Passion

Passionate about bowling - banquet handing out awards 1973

One of my favorite blog commenters left a comment on my blog about passion.  That got me to thinking, I've always been a passionate person.

With my cousin Louise (notice my camera bag to the left on the ground that I didn't get quite out of range)

I never do things half way.  I go full bore.  Sometimes that gets me in trouble (just like getting up in the morning and being myself gets me in trouble somedays).  

Passionate about animals - cat sitting at Arnell Street, Rehoboth Beach 2004

To me if you're not passionate about something what's the point of being alive?  

People are passionate about many things.  Their family, their career, hobbies, and of course love. 
I'm one of those guys when I fall in love I FALL IN LOVE.  Definitely not half way or half hearted (no pun intended).  Of course when you put yourself in the position of going all the way, you open yourself up to the Big Hurt.





 Every time I've falling head over heels in love, I've been rejected big time and went through the Big Hurt. I remember listening to this haunting song by Toni Fischer the first time of many times I was tossed aside.  

The one man who didn't reject me - 2012 - North Carolina

These days I'm passionate about my home, my Bill, my good friends, my blog, my photos, my genealogy research and my garden and taking care of myself both physically and mentally so I can extend my stay on this good earth in good health. 

Planting pansies today in the cold wind

I used to be passionate about my pets, and my family but we no longer have any pets and what is left of my family is becoming more distant with each day.  When my Mother died is probably when I lost passion for my family.  After this year's dismal showing for my family reunion, I've given up on arranging any future family reunions. I've even given up on updating current information on my family, so many seem reluctant to give me information.  Either they don't have the time or they're fearful of losing their privacy. Whatever the reason, after this last family reunion on October 6th, and so few showed up, I lost the passion.  It went just like that.  Sad.

Passionate about work and friends - moving day at FFB - 2006 (I still have that shirt!  Just wore it last week)

This week I'm about to embark on a long delayed adventure of visiting my former hometown of Philadelphia where I live, worked and played for so many years.  In the years to come I hope to revisit my former home in Pittsburgh and also my former favorite vacation spot in Provincetown.  Hey, I just noticed that all the geographical items on my Bucket List begin with "P."  That must mean something.

Something you don't usually see, the back of my head.  Me and my longtime friend Bill B. (yes, another "Bill") at our 53rd class reunion)  - I'm passionate about our class reunions too!

Notice something that isn't on my Passion List?  My job.  I like my job at the hotel and do my best but my real passion was for my banking job that I held for most of my adult life.  I was a back office operations guy and I really liked what I did.  It's a shame that I couldn't continue in that job until my retirement which would have been this year.  Yes, I had planned to work until I was 72 and collect the maximum Social Security benefits.  

Deep in my banking job sometime in the 80's - all for naught it turns out

But hey, that's life. I still have my passion for life though.  And that's what counts in the end isn't it?

Even passionate about my hotel front desk job
Here I am with Phil Cordell, head of Hampton Inn - he presented me with a Best Guest Service Award at the Epcot Center in DisneyWorld in 2001

The Search

Since I was so stupid last night not to engage in conversation the angel who was standing right next to me, I'm now extending a search for this heavenly body who appeared out of nowhere last night on my evening cruise down the Rehoboth-Lewes Canal in Lewes.

I've posted an enhanced picture I took of him. A friend of mine told me that the wording on his T-shirt is Armenian so he could be an Armenian. I know he is of Eastern European stock because of his features and the features of the group of men he was with on the cruise last night. I also know he probably wasn't Russian because, although I couldn't understand what they were talking about, their accent didn't sound Russian which to me has a lot of the "sh" sound.

I'm hoping he is a waiter in the Rehoboth Beach/Lewes area. Believe me, once I find out where he works you can bet I'll know what to say the next time I encounter him, should I be so fortunate. I think I'm going down the There's No Fool Like and Old Fool Route, but it's worth a try. We only go round once in this life. This guy is stirring feelings in me that I thought were long gone. Maybe I ain't dead yet.