There was a time when dreams were wild, innocent, and untouched by the weight of reality. Before the world told us what to be, we dreamed freely. Some wanted to be astronauts, others dancers, presidents or even judges. For me, it was something different.
Long before I knew how to spell the word "career" or what a future really meant, I had fallen in love -with something far bigger than myself.
As a child, I was fascinated by the human body. Not in the way children often say "I want to be a doctor" because it sounds noble or smart -but in a way that comes from deep curiosity. I wanted to know how we feel pain, how our wounds heal, how our hearts know when to beat faster or slower, etc. I didn't know what kind of doctor I wanted to be; I just knew I wanted to understand the body. Its magic. Its mystery. Its resilience. There was something about the way our systems worked, the way life began and grew, that made me feel like I was witnessing a miracle in motion
I started using a smartphone quite early and while many kids my age were lost in games and cartoon, I was searching for answers. I watched videos that explained how the body functions -breathing, growing, healing and more. One video that's still remember vividly was "How a Wonder is Born" . It pulled me I completely. I watched in awe as the complex, beautiful journey of life unfolded on screen. I didn't fully understand everything at the time, but I knew I wanted to learn more
That dream -the dream of understanding the human body- chose me before I even had words for it.
But life, as it often does, had other plans. My dad believed that a future in Computer Science would be more promising, more practical. And so, I followed that road. It wasn't easy at first. The shift was sharp and for a while I wondered if I'd lost something I couldn't get back.
Now, I'm in my final stretch of my Computer Science degree, and truth be told -I'm happy. I've grown to love the problem-solving, coding, the logic, the creativity it allows. I found a rhythm here. But even so, my old dream didn't die. It simply took a quieter seat in the background.
I still read about the body. I still find myself watching those strange and fascinating videos when I'm free. I still marvel at the elegance of biology, at the miracle that is human life. And I still carry that younger version of myself inside me -the one who was wide-eyed and full of questions.
Sometimes I wonder how things would have turned out if I was studying medicine instead. Would I end up in a hospital wearing a white coat and holding a stethoscope? Would I be exhausted but fulfilled? I'll never know for sure.
I once mentioned this to someone who's a medical student, and he told me I'm still young -that I could always go back to school again and chase it if I truly wanted to. And while it was kind of him to say that, I knew deep that: nah. That ship has sailed, and I'm okay with just watching it from the shore
But I've stopped seeing that dream as something I lost. I see it as something I own, in a different form
Not all dreams are meant to become careers. Some simply become parts of our soul, anchors to who we are and who we once hoped to be. I won't become a doctor, but I never stopped loving the body and it's mysteries. And that's enough
Image was generated using META AI