Everybody Should Have a Passion

This is a story told to me by one of my best friends, Mary, a septuagenarian, about having passion in life:

When I lived in Hawaii, I went to the Aloha flea market on Oahu one Sunday.  This flea market is the largest on the island, frequented by locals and tourists alike.  By noon the parking lot was overflowing with myriads of parked cars and people, and I carefully maneuvered my way around them, making my way to the treasures that awaited me past the gates.  Soon I was sauntering through the enormous outdoor shopping haven.

Strolling past the usual lineup of T-shirt vendors, used goods sellers, and vast arrays of every tropical fruit known to man, I peered curiously inside the various stalls, looking for nothing in particular.  It was another beautiful, gorgeous, humid, sunny day on Oahu, with the sun beating vigorously against my reddening skin, the part that was unshielded by my flowery muumuu, sandals, and wide-brimmed, yellow cotton hat.    Being in the Hawaiian isles, most booth owners were rather friendly and acknowledged me with their bold “Aloha” greeting.  I greeted them back with my own smile and “Aloha!  How are you today?” as I slowly scanned their wares.  My strongest weakness was for the local crafts, the ones that were so artfully and finely done, with care and love by the artist.

Suddenly, out of the corner of my eye, something caught my attention.  I moved quickly to a stall, where a lady was selling some intricate, miniature scale models that she had made.  I was so astounded by the rapt attention to detail she had paid these small, self-contained, picturesque capsules. Every one of them represented a microcosm of a scene.  There were little grocery stores, furniture rooms, a hotel lobby, a restaurant.  A barn model had chickens, ducks running around, a cow, and hay.  Every little detail was absolutely perfect, complete – she had wallpaper on the walls, curtains on the windows, furniture, canned goods on the shelf. They were beautiful, just amazing.

I couldn’t help but admire them, and so I asked her, “How did you ever get started doing this?”  She answered, “Well, you know, I was married to my husband when I was 18 years old.  We were together for 35 years, and then my husband died.  There were so many hours in the day, I didn’t know what to do with myself.  So I started making these miniature models, after I read a book about them, just to keep myself busy and my mind occupied.  The strange thing is, now there aren’t enough hours in the day, and I love what I do.”

I often think of this woman, because she taught me a precious lesson about life.  She made me realize how important it is to have a passion - to have something that really means so much to you, that you want to do it all the time, and it captivates you.  You think about it, talk about it, read about it, live it.  It took many years until she finally found her passion. 

I never had a passion of my own until I started traveling.  Then, I found my passion, too.  In life, I think everybody should have a passion, and have the life they love.