Musings at Altitude

I live a very passionate life.  It could be passion in a relationship.  It could be passion in my job.  It could be passion in any particular interaction where I think I can help or I think I can learn.  It could be passion in the awe of God’s creation.  It could be passion from a song or passion from a call or passion from a specific thing I see that causes that unique emotional and passionate response.  It could be passion from being held when something has seriously gone wrong or being high fived when something has unexpectedly gone right.

At times I see folks with no apparent emotion at all, and I wonder how they could possibly go through life or any particular event of life without passion.  Passion is what fuels me.  Passion is what allows me to overcome setbacks.  Passion is what allows me to take on that challenge that everyone else may have said was impossible, but for some reason, I smile and say “let’s get it done”.  Passion is what allows me to see the purple mountains majesty and to picture what life will be like after the devastating storm ends that may currently engulf me.  Passion is what allows me to believe that my life is to be served in obedience to my Creator, and passion is what burdens me so greatly when I fall short of what that same Creator expects of me.

I can’t imagine my life without passion, and I can’t imagine passion without truly embracing life – all aspects of life – all phases of life – all events of life.

I remember the hugs.  I remember the high fives.  I remember the sun just hitting the mountains and turning them purple.  I remember devastating personal loss.  I remember the incredible joy of miraculous events.  I remember shaking so awkwardly before that first jump out of an airplane.  I remember that decision to start a business and then that decision to depart that business as well.  I remember that first check.  I remember that first election.  I remember that decision to change careers.  I remember not getting paid for months.  I remember that first big deal closed.  I remember that first multi-million dollar check that I had to rush back to the office to make payroll.  I remember breaking bones.  I remember mending bones.  I remember standing next to the President.  I remember being yelled at by the President.

Each passionate moment was deeply carved into my memory, and those passionate moments bind together today to fuel a desire for even greater passion from the events of my life from this point forward. 

Passion is my goal.  Passion is my choice.  Passion is priceless.