Passion

Somehow my passion seems to have gotten away from me this week, leaching out and draining into the ground. Probably that lack of sleep thing. I truly hate facing the day without it though.

But been thinking (eish - I do way too much of that!) about passion. And I've realized how often it gets suppressed.

Perhaps society or environment dictates a sameness, a meekness, a mildness - you're forced to swallow the things that set you on fire, to keep the voice low and the temper on an even keel. Not laugh too loud or too long... Yeah, I've had that to deal with. After a while you start to wonder if you've ever known passion, or can ever rekindle it.

Same thing with physical passion. Society often dictates restraint there too, keeping things under control, not letting yourself get out of hand, keeping expressions of your passion to acceptable, not-too-provocative levels. Yeah, been there too.

Then there's passions for hobbies, or foods, or activities. Those are generally seen as OK, provided you don't go overboard. If you do, you're labelled "nutcase" and relegated to a musty corner along with the cat lady down the street.

And yet passion is hard to kill. I can't talk for the general public - but there's always been at least a small flame burning somewhere inside me. Because the world sees me in a certain way and expects me to conform, it isn't let out that often. When it does appear, I've found varying reactions - from fear, judgement, surprise to amazement that I have it in me.

I've been wondering what would happen if I let my passions out to play more often. I think I'd drive some folk away - and maybe attract others. There's no telling how people perceive things and react, so I don't really know.

I think I'm going to anyway though. Life's too short not to live passionately, with all you have, head-first-dived-in and embraced.