I’m passionate about life.

 How’s that for a cliche and a broad one at that? I won’t leave it at that, though, I promise. Read on, my friends.

I’m passionate about the moments that make a life. Not only mine, however, I am rather partial to that one. I’m passionate about the details. I realized this while following the lather, rinse, repeat routine in the shower today (though I didn’t repeat, does anyone ever repeat?). There I am, soaking in the hot water, in silence, thinking about passion, when it hit me. I was enjoying a hot shower in peace. Such a small, minute occurance, yet it made me happy and thankful.

So, this post is dedicated and filled with a list of the details that feed my passion for life and the tiny and sometimes seemingly insignificant moments with which it is constructed. For they are ultimately the things that make a life worth living.

1. Reading a good book, so good that it’s almost painful to put down. The kind of good that has you in a daze thinking of it during the moments you cannot sit there reading it. Feeling those pages between your fingers is like nothing else.
2. Traveling. Not only do you experience something new and exciting, you are also left with moments that have changed you in a way you may not realize until later, but sometimes, oh sometimes, you feel it the moment you breathe that new air. It leaves you wondering what tomorrow will bring and how you can be a better version of yourself.
3. Watching my children achieve anything and everything and seeing the look of total and complete joy when they know they’ve done it. Great or small, it’s an accomplishment worth remembering.

Bradley just rolled over this week, look how proud he is of himself!

And Drew, he’s always out to master something new. This week it’s headstands!

4. Filling my day with as much as I can possibly handle, and then some. Lists guide me. They make me feel like I’ve accomplished things, they make me feel confident in my need to accomplish more. There’s usually more than I can handle on any given day, but it’s always fun to see how much of it I can complete.  These lists are from today. I got a good bit done, and I’m still working on them.

5. Friendship. There is nothing that can compare or make life sweeter than true friendship. Even more impressive, is when that friendship can flourish and become stronger despite different viewpoints and perspectives.  The love of a friend is like no other and can feed the soul in ways you didn’t know you needed.

6.  Laughter. One of my favorite things in the world is laughter. I chose this photo for a couple of reasons. One, because almost every time I try to take Charley’s picture, he makes a funny face. Two, because he’s funniest to me, when he’s not trying to be, those are the times that result in stories that I will remember and laugh about years from now.

I could really go on for entirely too long with this post, so I’ll leave it at that today. I’m off to make some cookies, mmmm, oh yes, another passion of mine! 🙂

This week’s participants share their passion here:

Rachael’s and Marcela’s!

And more…

A. Passion
Name: Heather Fiedler
I know our assignment was passion but I decided to take pictures of what I am  passionate about. So in my picture I have the bible and the cross because I am  passionate about the lord. I also did it outside because I am passionate about  nature. I always get sad when I drive past a place where they are cutting down trees to build some other department store or something else. I guess you could say I’m a tree hugger.  I had to have my kids because I am passionate about my children they are my life, my every breath. I would have had my husband in the picture but he hates them more then Sean so I have his bible in there to represent him.  Also, of course I have to have a camera because I am absolutely passionate about Photography. I think about it all the time. I hope that is
enough passion for you. : )

B. Jordan Nuques, Martinez, GA, The View: Passion. I frequently get excited about new ideas and it is this “passion” that ignites me to research/develop a new project. My current passion is a book idea I have about the dogwood tree. Much to my surprise, I discovered just today that I have a little dogwood tree growing in my backyard. It hadn’t bloomed for a few years due to an overzealous, tree-trimming husband and his saw, but there it was today, blooming just for me. I just may finish this book after all. 🙂

C. Larissa Baggett, Houston, TX: Passion- On Sunday afternoon, I stalked my children, certain that I would capture their passions on camera. Instead, I saw my puppy (BIG puppy) Daisy, and her sister, Maddie, who is my mom’s dog. We had both this weekend while my mom was out of town. Boy do they have a passion for playing with each other. But, being puppies, they have a passion for chewing as well. Here they are, so close, chewing on bones. (This was the only way I could get them still enough to get a picture!)

Thank you ladies, for sharing your passion photos! I hope you are all enjoying these assignments. They may not always be what you may choose, but hopefully they are making you stretch a bit and leave your comfort zone a bit.

NEXT WEEK’S ASSIGNMENT:

Well, we have had quite a few heavy topics recently, so to lighten things up and reconnect in another way, our next assignment is an Our View. Take your photo on Friday, April 1 at 2:32pm EST. This is not supposed to be staged. Just snap away wherever you are showing whatever you are doing at that moment. You have a full minute to capture it! 🙂 As always, please email your photo to me by Sunday if you’d like it included in my post. Happy shooting!

~Melissa