Of Passion

I've never run up a hill with my arms thrown wide in a nun outfit belting in song. Have you?

I have however, run around a bedroom on stage in pajamas...belting in song. The Sound of Music is the one real play ever to receive my secret acting talents upon its memory. I had a prestigious role: VonTrapp daughter, Louisa. Approximately 7 lines in the entire play (not counting songs) and one fluffy pink party gown (the highlight of my acting career). I was fourteen.

"Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens, bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens, brown paper packages tied up with strings, these are a few of my favorite things."

I sang this song (and danced to it, too!), but apart from the "raindrops on roses" (only if they're yellow), the lyrics listed very few of my favorite things. Bright copper kettles remind me of scrubbing for hours. Warm woolen mittens make me want to buy anti-itch cream. But we all like to talk about our favorite things. We all like to share what quickens our hearts, what widens our eyes, what makes us gasp, what makes us smile, what makes us secretly want to throw out our hands and run up a hill in song (okay, maybe not that far).

Everyone has loves and hates. A professor of mine started a semester class with, "Write down two loves and two hates." Then, "Share them with your neighbor." The room exploded with passion--from hatred of celery to the love of waltzing. From loathing fruit-scented candles to joy in a baby's giggle.

We. Have. Passion.

"passion"--n. strong and barely controllable emotion

We have passion from the small to the unfathomable--from pet-peeves to life-long beliefs. It is meant to be shared, like smiles, hugs, and scar-stories. So (accepting that God and His Word are givens and in a different category anyway), here are some of mine.

Small loves:
Yellow Roses
Sunrises
Laughter

Small hates:
Crinkled paper
Black licorice
Darkness

Serious loves:
Unity among people
Communication
Passion

Serious hates:
Arguments
Being fake
Crude humor/sarcasm

I know you have passions--loves and hates. Write them down somewhere--recognize your passions. Why? Because it reminds us how real we are and how much depth we have. It reminds us that there are things we love and cherish, that there are things to cherish--things we want to weave through our lives with thicker strands.

Passion can't be faked.
Passion can grow.
Passion is always beautiful.
Passion is real.

I pray that I act on my passions--that someday I encourage unity, I pursue communication, and I maintain and grow in my passion. And maybe someday I'll stop my arguments, avoid being fake, and preserve clean/wholesome humor.