The mundane necessities of life often leave us drubbing through life just doing, and letting our passions slip by the wayside. At times, my passion for spending time in the mountains and woods has been preempted by, “I’m tired. I’ve been working all week.”, or “It’s too far to drive. I don’t feel like driving today.”, or a number of other excuses. Fact is, though I may indeed be tired, a quick walk around the local lake, the neighborhood, or even to go sit by a creek somewhere, would at least be feeding my passion for being out there, and keep me connected and active in that which is so important in my life.
How about playing the piano? Even to sit down and tinker with a few notes beats watching it collect dust while I do the same, sitting in my dirty old chair with the “boob tube” on.
What about weight lifting? I used to be in some pretty toned shape, y’know. While I can still out work a good deal of people many years younger than me, I miss that feel of blood actually coursing through my veins and the spring in my step I felt, when I was an active weight lifter. How about a few curls, or such, added into the weekly program. Speaking of program, I could be tinkering on the piano with one hand, while lifting with the other. (Well, maybe a might over enthusiastic here.)
How about the spiritual, emotional, physical and mental ramifications of following your passions? Do you understand that when you have passions in your life that you are even the least bit active in, your health in all of these areas improves and in fact you increase the joy in living and therefore the love that emanates from you? Even if you can’t physically do the things that you are passionate about, for real, there are other ways of being involved. I’m sorry but, “I can’t” is just an excuse.
The point is, while you may not have the capability, or time, to do the things you used to have passion for. How can you bring that passion back into your life? What are, or have been your passions? Write them down. Even thinking about how you felt when you followed your passions can improve your health. No fair wallowing in self pity over that which you feel you can no longer be an active participant in. Better to bask in the memories of how your passions made you feel, than to ignore them altogether.
Peter J Quandt