Passion – It’s Not Just 9 to 5

The Passion flower is one of the most beautiful flowers I’ve ever seen. I like learning about flower symbolism so here’s a little bit of info I found interesting:

Passion Flowers have been associated with the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ as well as the Passion of Christ. The ten petals and sepals, represented ten disciples present at the crucifixion. The three stigma represented three nails on the cross, the five anthers the five wounds of Christ. The many fringes represented the crown of thorns in the passion story.

Flowers and Bible aside, most people lock their passions up in a box, letting only a little bit out when the environment seems safe to do so.

We live in a society that is so far from true passion that people release their tension by screaming at fellow drivers with road rage, and locking their bathroom doors to cry where nobody can see them. People work at jobs they hate, staying there only for the money to buy things they don’t really need, hang out with people they don’t really like, and to do things they don’t really like to do.

One person who lives with more passion than anybody I know is my husband. He simply follows whatever he loves, and doesn’t mind whether it’s popular or not. He likes music I’ve never heard of, reads books that I would have never picked up, and his favorite dishes are things I didn’t even know existed. He always has strong opinions about everything, but isn’t stubborn about them either. Other people are always eager to hear him talk and seek his advice because if you spend just one day with him you’ll feel like you’ve met fifteen amazing people at once. He usually comes off as having a lot of certainty in the things he says. He seems so clear on all his values and goals, and where he stands on the issues that are important to him. He has taken the time to become certain on things that other people are uncertain about.

For a long time, I followed trends and celebrities and lived reactively, instead of taking the time to really connect with what I truly want. I let the world tell me what I should like and enjoy, what I should buy and believe. I had gotten so caught up in trying to be accepted that I missed tuning into who I really am inside.

Passion to me is about finding what I love, being true to myself and honest with others. It’s also about living in the present, not worrying about what other people say or do and staying excited, focused, fearless, positive, motivated and curious.

This line pretty much sums it up in no nonsense terms. Passion = whole ass. If I close my eyes I can almost hear this in Ron Swanson’s deadpan tone of voice – ‘Never half ass two things whole ass one thing.’

It’s easy for me to get caught up in the daily grind though but I reboot instantly either by spending time outdoors or by checking off an item from my 2016 bucket list. The idea is to force myself out of my comfort zone, pursue new experiences and learn new skills – so I’ll make Sushi, shoot b/w portraits, bake a rainbow cake, crochet and learn bird-keeping among other things this year to keep the fires of my passion lit.

What do you do to live passionately? Is there something you love passionately? Video games, Running marathons, photography, animal rights? What makes you stay up all night? Tell me.