Last Friday evening, I drove across town to my 20-year high school reunion. I remember one of my parents going to a 20 year high school reunion, and I also clearly remember thinking they were old at the time. On the drive, I reminisced about the funny moments of my high school experience (there were many), the magical ones (quite a few as well), and some of the more embarrassing (I had my share).
I tripped over something meaningful and worth sharing as I socialized that evening.
I stood in the middle of the room talking with one of my close friends for a while. As we laughed and told stories with our classmates, Mike reminded me that writing was one of the things that he and I enjoyed doing when we hung out…we wrote stories, poetry, etc.
Jon Acuff, author of Quitter, says that finding your dream occupation sometimes means looking back to your childhood and remembering what that you dreamed about and loved — the things that made you come alive.
As it turns out, I realized last Friday that I have been passionate about writing for a very long time.
As I talked with former classmates throughout the evening, there were many “So what do you do’s?” exchanged. We were a particularly close, small graduating class. Isn’t it interesting that even in that type of setting, we generally define ourselves and each other by what we do from 8-5? Mike is a salesman, Justin is a physical therapist, Eric is a police officer, and Chad is a pastor.
Sometimes, we trip upon the things that we love, discover our true passions (or God’s calling on our lives), and they are jobs, tasks and endeavors that don’t exactly pay our bills…
Yet, these ventures are fulfilling and make us feel alive.
A very successful writer once told me that if I didn’t do certain things well, I might as well just “write poetry in my basement.” The beautiful thing about his advice (and what he clearly didn’t know) is that I have plenty of poetry stored in crates in my basement. From the time I was in high school, it has been something that has brought me relaxation and joy.
I learned two important things at my reunion: 20 years later, I still enjoy the people I went to high school with… and 20 years later, I still enjoy writing.
Maybe finding your passion isn’t such a stretch? Maybe it is something that has been with you all along? Careful…hopefully you’ll trip right over it.