And Suddenly, You Live the Long-Lost Dream You Once Had
As the famous line goes, “Que sera, sera, whatever will be, will be.” This phrase lingers in my mind as I reflect on my first dream, the one I thought had slipped away into the shadows of my past but found its way back to me in a way I never imagined.
We often forget our first dreams, don’t we? As we grow older, we tend to bury them beneath layers of practicality and responsibility. I remember laughing off my childhood dreams, dismissing them as mere fantasies crafted by a naive version of myself. I thought I had outgrown those dreams, that they were nothing more than fleeting whims of a child who didn’t understand the complexities of life.
The elephant in the room is that we frequently view our childhood dreams as jokes.
As we chase new ambitions, we often feel that our early dreams are just fairy tales that no longer fit into our adult lives.
I can still picture my five-year-old self, sitting cross-legged beside my father, who was busy typing away on his typewriter. At that time, he was a lecturer pursuing his master’s degree, immersed in a world of research and writing. The rhythmic clatter of the typewriter filled the room as he worked on his thesis, surrounded by open books and stacks of papers. I watched in awe as he crafted long, intricate documents, pouring his thoughts onto the page.
To me, he looked so cool, not just because of the work he was doing, but because of the passion he exuded for writing. He had authored several books throughout his life, yet he never wanted to be labeled as a writer. He was a lecturer first and foremost, and I admired how he balanced his academic responsibilities with his love for writing. In that moment, I decided I wanted to be a writer, just like my father, because he embodied the kind of coolness I aspired to — someone who could weave words into stories and share knowledge with others.
But as time passed, that dream began to fade. University loomed ahead, and the pressures of adulthood crept in. I found myself drawn to the corporate world, seeking a steady income and a sense of security. I no longer considered writing a viable career; my focus shifted entirely to the realistic dream of entering the corporate realm. It felt like my battle was to embrace adulthood, and being a writer simply didn’t fit into that picture.
Yet, writing remained my sanctuary. I would steal moments to jot down my thoughts, pouring my heart into my blog, where I could still feel the thrill of telling my stories through writing. However, it became just a hobby — something I enjoyed in my leisure time while navigating the corporate world. But life has a way of changing things quickly.
The moment I accepted the internship as a copywriter during the pandemic, marking the beginning of a journey that would ultimately lead me to who I am today.
At that time, I was simply looking for any opportunity to get back on my feet. As the pandemic outbreak and the news spread across the world, just two weeks after it began, I found myself jobless, grappling with uncertainty and fear. The weight of those words — “you’re no longer needed” — echoed in my mind as I began the daunting search for new opportunities. Job offers were scarce, and companies were cutting back on employees. In a twist of fate, I received an offer for an internship at a digital marketing agency. I thought it would be an easy job since I loved writing, but I soon realized it was far more challenging than I had anticipated. Nevertheless, I decided to embrace the opportunity, hoping it would lead to something greater.
Over the next four years, writing became my full-time job. I can still recall the moment I first received the offer to work as a content writer. Initially, I felt overwhelmed because, in reality, this job wasn’t just about writing. I had to research, read extensively, and keep up with a flood of information. It wasn’t easy, but without realizing it, I was now living my long-lost dream. It felt surreal to realize that my first dream — the one I had long forgotten — had come true in a way I never anticipated.
We often think that as time goes by, we will forget those early dreams, abandoning them for what we perceive as greater dreams. Yet, unconsciously, that first dream remains alive, waiting for the right moment to bloom.
So here I am, living proof that dreams can come full circle. Que sera, sera. Whatever will be, will be.
Sometimes, the paths we take lead us back to where we started, reminding us of the spirit and hope we once had as children. In those quiet moments when I sit down to write, I can still hear the echoes of that five-year-old me who believed in magic and stories, simply hoping to be a writer just like her father. Those memories serve as a beautiful reminder that it’s never too late to embrace our dreams, no matter how distant they may seem.
In the end, it’s the journey of rediscovery that makes our dreams all the more precious, proving that sometimes, the dreams we thought we lost can find their way back to us in the most unexpected ways.
