Monday, July 6, 2009

Not Passionate Anymore

Dear Mom:

How do I get passionate about my life? How do I find purpose?

Bored


Dear Bored:

I think you've already begun to answer your initial question. When someone like you isn't passionate about their life, it's usually not because they aren't busy-and being a student definitely leaves little time to just be sitting around. The listless feeling is usually due to the fact that there is no variety to spice up an otherwise pretty intense college life.Now, by that I don't mean going out and getting drunk or skipping class, because surely that would equal variety. To truly be passionate about life, a person needs to take inventory of what they enjoy but never seem to have time for. And I'm not talking here about any grandiose events or expensive ventures.

Let's say you enjoy the mountains but never seem to get up there. Or you enjoy reading but only feel as if you have time to read, you know, textbooks. Maybe you enjoy going out to movies with friends or spending time on a hobby. But, you know, school is there and who has time for anything else?

You do. How do I know? You're reading this column. Take a moment and do an inventory. I'll wait.

Okay, now take a look at your list. Which passion jumps out at you the most? This passion is your assignment for the week. Now, I'm not asking for a whole day, I'm not even asking for an hour. I'm asking you to start where you can. But I'm asking you to start. No excuses.Yesterday, after returning home from my first French class, my mind was in a whirl of words and phrases; most, I can assure you, meant nothing to me because I had no idea what I was hearing and repeating in the first place. I came home and tried to work on the homework, but learning was difficult. I was tired; my mind was tired, and all I wanted to do was sleep. Instead, I went outside and began to weed the flower bed.

For many of you, probably all of you who read this column, you're thinking, "You're kidding, right? Weeding can't be on your list. Weeding is work, and work's not fun."
Well, perhaps I'm a strange one, (I've been told that before) but weeding gives me a chance to take out my frustration on the weeds. The time spent weeding clears my head. I love the smell of the garden, the feel of the earth. I love weeding because when I'm done there is instant and immediate success. The flower beds are beautiful!

Most days I feel passionate about my life because I have a purpose, and my purpose isn't merely to wade through class, but to experience every breath of it; returning home to spend time doing something I enjoy like weeding, doing homework, laughing with my family, and preparing for the next day; because there's always a next day whether I feel passionate about it or not.

Mom

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