Big Girl Offer! Hello, TV!
It was one of those rare moments when I walked into the building and I knew that my life was about to change. I shock hands with a stranger who just so happens to be my future boss and introduced myself to him. "Hi, it's nice to meet you. My name is Khanh P. Duong." (I never get the P. It's my trademark). An hour and a half later, I walked away with a job offer and it was not just any offer. It was an opportunity for me to be the host of my very own television show for their network. You'd think I would be ecstatic, jumping up and down in glee; but I felt none of that. Instead, there was a small rush of serendipity and tranquility as I begin to think about what's ahead. "This is it. This is my time."So I took a deep breathe and smiled.
For the past couple of months, I've been bombarded with questions....these questions came from acquaintances (hardly from any of my good friends since they know better than to dive into my career) as well as family members. I didn't mind answering the first couple of questions, but then it got repetitive. I'm telling you, I would make such a horrible famous person. While it seems like I'm an open book, much of my life happens behind closed doors. Pun intended. What I'm trying to say here is that often times people see the results, the successes, the milestones; however, only a select few actually witness the struggles, the tears, and the setbacks. It's always tough when you're trying to build your empire from scratch, but you have to start somewhere, right?
After I received the good news, immediately, I texted and called my mom and my best friends. It's always important for me to share these parts of myself with the people I love---with the people I know who genuinely cares about me and my endeavors. Afterwards, I went on to Facebook and shared with the rest of my however many friends about the new opportunity. I don't do it for the likes nor do I have the need to brag. My friends are all aware of this and quite frankly, these kind of things starts to matter less as we get older anywho. However, I am very much aware of my support system and so it was kind of my way of letting them know that I'm doing okay for myself and that I'm going to make each and every single one of them proud. It's no secret that I've been patiently waiting for this moment right now and I could not have been happier. On the other hand, I'm also glad that I had these past couple of months to reflect and really think about what it is that I want to do with my life.
After I got home from the meeting, I changed back into my workout clothes, washed my car, picked up my little brother from school, and went onto the web to read more about the local news. I landed on this news article from KTLA5 of a 9 year old boy is who currently suffering from a deadly virus. His birthday is in a couple of weeks and so I went on to pick up my pen (something I rarely do) and wrote something for him. It's not much, but the energy that he has exuberated through the images has led me to believe that there is always more to life than just darkness. If Bubby can still find happiness and strength in home-written cards and stickers than I can most definitely be grateful for everything that I already have now.
Lesson of the day: the secret to having it all is knowing that you already do