"but you could do whatever you wanted with your life!"

every time i talk to virtually anybody about my plans to work on a boat and my lack of stress for the undecided period to follow, they FREAK OUT.
"well, what, are you just going to work on a boat your whole life?"

maybe.

"but, you should be going to school so you can get a good-paying job!"

uhhh. no?

my mom loves to tell me to go to nursing school and get a good paying job at some hospital and marry a nice doctor and have babies and raise them to join the army and love the american way.
how about not?

why is a problem that i have decided to NOT go to college, to follow my heart, to do something that i feel is way more meaningful than becoming some sort of western medicine perpetuator?

"but you are so intelligent, why are you wasting your life? you could do anything you wanted!"

but. i AM doing anything i wanted. in fact, i'm going to do EVERYTHING i wanted. without going to college. without being rich. without without without.

why is it so hard to let me be HAPPY?