Monday, August 9, 2010

Be still my heart... and brain, and hands

I have a lot of passions.

Like, a LOT.

What can I say? I'm easily entertained? I like lots of stuff?

I can't really explain it. I just know it's there. I have a brain that apparently requires a high amount of stimulus, as I often do 2-3 things at once.

Here is just a basic list of my hobbies, and understand that to make it on the list, I've done them in the last month or so:

-Writing of course, though this one barely qualifies as I haven't written on any of my current projects in a while.
-Reading—lately, I've been into quirky biographies (well, biographies about quirky people), which is a total departure for me. Huh.
-Music—playing piano, and singing (not that ANYONE should ever have to hear me sing). I also have a violin and guitar and am self-taught on all four, but I haven't played the violin and guitar in a long, long time.
-My animals, of course. Especially my horse (training, riding, etc.).
-WEDDING. This is a biggie. I'm doing most everything myself (making my own invites, doing my own flowers, making all the other paper goods, making my own veil, sewing the groom's/men's vests, oh the list goes on and on and on and on and on and on and on). And as a result this has been the majority of my last few months. Not that I'm alone; weddings are always a big project!
-Volunteering—this is a recent re-development, as I've volunteered extensively before, but the opportunities I have now are both new and time-consuming.

This is nowhere near everything. (And notice that "growing my own pumpkins" is not on here—after a seemingly easy start, I got 7-8 on the ground. And now my vines have started dying. So bye-bye pumpkins, as my efforts to save them have not worked. I suspect they have a fungus, which is untreatable).

My point, though, is that my mind is a trap of knowledge and I crave a lot of different inputs depending on the day. I also have a lot of creative outlets, only one of which is writing.

This may make it seem like I have no focus, but it's quite the opposite, in fact. When I pick something up as a "passion," that is what it is, no questions asked. It will stick with me for the rest of my life, even if I forget to do it for a few years here and there. So writing, fear not—I will be back to you very soon!

So yes, I have passion, but I also have a lot of it, and a lot of outlets for it. And yes, overall they might each get less time than if I only had one, but what else would I do in my downtime? (Grin).

I can't be the only one—besides writing, what are some things you love to do and always will?

5 comments:

Susan Kaye Quinn said...

Passion is a good thing! And you have it in spades. Sounds like you are blessed in many ways. :)

Nate Wilson said...

Besides writing? Where to begin?

- I've played violin for 28 of my 32 years. Not about to stop now. (also: piano, bass guitar, kazoo, spoons)
- Gotten lax of late with the exercise, but I loves me some volleyball. (also: disc golf, biking, hiking, kayaking, dog-walkin')
- Books, movies, CDs/MP3s. Whenever and wherever I can.
- Wii. Board games. Crosswords.
- Ice cream (maybe not a hobby, but certainly a passion).
- The Wedding (mine, not yours). Coming up reeeeal soon.

No wonder I never get any writing done.

Rick Daley said...

I play bass, 6- and 12-string guitar, and piano. I'm not as proficient on keyboards as my string instruments (technically, piano is a percussion instrument).

I can carry a tune in a bucket, but you'll wish I hadn't.

I also enjoy running, yoga, swimming, and weight lifting.

I love hiking in the woods, especially if creeks / rivers / /waterfalls are nearby.

Unknown said...

Alas that there is only so much life and so many things to fill it with. I'm always sad when I have to make a choice between one hobby and another. Don't feel bad. We know you're not about to give up on writing all together.

Non writing things I like to do:

Music. Piano and Penny Whistle

Cooking. I like to hunt down strange old recipes and force my family to eat them.

Yoga. Walking.

I'm also kind of a sightseeing junkie. Maybe because I live in San Diego. Any place I can make a project out of finding I will go see.

L. T. Host said...

Susan-- I really am, thanks!

Nate-- Congrats on the upcoming wedding (I really hate the word nuptials, as a random aside. Don't know why, it just bugs me). Anyway, here's hoping we both find time to write again soon!

Rick-- I LOVE hiking/ forests to/with water. Water is really cool. I'm also the opposite of you musically-- I'm much better on the piano than my stringed instruments.

Taryn-- thank you, as always, for your support :) I'm really hoping to get some steam up and start writing again later in the fall. In the meantime though, we need to get our little group together to keep me motivated.