Passion

One of my favorite things about spending time with someone is the exact moment their eyes light up when they start talking about something they truly love.

That sparkle is everything to me.

I think people often underestimate how beautiful it is to be truly listened to while talking about something meaningful to them. So many people move through life feeling like they have to make themselves smaller, quieter or less enthusiastic. They apologize for “rambling.” They stop sharing after the first sentence because they assume no one really wants to hear it.

But that is the beauty of our relationship.

I want to hear everything. 

Yes, I want to see pictures of your motorcycle. Yes, I absolutely want the full slideshow from your most recent travels. Show me the collection you’ve spent years building piece by piece. Tell me why you chose that watch, that pen, that camera lens. Read me the poem you wrote. Let me listen to your music. Tell me the story behind it. 

And yes I absolutely want to see your pets! 

I want to see the cats curled up in strange positions, the dogs you treat like children, the horses, the reptiles, the alpacas, the fish tanks you spent months perfecting. Whatever it is that brings softness to your voice and excitement to your expression, I want to hear about it.

Is your passion cooking? Tell me your favorite dish to cook. Or even better, cook it for me. Gift me your favorite book so I can read it and know you better. Take me to your favorite place and tell me why it’s your favorite. Hold my hand through the art museum and show me the ones that move you and bring a tear to your eye. I want to experience it with you. I want to experience YOU. 

There’s something deeply intimate about being invited into someone’s passions. The things we love say so much about us. They tell stories about where we’ve been, what comforts us, what excites us, what keeps us curious about life.

I love hearing how people discovered the things they love.

Was it something passed down from family?

Something they stumbled into unexpectedly?

Something that carried them through a difficult season of life?

Those details matter to me.

Tell me the details and then tell me again. Let me see the photos. Let me hear the stories you’ve told a hundred times before. Let me experience the joy of watching someone fully light up over the things that make them feel alive.

Because connection isn’t built only through grand moments.

Sometimes it’s built through sitting beside someone while they excitedly explain the difference between two motorcycles. Or proudly show off photos from a trip they’ll never forget. Or talk about their pet like they’re describing their greatest love story.

Those moments matter to me more than people realize.

I don’t just want to know what someone does for work or where they live. I want to know what brings them joy in their life. I want to know what they could talk about for hours if nobody interrupted them. I want to know the things that make them feel most like themselves.

There’s something incredibly beautiful about witnessing another person’s joy.

And I will never stop loving that.

"The most powerful weapon on earth is the human soul on fire.” Ferdinand Foch