Passionate

If you love what you do, you'll never work a day in your life.


It's like a ton of bricks hit me. A quote I have heard a thousand times. I believe that people began spewing this advice into my ears the minute I had my future in my hands and had to "make a decision" about what to do with it.

I often wonder why, at age 18- when we are as freshly adults as a 1 day old baby is out of the womb- we are asked to make a decision about what we want to do for the rest of our lives. Heck, within a year we are supposed to decide a college and declare a major, and from that moment on we are married to the chosen profession. My freshman year was filled with so much change I oftentimes wonder how I survived. My freshman year of college could have gone down in the books as a year of learning, without me ever stepping foot into a classroom. I learned more about life in that year than I ever knew existed prior to that year. Yet- in that same year of change I was expected to decide what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. And decide I did... It was exactly 10 days into second semester, something to the likes of January 17th. I was fresh off of a wonderful, fun-filled, desperately needed Christmas break. I was in star-crossed like with a boy living 900 miles away, freshly off of a break-up with another boy I had been dating for 4 years (I know, I know, I am still convinced God works in the most mysterious ways.), figuring out how to cope with the loss of a friend, and in a physical location that was uncomfortable and as much like home to me as the amazon is to polar bears. I was in an incredibly tender spot in my life, 18 years old, and trying to figure it all out. All of this when I get an e-mail from my adviser telling me that I must, within 7 days, declare my major so that I can register for classes the following semester.

The most delicate time of my life and I have seven days to decide what I want to do for the rest of my life. So I bundle up, tromp through the snow to her office, and think to myself I've always liked kids, and I have wanted to be a teacher since I was a little lad myself, so I guess I'll declare an elementary education major. And that was it. I walked into her office and said... I guess I want to be a teacher. And she said, alright we'll get you registered for some elementary education classes. And I was on my way. That was it.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying I don't want to be a teacher, or that teachers aren't incredibly important individuals. I am frequently told that I am going to make a great teacher, and there are days when I can't wait to have a classroom of my own and have that sort of influence on children that will allow them to be successful individuals in society, but I have always felt slightly jealous of those people who have had majors they were incredibly passionate about. The people in my life who desire to spend all of their waking hours working on their semester projects, and love every moment of it.

Last year, during a heart-to-heart conversation with Rob he asked me a question that really hit hard and has stuck with me ever since. He said "Amber, what are you passionate about? What in life fills you with pure joy, and truly inspires you?" I just stared at him..."....umm... I don't know. I really like to do arts and crafts, and color, and take pictures. I really love relationships, weddings, and spending time with people. But I don't know what my passion is..."  I could tell you that Rob lives and breathes skiing. He absolutely loves skiing, and is at a place of complete inner peace when he is on his skis. He also is incredibly passionate about architecture. He loves looking at pictures of different architectural designs, working on his own architectural designs and dreaming up ideas related to architecture. Those two things are what drive his life, he is incredibly passionate about both of them. But what is my passion? When do I feel the most joy in life? The only answer I have come up with is when I am with people that I love, but I can't make a career out of loving. So I continue to search...

And for now I'm putting my trust in God knowing that He has a wonderful, beautifully crafted plan for my life. And if I trust Him and follow Him my life will turn out quite okay!