Tuesday, November 15, 2016 | By: HiDee

Passion is Energy

My daughter has been going through a rough time, learning to cope with anxiety and depression.  It’s hard to fight an enemy you can’t see.  I often find myself on the rollercoaster of emotions with her – sympathetic at times, encouraging at times, blunt at times.  And yet, somehow, she has a tenuous hold on the one thing that has been her passion throughout her life: stock car racing.

It relieves her anxiety.  It’s an escape from reality, or should I say to a different reality, for at least a short time. Even during off-season she can climb into the car and feel some relief.

Passion is an intense emotion, a compelling enthusiasm or desire for something.  Passion is energy.

In spite of her issues, she is clinging to her passion.  She’s setting an example for me.

In the midst of everyday life, between the challenges of work, family and self, I still have a passion for reading and writing. Maybe the order flip-flops at times, but it never goes away.

When I was young, I regularly checked out books from the library. Public, school, bookmobile…it didn’t matter. I just wanted a stack of books to read each week. We didn’t have the money to buy new books, but I didn’t care. Even borrowed books offered opportunties to get lost in other worlds, and to learn.

I also started writing when I was fairly young. My mom recently gave me a folder of papers she had kept from my youth. It was a lot of fun, and kind of emotional, to read the stories I wrote so long ago. Some I remembered, some I didn’t. But reading through them reinforced how important writing has been in my life. To this day, I'm comforted by the feel of a pen in my hand and words flowing onto paper. It doesn't matter if I'm writing letters, poetry or fiction; if I'm journaling, or even just making lists.

For me, there is a freedom in putting pen to paper. There is freedom in escaping into a good book. These are my passions.

My goal as a writer is to share with others the passion I have for reading. If my writing gives just one person the pleasure I’ve had from reading, and encourages them to read more, then I’ve done my job as a writer. Of course, I really want to impact more lives than just one, but one is a good start!

What is your goal as a writer?



8 comments:

Angela Adams said...

My goal as a writer is to tell stories. In the meantime, and more importantly, I'm sending prayers and good wishes to your daughter.

HiDee said...

Thank you, Angela. Your prayers are very much appreciated! It's been rough, but as I said, she inspires me. We will get through this!

Mark R Hunter said...

My stated goal as a writer is to make enough at it so that in three years I can take retirement from my full time job--so I can have more fun to write.

But I'd write whether I made any money at it or not. I also suffered from anxiety and depression when I was younger, although I didn't know it at the time--reading, and then writing, saved my wife many times. There were times in the depth of winter when I would give up on trying to get published, but I seldom stopped writing, and never stopped reading.

HiDee said...

Mark, I will add your goal to mine! Reading and writing are definitely life savers, in my opinion. I'm glad you didn't give up! Thank you for stopping by!

Charmaine Gordon said...

All of my children were INTENSE. I don't know why since my hubs and I were easy going. The oldest boys were musicians who drove us nuts with guitars, drums until they moved to Nashville etc, etc.Another boy-so brilliant-turned his back on becoming a doctor and hello, became a performer a dancer , formed a group of three guys and toured the world! Intense! Now he lives in Denmark still a performer with his Danish wife, an artist. The youngest, daughter is a teacher, also INTENSE about her work, about me, my health, her daughter and more. This is their lives. I look from afar as an observer. They have chosen their paths in life. I have mine. Bless them all. As an actor, I loved my work. When my voice failed I began to write. A new life opened and I'm in love with every word.
This may be too long yet I hope you get the meaning. Children have their own path. We can only try to steer them in the safe productive road. My best to you, HiDee

Maris said...

I guess writing is my passion. If other things get in the way of writing (family, health issues, saying "yes" too many times), I start to get cranky and depressed. There are simply times when I need to live in my imagination.

HiDee said...

Charmaine, you're right of course. Children do have their own paths. I just want her to be happy, and it's hard to watch them struggle. Thank you for your thoughts!

HiDee said...

Maris, saying "yes" too many times is an issue for me, too. I never thought of it that way, but living in my imagination is exactly what I need to stay sane! Thanks for stopping by!