I’m grateful that Debbie let me hang out over here with you guys today.  If you have a chance, stop by my place – Big Pitt Stop sometime.  It’s a totally different world than hanging out with Debbie – think less planned, more single and way crazy!

Cooking is absolutely my favorite thing to do.  I love everything about it except cleaning up the dishes.  It’s something I’m passionate about.  I even LOVE going to the grocery store.  When my family travels, it is very often that we find our “souvenir” from a local grocery store.  We get kicks out of finding things we can’t find anywhere else and often find our stocking filled at the end of the year with items that tell the journey of places we “stopped by” throughout the year.  I love making a list, I love walking the aisles, I love marking things off the list and finding things not on the list that I just throw in the basket.  Now I’m a single gal and going to the grocery store is something I can do just because I want to.  I can spend an hour, or 2, just looking and seeing what all there is to offer.  I’ll even admit that I like the process of putting up groceries.  I like bringing in all the bags, putting everything where it goes, and rearranging my freezer because I bought something I didn’t have room for. 

Then, I love the process of cooking.  I love meal planning.  I love trying to figure out what to cook.  My favorite is taking a recipe I didn’t plan to make and trying to figure out how to make it, as close as possible, with the ingredients I already have on hand in my pantry.  I love trying to determine flavor combinations that resemble a good marriage and discovering what replacement ingredient will create the same texture.  I love chopping up veggies and sautéing them.  I love mixing things together in my Kitchen Aid and then pouring them in a 9×13 and pushing them to extreme temperatures in the oven so they make ooey goodness.  I love watching what happens when things cook slow, and low and simmer.

Cooking is steps.  Cooking is a process and cooking has an end. 

I’ve spent much of my day today writing, with 2 good breaks for cooking myself breakfast and a late afternoon lunch.  A few moments ago my mom called and I was caught in my tracks telling her what I was spending my day doing.  And I heard it.  The quiet calm on her side and the heightened excitement in my voice. 

For both of us, the silence and elation define our passion.  She even said “you learned to love that from me”.  And, she’s right!

She also finished that statement by saying “and you’ve always wanted to be a nerd”.  And, again, she’s right!

So, I guess I ask you, “what’s your passion”?  What brings calm to your spirit and elation to your voice?

My team at work had a guest speaker in this week for our strategy retreat and she talked about “passion threads”, so its kinda fresh on my mind.  But, here’s what I’ve been thinking about more.  My favorite things, that I love to do – cooking, blogging, traveling, shopping, photography, crafting, etc – I always make a way for.  They center me.  They ground me.  They remind me how to soar again and they make me the best of who I am.   

But, I also have the gift of working every day at something I’m passionate about.  Yes, it’s a job and yes there are days it feels like a job.  But, most of the time, it’s a place to live out my passion.  I fight cancer with some really awesome other cancer fighters.  I’m passionate about it.  I want to see it gone.  Not that any one likes cancer, but I’m ok with working myself out of a job.  Like that cooking process above, I feel like some days are a slow simmer, flash fry or sitting on hot coals.  But, my passion overcomes so many of those obstacles. 

So, here as we are days away from jumping full force into April; a month that tends to find itself the busiest of my 12, let me challenge you to join me in living passionately.  Building boundaries based on what you love.  Filling your days with activities that bring elation to your voice.  Creating and planning adventures for your days ahead and finding a way to make even cleaning up the dishes a part of your day that can spark a smile. 

After all, when your sink is clean and your dishwasher full, can’t you truly measure that it’s been a good day?

Note: I’m particularly fond of may special friend, Keisha and I know you would be as well if you could meet her.

Go check her out at:

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