Reflecton #40 The Gap Year: Living With Passion
Reflection # 40 Living With Passion
“May you go forward securely, joyfully, and swiftly, on the path of prudent happiness.” --Clare of Assisi
I want to continue to live with passion. What is passion? It is exuberant energy, unbridled enthusiasm, and determined devotion to someone or something. Passion pushes us forward and keeps us committed and young. I have been in training for years to be a passionate older woman. I won’t allow caution, which can become prevalent in later years, to destroy my passion for life.
Let me say that some of my past endeavors were not motivated by passion but by the circumstances of unexpected directions. It was hard to relax in the peace of the moment. I did the best I could. I have lived through rough waves that would pick me up and then drop me to the bottom. I’d enjoy the surge when things were going well but still prepare for a violent fall, which was sometimes inevitable. I am thankful it is not so much like that now. Now, I go through my days, happy to be floating for as long as possible.
Retired from paid employment, it is my passionate belief that my life has a greater purpose than just passing time til death. Many nights, I go to sleep thinking that if this were my last day, I would be happy with how I spent it. This energetic, passionate woman has a purpose that guides her journey, fills her days, and keeps her young. I am a passionate person.
Today I live with passion. My spirit is questing rather than resting. I am more awake and conscious of my everyday surroundings and the people I encounter. It is what philosopher Gerald Heard called “second maturity”. We now use our leisure, not for trivial pursuits, but for the more searching quest of “Why am I here?” What more may I wish to pursue?
Now it’s your turn.
Take time to reflect and if in a group, share as you feel able.
If this were my last day, I would rest in the knowledge that I’ve:
a) lived committed and young.
b) made it through rough times.
c) lived my greater purpose.
d) lived with passion.