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?

Unlimited possibilities @ your library®

When I was a child, getting your own library card was like winning the lottery. It meant you could go to the library and choose from a smorgasbord of books. It meant an opportunity to explore other worlds, to learn about people, places and things that you might never experience if not for books.

I remember heading to my favorite sections of the library, trailing my fingers across the spines of books aligned on the shelves as I perused the titles. Often I would select a book and slide to the floor, right there in the aisle, to flip through and read a few passages before deciding if I wanted to check out that book. Sometimes I thumbed through the card catalog, looking for books that might have been shelved somewhere other than my usual sections. Visiting new sections exposed me to books I wouldn’t have thought to explore on my own. But each visit, I would check out as many books as they would allow, or as many as I could carry!

Thankfully, my parents supported my love of books. We were encouraged to check out library books at school, as well as through the public library. Good grades earned opportunities to purchase books from the Scholastic Book order forms that came home with our papers. When we moved out of state, the first place we visited after moving in was the local public library. As we got older, we were treated to trips to the bookstore. Used bookstores were my favorites, because I always came home with a stack of “new” books that didn’t cost my parents a small fortune!

My love of books has grown over the years. I have more books on my shelves and in boxes than I will probably ever read, but I can’t make myself get rid of them. I have core reading preferences but I have also learned to explore new-to-me authors and subjects.

I still prefer having a book in my hands to watching TV. I also live in a small town without a library so I haven’t checked out any library books in a very long time, but I still visit the bookstore or my local department stores every week looking for new books.

Because books are important to me, I wanted to share information on book-related celebrations happening across the nation during the month of April.

D.E.A.R.-- Drop Everything and Read -- is a national month-long celebration of reading designed to encourage people of all ages to make reading a priority in their lives. Author Beverly Cleary wrote about D.E.A.R. in her book Ramona Quimby, Age 8.  Since publication of her book, "Drop Everything and Read" programs have been held nationwide in honor of Mrs. Cleary’s birthday on April 12th.

National Library Week – April 12-18, 2015
Every April since 1958, libraries across the country observe National Library Week to celebrate contributions of libraries and librarians and to promote support and use of libraries.  In the mid-1950s, the American Library Association and the American Book Publishers were concerned that Americans were reading less, and they decided to do something about it. They wanted to motivate people to read, and therefore generate more interest and use of libraries. Their theme that first year was "Wake Up and Read!"

Unlimited possibilities @ your library®.
I love this theme for 2015!  Libraries are filled with possibilities for people of all ages and interests!  While I love the internet and easy access of books through my computer or other electronic devices, there is no experience quite like visiting the library.  It has the potential to change lives, if only people are exposed to it.

How has a library influenced your life?

A library is a hospital for the mind.

-Anonymous

I have always imagined that paradise will be some kind of a library.

- Jorge Luis Borges