Unlocking Passion

Today is Martin Luther King Day, a day dedicated to a man that had a passion which has shaped the lives of those that followed him. In the past two days, I have seen people with tremendous drive and passion in their lives, though not at the magnitude of MLK.
People of all sizes, shapes and ages ran in the P.F. Chang Rock 'N Roll Marathon. Some were limping and struggling at the 18-19 mile points, but they were out there doing it, for themselves, for someone else, for a purpose and sense of accomplishment. It brought tears to my eyes as we cheered them on.
Today, at the Barrett-Jackson Collector Car auction, there were people that had lovingly restored classic autos and some hunks of junk into collectibles. Those people were seated near their cars, wiping them down and polishing the chrome, describing their restoration work to interested viewers. Some had photos of the process from the beginning to end. They were selling their own version of art. Yes, art is different to everyone, but they had a passion and pride in what they had done.
How does one light that fire and passion in your teenager? I tried to tell her about the runners and their ambitions; I talked about people loving every step in making the car new again. Not sure that the point of passion and drive sunk in.
I guess I will keep on trying.

Holiday Break

We did not take a vacation during this December holiday for many reasons. So, we hung around home, did a few local excursions, did not tackle the big projects we had anticipated, and now the two week break is over. We gave lots of gifts to the poor, did our annual year-end charity donations and had stuff picked up by charitable organizations. There are many worse off in the world who have nowhere to sleep or food to eat -- so, in all, we are blessed. Our time-out from our regular routine has ended and now we can get on with the new year after some quiet time. Not the greatest break, but certainly we appreciate all we have and, right now, we appreciate our health and being together.