[[ THREE WORDS I'M BETTING ON ]]

DREAM

Right outside the door, a thousand streets and avenues awaits. Each branches out like tributaries of a river. Each one meanders, curves, twists, and turns. Each intersects another like a strand of fiber in a woven mat.

Right outside the door, a thousand street posts, signs, and lights await. Each one wants to make you stop, wait, or go. Each one wants you to cross or not to cross. Each one wants you to take or not take a U-turn, left turn, or right turn.

But when you step right outside your door, do you know where you want to end up? Do you know which roads will take you there? Which street sign will lead you there? Which lanes you should cross?

So close your eyes. Right there is a map. It is called dream. It will tell you where to go or where to wander. It will tell you which street is a delight to walk on. It will tell you not necessarily exactly how to get there, but exactly WHERE you WANT to go. That's the essence of dreaming. It puts a rudder on the boat so it won't just float on the sea, or worse, sink at the bottom. It gives each day a purpose.

WORK

A wise man once said "A journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step." Another wise man, but relatively more modern and humorous, said "A journey of a thousand sites starts with a single click." Another person, a trying to be wise, yours truly, says "An Imeldific collection of a thousand shoes starts with a single pair."

Alright. There you are right outside your door with a map inside your head. You know where to go. You know how to get there. But to really be there where you want to be, you've got to take a step. And another. And another. A thousand more. You'll probably get slowed down by the traffic, pushed to the sidewalks by burly pedestrians, even hurt by street thugs. But you would have to go. Further. Each step a must. Each leap. You'd have to work for it. Not just today, but for all the days to come. Overnight success happens after a couple of years, hundreds of overtimes and sleepless nights, buckets of tears of pain.

PRAYER

You have travelled quite far from right outside your door now. But haven't you noticed the frequency of traffic jams? How many strange looking red-eyed strangers looking at you like a prey? How many yellow cabs refusing you a ride? The number of open manholes in every block anticipating to trap you? That some street lights aren't worknig, some street signs deceitful?

I didn't notice all that. But after being ran over by a bus, being led to a rat-infested district, falling into a stinking manhole, I saw all these. Maybe much more danger lurks out there, concealed by my blindness, innocence, and optimism. But at least, I know now. So much out there is beyond my control. In a matter of a seconds, my journey of a thousand miles may be ended by a catastrophe.

But I have to go on. Go further. This time with a helmet, knee and elbow pads, and a pepper spray. Not only that, I need prayer. I need Him. He only can pull the strings of destiny. He only can crush the barriers on my way. He only can give me the courage and the strength to fight my daily struggles.

So there you go, three words I'm betting on. I am betting on them, risking my tomorrow and every day after tomorrow.

(Good night blogosphere. Happy holidays!)