Passion Check-In

Most of you know I don't make new year resolutions

I pick one word; or rather, one word picks me

It's June; halfway through the year and time to reflect on this year's word

Passion

Has

kicked

 my

 ass

 I've discovered new creative outlets

Discovered that for now creativity is just a hobby for me

Discovered that I need to listen to my instincts the first time

Discovered that I just don't like some people and that it's ok

Discovered that the few I do like I like alot and that it's ok

Discovered that you can't help anyone but yourself

Discovered that when I'm willing to let go, the Universe brings new opportunities

Discovered that life always changes and that it's ok

Discovered that you can fight change all you want and it's going to happen anyway

Discovered that there is a whole lot more to God/Spirit than I ever realized

Discovered that once you accept it all...you experience more

And then I started noticing some things about passion

that it has the power to move your soul

that it pushes something already 'good' to 'fantastic'

that it is not driven by a need for perfection or monetary gain

but rather in response to an inner drive

it's the difference between 'pretty' art and 'unforgettable' art 

it's the difference between a great performance and one that makes you want to cry

the difference between a great speech and one that spurs movement

something done with passion seems to entice all the senses at once

it swirls around you beckoning, pulling, until you burst into reaction

generating genuine anger, tears, applause, laughter or love

Now I want to see it

I want to meet a passionate artist

I want to see if there's a difference between his work and that seen in art fairs or shops

I want to meet a passionate dancer or singer

I want to see if there's an impactful difference in a live or televised performance

I want to meet a passionate professional, military, child, adult....

And I'm curious

I'm sure passion lies within us all

But why do some pursue it more than others

What makes one person choose to go against all flow

To go against the conformers and even the non-conformers

Get up after failures or dead ends

To keep moving even after the success

I don't think there's an answer

As I don't think there's a finish line to the quest

Perhaps passion lies within the quest

things that make you go 'hmmmm' 
and make you smile

~ ~

And to those of you being beaten black and blue by your word for the year

Don't give up hope

You're growing far more than you realize

~ ~ ~ 

“Passion, it lies in all of us, sleeping... waiting... and though unwanted... unbidden... it will stir... open its jaws and howl. It speaks to us... guides us... passion rules us all, and we obey. What other choice do we have? Passion is the source of our finest moments. The joy of love... the clarity of hatred... and the ecstasy of grief. It hurts sometimes more than we can bear. If we could live without passion maybe we'd know some kind of peace... but we would be hollow... Empty rooms shuttered and dank. Without passion we'd be truly dead.”

 Joss Whedon