passion

June 16, 2009

In case you don't know, I work on a golf course, mowing grass all day. After awhile it kind of gets to be like driving, where you don't have to think about what you're doing so much as just letting your muscles do the work. It gives me a lot of time to think about things, and this just happens to be one of the things I pondered on today.

Passion. It's the strangest thing. There is no greater motivator in our lives, no pursuit holds our interest more or leads us to more happiness. There is also nothing else with the capacity to cause us so much emotional pain. For reasons unknown to us, we pursue our passions like a tangible dream, surpassing all obstacles in chase of what holds our attention at that moment. Sometimes these things are people. A lot of the time. Other times they are objects or goals or any number of other things. We cannot consciously choose what captures our heart; in fact, we often fall in love with the wrong person, whether they be simply wrong for us, unattainable, or undesirable. Sometimes we fall for the wrong behaviors or addictions. And yet, even in the moment we know that it's harmful to us, we are yet aching for what we desire. Our passions become the force propelling us from one stage of life to the next, defining moments and psychological states. It's hard to explain exactly what compels us, but it is absolutely sure that passion always has and always will move the human race. It seems that our passions and our souls are inextricably connected. Without it, we would be empty boxes, nothing more than a body surviving from day to day. In this way passions animate us and lift us up from the ordinary. Our hearts will ache, they will grow, and more often than not, they will break over passions but we will pick up the pieces and wake up ready to do it all again. What other choice do we have? Surely no one will get through this life without the pain of lost passion but surely there is no other path to happiness.

Love, Jennifer


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