Older Still

         In remarking on a person as they have achieved a certain age its heard at times to denote that a person has lost a certain edge on their personality, that they have lost the fire that lay hold of them when they were younger. Often times this is remarked upon as a good thing, that with age and the toning down of passions it somehow has made that person better, that they are calmer and can think straighter now, and perhaps make better decisions. Even unto ourselves we say things like, "I have kids to think about", or "I have a husband/wife to worry about." and quietly push our old flames under sand and quench those fires with water from the river of time. I wonder what pushes us this way.

        Those fires, those passions for what we believe in, they are what drive us forward.  We have these dreams driven by passion for what we can do, for what we can be, and somewhere we have lost sight of them. We mention them in passing as something that we can just recall but they have gotten so far away on the horizon of our lives that they don't even seem to be our own anymore. We must recapture and not let go the passions and dreams we hold.  In the face of adversity against such passions we must not let them die, but rather morph and change allowing their essence to live on in us. 

       I do not accept that we should let our passions and dreams die when our life circumstances change, whether they change for the good or the bad. The people we call exceptional are the people who pursued their passion even in the face of change. Do not say "I have this wife/husband/child/commitment now i have no time for that" those things are with you because of that passion, because you were that way, they do not seek nor ask you to change but rather be incorporated into that passion with you, that they would be caught up in your journey and you in theirs. It is not the end of your dreams and passions but rather the next part of the story. Children need to see parents who are passionate about something, whether it is something in the home or out of it, but that is not to say the child is neglected but rather that they too are caught up in the passion and given the chance to partake. 

       It is here though that we must walk a fine line between passion and obsession. Passion seeks to fulfill and to sweep up those who are caught in its current and asks those who come to the edge to observe to join. Obsession is a solitary brook, who babbles to itself without care for the outside and seeking only for an end which may never come. Obsession neglects all those who come to observe and invites no one to join in. Passion invites others to join to become a part of this experience, obsession asks for no ones help nor desires for someone to share the experience except to only certify that the obsession is okay. 

      We cannot afford to let passion die in our lives. It is what moves us, and keeps us breathing in life. At least thats what I think for now...

          -jeremy