A few things have made me think about where I am with my life, my goals...my "passion." My brother and I talked recently and caught up with each others' lives from the past few months since we've seen each other. My brother is doing what he loves and always wanted to do. It's come after years or hard work, trial and error and finally having the time to do it. Our conversation was scattered, as it often is, we start chatting and then something reminds one of us something else and so it goes. The topic that has stayed with me is what are our passions and how we hope that our kids get how important it is to follow our hearts and do what we really want to do. And most importantly to be brave and put yourself out there.
One of the passages in the book I'm reading has stayed with me for a few days. "Whether cautionary or exemplary, there has not yet been a life lived that we cannot learn from. It is up to us to decide which ours will be." After being a stay at home mom for nearly 21 years, I'm now in a new season where I have a bit of time to find my "passion" and to decide again what kind of life I want to lead. This sounds funny coming from a mom of six kids who's in her early 40's but just as the year goes on with new seasons, so does life. My youngest child will be going in 2nd grade and teacher need/parent involvement diminishes a bit this year. I am enjoying summer with the kiddos but look forward to the fall and the new "season" I'll get to enter. I've named the season, Self RE-Discovery.
The hobbies I had when my older kids were younger are still interests to me, but no longer my passion, so to speak. Kid crafts are fun but no longer something I need to do every day. I love cooking fun, interesting and healthy foods for my family. That passion has diminished some as I get in the "what's for dinner" rut. But I'm emerging from that rut, finally. And with the help of the internet and fun recipes. My favorite sites to go to are www.VeggieVenture.com and www.allrecipes.com. Every recipe I've tried from these have been hits with the whole family, even the brussel sprouts!
I think my biggest passion, outside of my family, is learning. I love to learn new things...about anything. I'd love be more artsy. I was always discouraged taking art classes in jr high school because my still life drawings looked like something a three year old could draw and probably better. It took me several years after jr high school to realize that being "artsy" doesn't mean just drawing. I am artsy in ways but these talents are as developed as I'd like for them to be. While at an art museum with my brother I'd said something wanting to be more right brained. Every test I've ever taken or looked at shows my results to be almost 50/50. My brother is a lot more right brained that I am & I told him how I wished I was more right brained. He said he believed the right side can be more developed it worked at it. "I'll never balance my checkbook better than I do today, but you can learn to draw or whatever you want." He's absolutely right! I just had never thought of it that way. We all know how brilliant Albert Einstein was. He spoke like eight different languages, solved math equations no one else has been able to, etc. I read once where he said, the average person only uses 10% of their brain. Can you imagine what we could do it we used even half of our brain? Yes, I can develop my right sided "talents" more. I just need to follow what I teach my kids and put myself out there and try new things.
I've always wanted to learn to use a pottery wheel. So, this fall, part of my self Re-discovery will be trying new things, like pottery wheels and tap dancing. I love to dance and really do love to get my heart pumping but I hate going to a gym to get exercise. I like to ride bikes if I have a destination. I don't like riding just to go ride around the block with no place as a goal to get to. I love to dance and I've taught my kids to dance, just like my mom did.Now is the time to learn more.
I think this fall you will find me in some art studio learning how to use clay and a pottery wheel and maybe even in a dance studio. I think this new season is going to be a fun journey of self REdiscovery. I'm sure it will make me happy...maybe not as happy as those around me though. They'll get to seeing my lopsided clay creations or at my comic relief as I try to tap dance for the first time in my life.
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