Penning Passion

Today's writing began while I shaped a ball of shortbread dough in my hands and let my mind wander over this year's thoughts, experiences, conversations, and faces. For the traditional participant of Christmas, my window holds the perfect scene, branches laden with light bright snow and the air heavy with crystal flakes. My traditions of hiking, baking and writing will be interspersed with the more cultural norms of Christmas gatherings this year, and while still not a completely comfortable place, I find comfort in the faces that compel me to join them.

Between the last paragraph and this, I baked the batch of shortbread cookies and read through last year's Christmas Eve post. It's a beautiful thing to see yourself grow. One of the biggest compliments my ex-husband ever paid me was that despite his never quite understanding why or what I was off to accomplish next, he always saw me grow from each and every path I chose. Last year I was unsure what I would accomplish beyond my Gardening Service, yet I knew I was on the path to find it. Last year I celebrated new friendships that encouraged my courageous path, now, at the end of this year, I have multipled those friendships and found through them just what I can do for others with my writing.

Presently I am writing for two small farms, which I find both rewarding and challenging. I was discussing why this type of writing was challenging me with one of the farmers, who also is a dear friend, and he pointed out that perhaps it was that much of my blog writing is about feeling and emotion, where the content writing would focus more on action and description. While true to a degree, I think it is more about the responsibility I feel for correctly presenting another's passion. For I am not just writing the how and what, but more importantly, why they farm and what drove them to choose farming above all else.

I began a word study on passion this morning: I've often been called a passionate person, and find myself drawn to what I consider like-passioned people. But what is passion? The word passion is derived from the Latin pati which means to undergo or endure, and the Late Latin passionem for endurance and suffering. The word passion was first used as a term to describe the time of Jesus' life from The Last Supper through the crucifixion- often capitalized as 'The Passion.' Early in it's use, it was used as both a verb and noun; today, it is primarily used as a noun with a few different meanings centering around intense emotions, driving external forces, ardent affection and sexual desire, or an object of deep desire or interest.

 Looking over all of these definitions, I find that the closest definition of passion that resonates with me is emotion that spurs action. Passion's original subject was driven by love to an action that led to great suffering and death. One entomology article pointed out how unfortunate that a word that used to encompass so many different feelings now is mostly used for shallow pleasure and most do not understand the rich application of the word passion. Often, great emotions that drive us can lead us on paths of suffering, yet the action continues not for suffering, but despite it for the ardent affection that is passion, be it for a person, a way of life, or a belief.

Life driven by passion is precious, and I revere those who live by their passion. Here is the connection that I seek to make as I write for these farmers: properly depicting their ardent affection for their work- the emotion driven actions that demonstrate a true passion for farming. Here is where the writer and subject share the same drive, to live out what is born inside- living peacefully with nature, providing for family, building a community, and stewardship for the land, despite suffering, for the reward of living each day driven by passionate purpose.