One of my favorite jobs as a kid
was to sort the beans before cooking
with the steady rhythm of my Mama chopping potatoes
and the murmuring of the Novela in the background
I focused my entire concentration on finding the 'bad bean' as if my life depended on it
Excited, holding it high for my Mama to see "I found one! I found one!"
And my Mama's response "shhhhhhhhh!" as she struggled to hear the Novela
~ ~ ~
Passion eludes me
Not the physical kind
I think there's a fine line where lust is mistaken for passion
Just as strong feelings are often mistaken for love
A word loosely thrown about
I've read many variations of follow your passion
and I've seen those who do so
but from the outside it's like watching someone with blinders on
completely focused on the pursuit of said passion
seemingly oblivious to the impact on those around them
Something I'm familiar with because I've been guilty of the same
Then while driving I heard a pastor giving a speech on Passion
Said we're all born with gifts and we need to follow our passion
He said if we didn't feel passionate about something
as in, I would do it no matter what come hell or high water,
then we're not passionate about it
that we're like dry firewood waiting for the spark of a match
I've been sorting through the bad beans eliminating unhealthy things, people, thoughts
And uncovered those I'd previously overlooked
There are so many grand learning opportunites
And I'm so grateful to be able to recognize it
While I haven't identified my passion
I have discovered much I do enjoy
and that's quite alright with me
Perhaps you're passionate about getting rid of bad beans? That's a good thing!
ReplyDeleteWhy am I thinking Beano? Ha!
DeleteI think that many people who follow their "passion" and are sucessful at it, are often not so sucessful in other areas of their life. In other words, is it possible to devote yourself to your passion and not pay a price somewhere else? Or is this only true of "creatives"? Frank Lloyd Wright comes to mind. So successful as an architect but said to be a real bastard at home. (I need to read the book "Loving Frank" one of these days!). I think it's rare to find people that have it all in balance. To me a true passion is almost obsessive......and I don't think balance is possible when you are dealing with obsession. Just some thoughts. Love to hear about what you are observing and learning!
ReplyDeleteYes! Well said Robin!
DeleteYou cam only ever learn when you are true to yourself, in this honesty one appreciates more the hopes and aspirations of others too, often struggling for form, yet it is their journey as ours is ouw own. The signposts can be similar and the resting places can be shared always prior to the next stage.
ReplyDeleteYep, you can have a "passion" in your heart for something, but you have to divide yourself and sometimes one or the other gets neglected. Then you try to catch up and amend and, because you're passionate, try harder.
ReplyDeleteTrust me, I have struggled with this whole concept of passion and I'm nearing the stage when if I find anyone saying ' follow your passion ' I 'll actually howl.
ReplyDeleteFor whatever little that I have lived and learnt in whatever short life that I have lived, I have realized tha passion and love are the two most flippantly used words, in the most abstract and clueless sense by mostly people who have no clue about either.
Follow your passion. Blah. I wish life came with an inbuilt user manual which told the mind this is your passion go for it, but unfortunately it doesn't and finding that ain't an easy job, sometimes even a life time is not enough ( and I think I fall in that category) and even when u figure out what is it in life that makes u happy when u do it, the conviction to actually pursue is not easy to find. I working hard to find mine, I wish I will, though I doubt I will and this realization gives me the feeling of being such a waste of the effort of creation.
I agree finding things we enjoy doing is a relief, but it's never quite the same as pursuing something u love, it's such a joyous thing , actually a blessing and an end to the torment of merely existing and whiling away time.