You Never Know When You Are Passing on Your Passion to Others

Put it all out there-Spiritual Saturday Prompt: Passions

“And one day she discovered that she was fierce, and strong, and full of fire, and that not even she could hold herself back because her passion burned brighter than her fears.” Mark Anthony

Transplant

I have written about how I ended up near a big city after growing up in a super small town. I planned on returning home after fulfilling my year long nanny contract. After a few months, I started college. I stayed in the area and became a teacher in the city. I have spent over twenty years in urban education. I am a transplant. It has been quite a different life than I could have imagined. Looking back now, the journey is all part of the passion that grew inside of me.

Two Different Worlds

Growing up, my school was closed every year on the first day of deer hunting season. In sixth grade, hunter safety was part of the curriculum so that we were all prepared. I never hunted but I did spend time in the woods at the family hunting cabin — observing nature and taking pictures.

On several occasions at the schools where I taught in the inner city, we had to hold students past dismissal time because of the shooting of a person in close vicinity to the school. That was a totally different world than I was used to.

Passion Exposure

Looking back, I can see clearly what kept me there. It was passion. I had a passion, a mission, to share my passion for life and give my students hope. I wanted them to know there were different ways to look at the world and there was so much out there beyond what they could see at the moment. They had so much potential and so many opportunities that they were unaware of a the time.

Mission Exposure

I have written about how my gardening “career” started — it wasn’t a passion — it was a request from my students to start a project. I can see now that it did fit in with my mission to pass on my passion for life. I went all in. I relied on many partners to extend far beyond my very limited skills and talent. We made it the best garden we could.

Beyond that project, I can see my mission being realized in other areas of my work and projects over the year. Now I see it in writing. I find the world amazing and I want to help others to find the same curiosity and awe.

Fertilizing Passion

Several hundred kids helped with that garden project. Some of them reach out from time to time to reminisce. It was a phone call this week that really brought clarity to my own understanding of my passion and my mission.

This former student called because our garden project, over ten years ago, ignited a passion in him that he is just now realizing. He described his passion for helping others — specifically helping kids to develop work ethic, patience, persistence, and curiosity — through gardening. As he reflected he said he didn’t recognize it at the time, but his experience in our project instilled some important life lessons in him that he still values today.

He is concerned about his community as a whole. He sees that some of these values are lacking. He wants to help kids learn those lessons through a similar experience. He is starting his own garden program, and of course…I will help in any way that I can! In his vision he sees the skills he will be teaching being passed down through generations to improve lives and to improve communities. This call warmed my heart in so many ways. I am so proud of him!

Fertilizing Mission

I had recently been wondering about the impact my efforts have made. It isn’t about me, but it is always a wonder. I think about my students and their strengths and circumstances. I hope they pushed through. I have seen through the news and heard from phone calls from jail…that some of them have not. Getting a success story call is the best way to know, but that won’t always happen. It is essential to keep going — put it all out there at all times anyway. You never know when you are passing on your passion. Observing the passion of others is invaluable in recognizing and strengthening our own.

Perennial Passion

Writing has brought clarity to my passion and my mission. My writing is almost all around nature and finding awe in every adventure —and passing on that passion to others. Teaching has been a big part of it. Writing will also be a big part of it. I am seeing that even when the seasons of our lives change, the things that are most important to us still shine through and continue to grow year after year.

Thanks for reading! Some of the thoughts in this story have been elaborated on in these other stories…

Thank you for reading! Thank you Darshak Rana for the prompt on Aspirations/Dreams/Passions for Spiritual Saturday!