To Protect Those We Care About

一分耕耘一分收获

That's how my parents told me to live my life.

My parents moved here from Taiwan twenty years ago with the American dream in mind but with an Asian twist: Make lots of money and raise a family, then have the children grow up and become successful to make even more money. Back then, they came to Hereford, Texas with a few dollars in their pockets and the English knowledge of a kindergartener. So farming is what they decided to do. After knocking on all the doors, my dad was finally hired by a modest-sized cattle farm owner. That same farm is now the farm my dad owns which feeds the family and pays for my school expenses. They tell me I should focus on my education, no girlfriend allowed. Doctor, lawyer, computer scientist, engineer, I can become any of these, just no art or sports jobs. Oh, I don't want to be a doctor? No worries, I can become a pharmacist instead. That's not the kind of life I want.

I just want to live my life like this: 簡單生活.

Every day, simple and sweet, just the way I like it. After I eat porridge for breakfast and help my dad herd the cattle from the barn to the large pasture, I jump on my bike and head to school. The breeze against my skin always feels so refreshing; the sky is so blue and filled with white, bouncy clouds. I can't help but smile as I race down the paved path which is surrounded on both sides by endless stretches of trees and greenery.

They say I'm fairly lean and muscular, probably from all the manual labor chores I have to do every day. My hair is kept short so that it won't fall over while studying. I learned to cut my own hair from a young age otherwise my mom would give me the dreaded bowl cut. From being under the strong sun here, my skin is a smooth honey color that my relatives in Taiwan will always criticize me for. "You need to wear more sunscreen and stay out of the sun. Dark skin is not pretty." But I actually like my skin tone, it's better than those ghastly pale people who wear sun visors, sleeves, and an umbrella wherever they go no matter what the weather is, sunny or rainy.

I pass by several other cattle farms before entering the main town. Once I reach the beige, dull building that is unfortunately my high school, my day officially begins.

Calculus: too easy. History: boring. English: no thank you, sir. Chemistry: Carbon who? Physics: Please just drop the apple. Sports: Ah, finally! Now's my time to shine.

I've always been naturally athletic. Tennis, swimming, basketball, soccer, I've played them all and absolutely loved them. Every coach in this town has talked to my parents at some point to convince them to let me join the team. However, only one sport, in particular, speaks to my soul: boxing. This one calls to me because it's the most...physical. Not sure if I have some unsettled revenge from a past life, but I am brutal to my opponents when I'm out in the ring. Usually, one punch is enough to put them out. If I could box every day for the rest of my life, I would ask for nothing else. Of course, my parents would never allow that to happen. They only let me box right now because they think it'll help me get into college. It's a stepping stone and just a phase.

After I train with the heavy bag and do some drills with Coach Drew, I enter the rink for my match of the day. Today's opponent is Sebastian Garcia: a 6'2 hunk of pure muscle and agility. He's the top dog of our boxing team and I've been waiting many months for this day to come. As a 5'11 piece of pure speed and skill, I'm not afraid of the somewhat large weight gap between us.

The bell rings and so it begins. Sebastian doesn't waste a single second before he charges at me and throws a jab. I easily sidestep and stay light on my feet. He then tries a series of moves: punch, jab, jab, punch, uppercut. They all hit a fist full of air and I can tell he's getting increasingly more angry and tired with each move.