What is your passion?

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Assignment no. 5 at A thousand words... and then some:

"Passion, though a bad regulator, is a powerful spring." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

What draws you? What drives you? What makes your heart beat faster and causes your adrenaline to kick in? What brings joy to your heart and a smile to your face? What do you always seem to make time for? What occupies your mind even when there is no time for it? What makes you you?

* * *

It was quite a few years before I thought of online friends and forums in my normal thought life. It was like I had to give myself permission that they were real. Did you find that? Yes, it can make my heart rate go up, but not for fun reasons, only for reasons like did I do the wrong thing or something.

For me these days an adrenaline rush would be from music. I don't think this is necessarily a good thing. It stems from some sort of baby boomer way of thinking. This week though I haven't been thinking of music, much. I listened to Kasey Chambers' Shane Nicholson Summer Dress last night, but not sure if I like it as much as I did, will have to listen to it again. I have music going through my head since last night. What is it? Breathe by Taylor Swift. Is it my passion, no. Also listening to a Christian band because my two eldest like it at the moment. I can see why they like them, they look pretty cool, I just checked out their MySpace. Their name is New Empire.

Here is another quote:

"When you set yourself on fire, people love to come and see you burn." — John Wesley Evangelist (eighteenth century)


I was wondering how passion relates to Christians. Are passion and obsession the same thing? Well no, being obsessed is not the ideal. OK, so "A passion is a strong liking for an activity or something else. An obsession is when you are constantly preoccupied with an activity or something else." see article.

OK so life goes better with strong likings for an activity or something else.

You know this is interesting. A few weeks back I was reading about large families and the reasons people have more. It was after watching a program on TV 13 children and wanting more. I think the word obsessed was mentioned.

In this article about children's activities it says:

"Who hasn’t dreamt of their children being up on stage at the Opera House, or competing in the Olympics or accepting a prize for something wonderful they’ve achieved. But at what cost?

We were at a rep cricket presentation the other night. For our under 10 year old. Please keep those sympathies coming in. Anyway, I found it pretty interesting. Watching all those hopeful, young pre-pubescents standing around, the question that kept reverberating around the walls, for me anyway, was how far does one push or take a passion for a child before it becomes an obsession – an exclusion of all else?"


Well, that counts me out. I don't have the kids to the exclusion of all else. In real life I hardly ever talk about them. But, (clears throat), how come I can't think of what else I do. Hmm. Good question. It is an interesting point about kids though considering my eldest just graduated from uni.

I definitely have a strong liking for reading historical Christian fiction. I like country music. In some ways our families are supposed to be excluding all else, or our marriage is at least. Are any of you at odds with current thoughts or theories of psychology. It is wearing.

I think I'll stick to Wesley.

I strongly like my car. It is not new so no one thinks of it as a status symbol or anything, I get worried when there is something I like. When we moved the first time after living in a house for 16 years, the neighbour children always picked the flowers I liked. You know how it goes. That is just an example. Sometimes it pays to keep your likes to yourself.

My Passions, My Interests and What keeps me sane, that blog title sums it up to a point.

In the past I was very much into genealogy. My second child was only little. I watched the mail box outside for letters to people I have written to for information.

Around the same time I was really interested in baby names. Our library had fantastic books, these days they are not as in depth.

Also then we were into cooking, vegies, preserving. I am wondering if that is as necessary as these days we can keep busy, just with this internet thing. I think though the answer is that careers weren't as time consuming, or rather my husband and I should have put more importance on it.

The last few years the computer definitely was a reason for me to get up in the morning. Some people in forums say thinks like they haven't posted because they were depressed. I found it the other way around. The forums made me happy.

Lately I have noticed things about conversations. A few months ago I had the feeling a person I know asked me a question to see what I could say. Do you feel you have to be a good conversationalist? Do you feel you should read the newspaper more? I find on our blogs I can always relate to what is going on. I find I can't recall everything I have read anyway, like someone else could who has had the same input.

Have you ever visited the Massive List of Hobbies? I don't feel like I am a person who can indulge in these. I think there are two types of people, those who do, and those who don't. I am hoping I will be able to in future. I feel then like life will return to normal. I dream of the 1930s loungeroom. I have one, I'd like the open plan doors put back to doors, and have a nice traditional setting in there. You know to go with my cosy wood fire. Then I'd have the knitting, TV, book, task lighting, kids playing the piano (we have that at least) and life would be fine!

"Personal interests and life's passions are the activities a person loves. These are the activities you gravitate toward whenever possible.

Your personal interests and passions are things you've done since youth—perhaps in different forms—but with an underlying common thread. Your life's passions, whether work or hobby, are the activities which allow you to experience life purpose—who you are at your core." - from here.


What kind of blogs do I gravitate to? I suppose pictures of gardens, Little House on the Prairie stuff, Australiana, crochet.

Comments

♥ Amy said…
I enjoyed taking your journey with you as you searched through your thoughts. Lots of great quotes and questions here.
Scrappy quilter said…
Great room for thought here. I've had a passion for quilting for years, a passion for Jesus my Savior for 33 and a passion for my family for 41. I'm passionate about inspirational books, adoption and the orphan.

It's interesting about hobbies. Years and years ago I tried every hobby that came out. I realized I didn't enjoy them, just did them just to have something to do. Then, realizing I loved color I turned to something that I could do with color....it was quilting. I've never regretted giving up all those other hobbies and turning to quilting.

I think when we are passionate about something it becomes a part of who we are. I loved this post!!
Joyce said…
Hi, Linda,

From reading your blog, I would have to add that you are very interested in THINKING, for example thinking about why you do something. I took a course once when I was learning how to be a teacher's assistant, and learned that 'thinking about thinking' is called METACOGNITION. It is very important to make true progress in life. I think you enjoy metacognition. What do you think?
Linda said…
Thanks for your lovely comments.

I must enjoy thinking as I was worried about the post, like this definition of metacognition suggests.

"After - When you are evaluating the plan of action ask yourself:

* How well did I do?
* Did my particular course of thinking produce more or less than I had expected?
* What could I have done differently?
* How might I apply this line of thinking to other problems?
* Do I need to go back through the task to fill in any "blanks" in my understanding?"

http://www.hent.org/world/rss/files/metacognition.htm

Thanks so much Joyce. It gives me something to think about for myself and for my son. So very smart but I am not sure he does the steps in metacogniton. He was offered some sort of cognitive tests when he was little, I was never sure if they would have been good or not.

Anyway long story.

Scrappy that is very interesting about your hobbies and quilting.

Off to learn more about metacognition.
Amy Sue said…
It was great to read your thoughts tonight. I agree with the other lady, you seem to have a passion for thinking. Also, you do very well at passing that on, and causing other people to think too!!

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