Today there is a lot of talk about finding your passion.  It sounds easy enough.  I find lots of things.  The other day I found the pen I thought I had lost. I also found a pair of shoes in the back of my closet that I bought last year and never wore.  Then there was that five pounds that I found on vacation that’s still hanging around.

Finding things is really quite easy. It’s took me a bit of time to find my passion. Not because it changed but because I wasn’t sure what the term meant and the moment I selected one thing I had to exclude everything else. I thought finding my passion meant I could only like one thing, crave one thing or yearn for one thing. Now I know better.

My passion is my writing. I think about writing when I get up in the morning. I often write during my lunch break. I go to bed thinking about how I can improve the scene I’m working on. I write nearly every day of the week.  I’ve got writing book stacked all over my house and I’ve actually read most of them. I want more hours in the day so there is enough time for me to write.

Now I’m clear that having a passion doesn’t mean I can’t like other things. I like golfing, painting, reading, traveling and too many other activities to name here. But now I’m sure what my passion is and I’m not beating myself up because it took me a while to get here.

Have you found your passion yet?

This week my publisher interviewed me for my upcoming release on November 17, 2012. As the date gets closer, I’m getting more excited.

http://passioninprint.blogspot.com/?zx=fa913e25f8948748

When my children were young I was always saying I couldn’t wait until they grew up. I imagined all the free time I was going to have to do my thing. Writing, reading and just lying on the couch eating Oreo Cookies. Not to mention all the extra money I would have since I didn’t have to take regular trips to Toys”R”Us or buy them a whole new wardrobe every school year. I relished the idea of sleeping late on Saturday mornings without having cartoons blaring in my ears. The teenage bickering over curfews, car usage and parental guidance rating on movies would all be behind me.  Hallelujah.

But it turns out I could’ve waited. Much longer. Sometimes I miss them so much it’s unbearable. I miss the fun we had together fighting the waves on the beach, or the thrill of riding crazy attractions at amusement parks or hearing them go through the Christmas catalogues picking out all the things they wanted Santa to bring them. I even miss the disagreements, the trips to the toy store and preparing for school.  I miss it all.

It’s funny how life can turn on you. If only I knew then what I know now I would have held my children tighter, listened to their stories with more enthusiasm and enjoyed those morning cartoons on the floor alongside them. I don’t think I could have loved them with any more fieriness than I do already. But I would have cherished every moment like it was golden. Because it was.

Earlier this week I posted a saying on my web site from the Reverend James Cleveland – “A Delay is not a Denial’. The minute I saw this comment it resonated with me.  As a writer, struggling towards publication, I had to learn to accept rejection.  It’s part of the process.  Overcoming the disappointment and continuing to pursue my goal took an amazing amount of courage and tenacity. There were times when I wondered if it was worth it.  Instead of hovering over my desk, writing, I could have curled up on the sofa with a bag of cookies and watched reruns on television.

This week I found the true meaning of Delay does not mean denial.  I received a call from an editor who wants to publish one of my manuscripts.  I have been grinning since getting that joyous call. After so many years and so many roadblocks, this moment is pure magic. (YEAH!)

While working towards this goal, delays tried to hinder my momentum. Real life stuff got in the way, work sometimes slowed me down and other times uncertainty  caused me to pause.  But none of that meant my dream was denied.  I still have a long way to go before I see my name on the New York Times bestsellers list.  This is only the beginning for me.  How about you? Are you waiting on something?