Passionate

I am not sure how often in the past few days I have heard somebody being described as passionate about something but it has happened fairly frequently. 

A father speaking of his son kicking his football on the grass opposite my home said that his son was passionate about his football. On looking at the attire of the father I could possibly understand why the son was indeed passionate about football. The fact that it was rather obvious that he was also passionate about football and the following of one team.

A  daughter described as being passionate about dancing. The mother said, "We go dancing three times a week, she just loves it." The fact that the mother spoke in the plural just might have had something to do with it.

It is true that we do become passionate about things and when those passions take a hold they can have a very important role in the onward course of our lives.

it has taken me many years and I still to this day struggle with allowing interests to become passions. As a younger man, it was always said of me that I never took up anything without taking it up one hundred per cent, and sometimes more, and with a passion.  From getting a fish tank and some fish it was a very short time until I had almost forty tanks and was breeding a variety of tropical fish.

From running around the house grounds to running a marathon and then a marathon almost every weekend seemed to take no time at all. 

Now there s nothing at all wrong with having passion about something and giving it your all but there has to be a measure of realism or a passion can rapidly become all consuming.

It is finding the happy place along the line between those two.

There is a little tale that throws some light on this.

The tale is told of a great English actor Macready. 

An eminent preacher once said to him: "I wish you would explain to me something." "Well, what is it? I don't know that I can explain anything to a preacher." 

"What is the reason for the difference between you and me? You are appearing before crowds night after night with fiction, and the crowds come wherever you go. I am preaching the essential and unchangeable truth, and I am not getting any crowd at all." 

Macready thought for a long moment then gave this answer,  "This is quite simple. I can tell you the difference between us. I present my fiction as though it were the truth and with some passion.  You present your truth as though it were fiction and lacking any passion for your subject." 

Have a thoughtful and marvellous day.