Made using the blank canvas space of the bottom of a fresh produce box, written in simple blue pen, the make-shift sign read “Free Relationship Advice”.
A young man, no more than 25 and no taller than 5’7”, was accompanied by a taller, warm and smiling fellow, and both were gentling asking people if they would like some free relationship advice while holding this hand-made sign up in front of them.
We were in line for the Free Farm Stand on 22n and Treat Street (yes that’s a real street name, although its definition is rather indicative to this days activities) in The Mission. Every Sunday the colourful souls of el barrio, of all ages, shapes, sizes and backgrounds, come together to receive the weeks cast-offs from farmers who will be returning back to their farm, preferably sans last week’s harvest’s offerings.
After intentionally overhearing these free farm stand prophets share their young wisdom preaching honesty and choosing reality versus games, I couldn’t let this opportunity to engage these two thriving gentlemen in a conversation about passion. A deliberate act to engage in this discussion about “What is passion?” So when our eyes met, and was asked if I would like some advice, I politely declined, and as articulately as I could, explained the Year of Passion, asking instead for their thoughts on living a life of passion. They politely accepted.
This became one of the handful of intentional conversation of this exact question from the past 10 days, all of which provided some intriguing food for thought in this feast of a journey to discover passion.
Last week on a bike ride home from a cheap and cheerful dinner at The Citrus Club in the Upper Haight,
which just happens to be home of my favourite gluten-free orgasmic orange veggie concoction, I confessed out loud the thoughts to travel with no more than a backpack and blind faith, that had been burning brighter and brighter this past week.
It’s the instinctual reaction that arises from within usually at even a whif of regularity. Or is it routine? Complacency? Stability? I've been in the city for just over 2 months now, and already the travel pangs. What gives?
By definition, life is good. Work is going well and am enjoying what I'm doing; as is my living situation, roommates and even some Bon Bon romantic tenderness sprinkled in. I adore riding my road bike everyday is this enchanting, hilly city, am blessed to eat delicious, healthful, organic foods regularly, and am meeting some of the most interesting people that even the most talented writers could not piece together. Relationships are being started and nurtured; from acquaintances to friendship to romances and all the indefinable kinds in between. Life is good. Yet the questions still remains:
Where’s the passion?
In the midst of getting set-up here and seeking for exciting, unique, boundary-pushing experiences and people (a notorious Vanessa-ism) partly fuelled by the desire to deliver juicy blog-worthy content, I perhaps have lost sight of the original intent of the YOP. The pursuit, the discovery, the journey to passion.
Webster says that passion is
1 a (1) : emotion (2) the emotions as distinguished from reason b : intense, driving, or overmastering feeling or conviction c : an outbreak of anger
2 a : ardent affection : love b : a strong liking or desire for or devotion to some activity, object, or concept c : sexual desire d : an object of desire or deep interest
Emotion without reason.
Intense.
Overmastering feeling.
Ardent affection.
Sexual desire.
Webster, I never thought you had it in you, but I like it. I like that a lot. But how does one ignite that within themselves to live it and not just feel it with isolated events. Or is it something that when you find it and have it, it isn’t about igniting it, it is just about living life – with passion already woven in?
In search of living, breathing thoughts on living with passion, one turns to who else but the people in the free farm stand handing out relationship advice. Dana and his partner were intrigued and excited by the challenge to try to define what living with passion is. Dana said that for him, it would be to try to find some aspect of passion in all things that happen in your life – there’s passion underlying in everything, we just need to unearth it. So, it was interesting to hear his response to “So are you living a life of passion?” He replies “No. Not all the time. It’s tough.” Interesting. His partner answered the question with a comfortable, calm smile with a calm “Yes”, he was living a life of passion.
Recently, others have shared with me their thoughts on living with passion too. One has said to approach the acts in your life with a fervent, passion; everyday. From the small actions and the life changing ones – would this mean that if we put our full mind and intent into each act we do, passion, or an “overmastering feeling” or an “emotion without reason” will be created?
Learning from others who are already living with passion seems like an obvious stepping stone in the YOP, yet I can’t help but wonder, for those who are living with passion, was it a conscious quest for them, or was it a natural, honest connection to their passion that they’ve been listening to and guiding their decisions all along? Furthermore, without the explicit conversation, how does one know they are in the presence of someone who is living with passion? Although am unsure exactly on how to articulate the je ne sais quoi that is emitted when in the presence of passion, but like your gut has instincts, it exists and is something to be said about surrounding yourself with passion to help open ones senses to find and recognize their own.
I'm listening to some of my favourite introspective blog writing music as am enjoying getting lost in the musings of passion...
Interestingly enough, the title of the song contain the Sanskrit words Sat Nam, which Wikipedia says "not to be mistaken for Satya" the Sanskrit word that loosely translates to truth.
Truth, eh? In relating this to the YOP, I can't help but wonder: Can passion exist without truth? I’m not so sure it can. Would that then imply that one must be true and in tune with themselves to live with passion? So perhaps included in the definition of passion is also truth and the courage to be truthful in one's pursuit of passion.
Woah! Musings overload! This is a journey and thank you for being here share to share it with me.
xo
V
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