Yesterday, I answered the call to transform Valentine’s Day into Generosity Day. I decided to hand out quotable cards and magnets to random strangers on my commute to work. I wrote inside the cards and on the envelopes “Happy Valentine’s Day – Share the Love!” and then used the envelopes for the magnets. Armed with my small bit of generosity booty, I left for work. Operation Generosity had begun.
It was a lot more difficult than I expected.
Love is wanting to hug blogger Sasha Dichter for starting a movement. Because I used to be anti-Valentine’s Day. I used to think of it as a contrived, inauthentic excuse to make those of us in a relationship force something we may or may not feel in the moment, and to make those of us not in a relationship extremely uncomfortable and bitter.
Sasha Dichter encourages us to move beyond whatever we conceived of Valentine’s Day to be. Make it a true expression of the love that’s inside us. Make it Generosity Day.
For love is so more than just roses and chocolates. Love is what’s inside of us and just has to get out. When you follow your passion, you’re following love. When you give, you’re expressing love. When your generous with your time, your attention, when you listen, that is love. We are love.
There are people who are so sick of the word “passion” that they shudder visibly when they hear or read about it. It’s trite. It’s overused. It’s hype. In my earlier post, The Passionistas vs the Passion Skeptics, I revealed a little of what the Passion Skeptics are writing about. They don’t want you to face “the grand betrayal of the false idols of passion.” Stop being so self-absorbed. It’s not about you. Focus on the world’s needs. You have to suppress yourself to get ahead. Get in line with reality.
Passionistas send a not so subtle message.
CC: RESPOND TO FALSE IDOLS by andeecollard, on Flickr
I believe people are unhappy with the word because it’s too simple to explain the complexity behind it. Passion is overused. Passion will break your heart. Passion will lead you down a broken path. We can’t stand to watch people getting played by over-simplistic romanticism and tear-off calendar truths. We get frustrated and blame the language. Continue reading
Passion by neil conway, on Flickr
A year ago, I began exploring the topic of passion. A good friend of mine was frustrated. He was looking for something….more…something not quite nameable. As we explored the topic, we decided he was looking for his passion – that elusive thing that makes you excited to get up in the morning. Work, and by consequence life (since we spend so many waking hours at work) had become dull, unchallenging, gray.
One day, after chewing over the many conversations we had on this topic, I asked him, “How many of your friends are looking for their passion?”
“Almost everyone,” he replied, without hesitation. “Why?”
renewable enthusiasm 