1. Harvey

2. The Awful Truth

3. The Three Amigos

I just did a worthwhile exercise. I’m discerning my passion.

Passion doesn’t mean favorite hobby or what makes your cheeks burn. It’s what you’ve been created to do. It’s what fires you up and makes you take action.

Via Amy at Humble Musings, who via’d a guest post by Mary DeMuth at Michael Hyatt’s blog, I stumbled upon a deceptively simple way to help people find their unique passion.

First, think about what you feel is the world’s greatest need.

I thought and thought and thought about this. I think the world could use a giant chill pill. People need to be more empathetic and see daily life through the eyes of others. Nobody has an easy walk. I also think the lack of empathy is made worse when people take themselves too seriously. Why bother walking a mile in another’s shoes if your shoes are pinching? Get a bigger size. Invest a little more. Pretty soon, we could all be wearing clown shoes. How comfy.

Mary DeMuth says this is where “need and joy collide.”

Next, think of your 3 favorite movies.

I listed them above. You are supposed to find the common thread that runs through your 3 favorites.

This was fairly easy. In each film, one of the main ideas is the peril of being misunderstood or judged wrongly. This ties in surprisingly well with the first exercise. Also, my 3 favorites are comedies. I love to laugh at everything from the subtle sweet humor of Harvey to the witty banter in The Awful Truth to El Guapo’s birthday sweater in The Three Amigos.

And: Plethora.

Anyway, this was the fun part of the exercise. I suppose in an earlier age, I would have thought of my 3 favorite books or stories. Quickly surveying mine, I see these same ideas of being misunderstood or misjudged.

Finally, ask for the insight of other people.

Mary DeMuth asked her friends at Facebook what her “one thing” is. I tried to imagine what people might say about my one thing. I feel a bit shy about actually asking friends at Facebook.

But then it’s not like asking people to hoe my sweet corn field. If I had an imaginary sweet corn field.

Then I began to fret a bit that my “one thing” isn’t obvious to others. Am I too consumed by trivial junk to let that light shine?

How can I help people feel understood? Learn empathy? Laugh at themselves a bit?

Where better than right here, at home, with my children. That doesn’t mean I can’t or shouldn’t make an impact in the bigger, broader world. It simply means that first things come first.

What is your passion?

We woke up to a grey, cold day. It was unexpected because this year’s Easter was the latest in years. You’d think being closer to May than March would have made for a sunny, warm, bright, brilliant day.

When we returned home, one of the kids noticed the big, Target-shoppin’, bunny had been in our backyard. Bad bunny forgot to remove a price tag when he packed 8 baskets on Easter Eve.

It was Teddy’s first Easter. He got a new pacifier, Bambi, and Voyage of the Dawn Treader on DVD. He hasn’t allowed his siblings to borrow the DVDs yet. Maybe he can be convinced this weekend.

The day was especially bittersweet because Aidan and Ryley left for big school trips on Monday. I was pre-missing them and appreciating their energy and whimsy so much. Aidan is currently in New York City. My mom is a chaperone. Ryley is in southern California.

Because it was a holiday, I had to get a group photo. As usual, it was an exercise in patience, timing, and surrender.

Finally, I’ll share one of my favorite photos from Easter. Beatrix got Amazing Bubbles, hot pink. Sometimes, I wonder about the more commercial aspects of Easter. Why do we bother? Should we? I compromise by making sure church comes first. The Easter bunny has always arrived while we are at church or soon after. It makes logistics tricky, but I love blessing my kids with trinkets on holidays. It’s a nod to my own childhood Easters, which I wrote about in detail several years ago.