do what you love

What makes your spirit come alive? Yesterday, I got to spend a fantastic afternoon with my dear friend Janet, taking photos at the stables where she rides.  As soon as we drove down the long, winding driveway, I could tell she was in bliss; the smell of the barn, the sight of the horses, everything just made her visibly happy from head to boot. She turned to me and said, "I just love it here, it's a little bit of time I get just for myself." As she got out the tack and prepped her horse for riding, she kept apologizing to me saying, "you must be so bored!" But I reassured her that I was also in my element. Roaming freely around a beautiful setting, camera in hand, surrounded by nature, photo ops at every turn - this is the perfect formula to make my spirit come alive. When she finished riding, we went back to her place for lunch. She greeted her kids with a big hug and I could just tell that she was recharged and excited to tackle the weekend. 

What brings you joy? If you had a few spare hours a week just for you, what would you do? Are you making time for yourself? Passion is a key ingredient to a person's overall happiness. Tapping into your passion can foster growth, learning, create a common bond with others, it can take you out of your thoughts and keep you in the moment.  I think you have found your passion when you feel most connected to the deepest part of yourself; when you feel completely engaged.  

You know it when you see it in others. I just know when I hear my friend Forbes talk about hockey, that she has found a calling - the arena is her church. The sport itself is second nature to her, and skating is as natural as walking. My friend John is the biggest sports fan I know. His depth of knowledge is incredible and his passion for sports is infectious. If you're going to a sporting event, you want to see it with him. This past summer, while out of town for a long weekend to celebrate a friend's 40th birthday, we all took a few hours to ourselves one day before meeting up for dinner. It was interesting to see how people divvied up their time. My friend Art went golfing, Caroline went for a walk along the shoreline, Craig went on a bike ride and I rode through the vineyards with my camera, happily snapping. Everyone was using their precious time alone to do what they loved most. We all met up for dinner, compared afternoons and you could tell our spirits were "topped up."

Take the time to discover what is uniquely you.