"PASSION"

What is your passion? What drives you to do what you do in life? What is it that stirs your blood, the fire in your soul, that which motivates you most about LIFE?

Mine can be traced in to shortly after I got out of the "Holliday Inn" in Elkhart. After being imprisoned for 158 days of acts of my own doing and will, it was time to re-evaluate what is important about life. Today, nearly 2 years later, I'm driven by a number of things, not the least of which is getting everything I can out of life; sharing of my experiences with others, and not just of the last 2 years, but of a lifetime of hard work, education, and professional experiences when I was in banking and farming for over 25 years.

I was talking with my Dad yesterday on the way back from visiting his good friend in Lake Elsinore, the first time we had an opportunity to visit alone together for over 2 years. He said a few things about me that weren't surprising though I have to say this; he doesn't know, understand, or appreciate who and what I've become. Don't get me wrong, it's not that he isn't "appreciative" mind you, it's more of not "knowing." He's not the only one. Many people, especially my own family, get overwhelmed by my passions about life, how I get so "up" about things, how I "go off" and "ramble" on and on about so many things that have happened.

I've come to this conclusion. I won't hold back. This is who I am. I'm driven and passionate about everything I see, hear, touch, smell, or taste. I was left for dead and now I'm alive and have NO intention of slowing down. Yet I'm not unaware. I'm introspective enough to know I need to "dial it down" at times so that people aren't put off or intimidated with some of the things I say or do and HOW I do or say them. Balance is key now. And patience. I've learned a lot about the latter.

What are my passions then? By now, you know. It can be as minute as watching birds frolic in the morning, a snail making its way slowly across a leaf, or watching children play in the ocean. Others are much bigger; social issues, the plight and pain I see and feel in my fellow man, this inner drive to reach out and help those in need. The thirst for knowledge in every sense and how I can apply it to my own life and, in turn, give it back to others. This is who I am. A man humbled by his past, a man who gave up nearly everything, including most of his pride. But what pride I have left I'm damn proud of. I'll hold on to that from this day forward as long as I live.

So, who are you? What is your passion? What drives you, motivates your soul, gives you the energy to do what you love best?


"Gusto"