“Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”
I will not race to climb the nearest and steepest hill only to find myself looking backward, wondering if my sacrifices were worthwhile. Or worse, wondering if, by taking another step, I will start the process of my inevitable decline.

My gaze will never become obsessed with its own reflection,
my feet with their own direction,
nor my hands with the dimensions of their grasp.

My skin will be both thick and porous.
My lips will smile with truth.
My shoulders will straighten with pride, shudder with awe, and genuflect with humility.

I will purpose to be an entrepreneur, executive and public servant.
I will pray to be husband, parent, and friend.
I will not confuse the two.

I will never settle, nor be consumed by greener grass.
I will leave no path of carnage in my wake.
I will have nothing to hide.

I will balance artistic, domestic, intellectual, physical, and spiritual.
I will feel deeply, sleep soundly, yell mightily, and love madly.

And in the end
I will only be I within myriad contexts of We.

— Brian Kreiter

The Portrait Project

Each year we ask our classmates a straightforward, simple question taken from the lines of a poem by Pulitzer Prize-winning author, Mary Oliver. We share with you intimate and candid responses to this question, "Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?"

Concept and photography: Tony Deifell, MBA '02

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