What am I passionate about?

When I start thinking about the things I am passionate about, I feel like I am about to describe the person I “used to be.” Since our son was born two years ago, my husband and I don’t do a lot of the things we used to do and our life is very different. I know it is not unusual to put some adult fun stuff on hold while you wait for your children to grow up, but it is funny trying to think of the things I am passionate about doing RIGHT NOW. Here are some of the ways I have adjusted my activities to keep doing the things I enjoy.

I am passionate about the outdoors. I love to do things outside. I used to hike, kayak, mountain bike on single-track trails, rollerblade, and go boating – a lot. Now, I don’t. I am sure I will do those things again someday. Right now I get to do different things that I love to do - like play in the snow or dirt, go exploring and take long walks, find fascinating rocks or sticks and get lost in the great big world of the back yard – at least until we get too cold or nap time intervenes.

I am passionate about art. I love to paint, draw, create and take photographs. I don’t create the oil paintings, clay sculptures or charcoal drawings and things that I used to. But, now I draw with chalk on the driveway, use washable markers and crayons on paper and paint with washable paints. We haven’t been to many exotic places lately to take cool pictures, but I do take an awful lot of pictures right here at home.

I am passionate about cooking. I love to cook. Some days, I don’t love cooking dinner because I feel too tired or uninspired. But, the love for my son and the desire for him to eat a healthy meal (and my sense of duty to please my hard-working husband with something tasty) usually snap me out of it and give me passion to cook – at least enough to get dinner on the table!

I am passionate about work. I love to work. I love working hard and accomplishing things. I love working in the garden, reupholstering or refinishing furniture, building things with my hands, writing and seeing the results of working. I have had many jobs where I didn’t love working – mostly due to disrespectful, micromanaging bosses. But, what I realize is that it wasn’t the work that I didn't like, it was the psychological baloney.

I am passionate about my “new” job. I used to work as a small business consultant and I loved it. Now, I work as a stay-at-home mom. And, I love it. I do miss adult work conversations, meeting challenges and helping other people realize their dreams. Of course I miss that. But, there are a lot more things I love about staying home, and that makes up for it.

I am passionate about being a wife, mom and taking care of our home. Some days, I could do without the part where I do the laundry, clean the house, do the dishes, go grocery shopping, go to the dump or cook dinner, but other days, it’s not so bad. Besides, I would have to do all that stuff anyway – just not quite so much of it.

I feel very blessed to be able to stay at home with my child. I hope we are blessed with more children so I can stay home longer and do more of this mothering stuff. What I do is fun, challenging, creative, and a lot of hard work. It’s the best job I ever had.