Passion is so often overlooked these days. People tend to walk through their daily lives, rarely stopping to actually embrace the feelings that accompany each step. Life becomes a series of rotely memorized steps, tinged by either discontent or complacency. In either case, exploration of oneself and the world is a scarcity. And sadly, most people believe that their lives are fulfilling when in actuality I believe far too many people live behind masks of denial.
There was a time when I asked nearly every new friend or romantic interest one question that I deemed the most important: What are you passionate about? Sometimes the responses were enlightening and inspiring. Other times I recognized feelings of disappointment accompanying others' responses. But the one response I could never understand was the blank stare followed by a mumbled "I don't know."
Of course my thoughts and feelings on this matter are strictly my own; my perspective is neither right or wrong, good or bad. And yet I have always felt a deep sadness when someone was unable to identify any particular passion within. I could never understand how anyone could actively live life with no passions. In my mind, passion is what drives me each day. It is what ultimately gets me out of bed each morning. It is what made me continue on a 10-year journey to become a doctor. It is the reason I have an entire library of books in my house and a yarn collection that overflows from multiple shelves. It is because of the passion I have that I am able to feel the comforting warmth of snuggling up with my pup Dakota. When I stand at the edge of the ocean or get lost in the sight of a mountain range on the horizon or feel the arid, empty space of the desert surrounding me, I overflow with passion. Beautiful words, music, art...any form of creation...it all ignites the passion within me and in that passion, I find purpose and meaning and desire.
And then of course there is passion experienced with another person. Intense and raw, deep and binding, such passion has the capacity to reign you in and encapsulate you. It is this passion that I miss so greatly right now. I know that this passion is possible, and yet I believe it is only truly possible when each person possesses their own passion. It is the intermingling of two people, and their own passions, that is the foundation for experiencing such passion together. I crave that experience of sharing such passion with another person right now. Regardless of the nature of the individual passions, I believe it is the pure experience of merely having that passion that allows for shared passionate experiences.
It is time for me to embrace the passion that lies within my own spirit now, to allow it to reign me in and encapsulate me. Perhaps one day soon, I may find myself in a moment where that passion is not mine alone.
No comments:
Post a Comment