall one in particular I taped up on my mirror because it’s the type of wisdom I hope to remember for a long time-“Doing what you love is freedom. Loving what you do is happiness.”
It seemed like it was written just for me at the time in my life when I was experiencing one of those notorious major changing crises. I’ve been a self-proclaimed “English nerd” all my life, the kind that loved snow days during the school year because it meant I got to stay in bed and read all day. No two activities make me happier than reading and writing, so why was I wasting my time in Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy? Because I was making the ultimate mistake in future planning-thinking solely about the money.
Is money really the root of all evil? I can’t answer that, but I do know it was keeping me away from declaring myself an English major.
It was only a matter of time before I found myself on the right path, not because I was so inspired by this particular fortune cookie (even though it was an amazing reinforcement of the notion that money certainly cannot buy happiness), but because I’ve always recognized that I’m the type of person who wants to look back upon my life, knowing that I followed my heart and not a dollar sign. How else will I possibly feel fulfilled unless I do what truly makes me happy?
This is not an attempt by me to get mushy or to share my infinite wisdom (gained through the consumption of Chinese food), but it could be an attempt to wake up others who are facing this predicament, some without even knowing it.
I know more people than I should who just can’t admit to themselves that the paths they’re on are motivated by promises of a fat bank accounts.
My path is probably leading to a modest house lacking a pool in the backyard, and I don’t foresee my family taking an annual vacation to the Caribbean. I’ll probably never own a Coach handbag and my children will probably not be receiving brand new cars on their 16th birthdays. The thought doesn’t bother me however, because I now know that life is only truly worth living if you do what you love and love what you do.