PassionQuest

Last weekend I was camping with my siblings and some friends. We went on a long quading/dirt biking trek up a mountain and took a break when we got to the top. Somehow during this break my brother Tyler and I got into a discussion about passions...if we had anything in life that we were truly passionate about. I quickly realized that I couldn't think of something that I had a continuous drive to constantly be doing. I have many interests, but I don't find that most of them pervade my life or that I have a never-ending thirst to be taking part in them. I really want to find something that I constantly yearn to do, that I strive to improve in, and that I can attain a high level of expertise about. I started mentally going through all the things I enjoy, and these are what I came up with:

Volleyball, football, racquetball, hockey, soccer, swimming, quading, boating, snowboarding, snowmobiling, bike riding, frog hunting (just finding and releasing!), music, learning new instruments, traveling, missions, cooking, shopping, blogging, creating videos, children, teaching, being the subject of pictures, and school-learning from thought-provoking classes.

Of all of these, I definitely have the greatest thirst for traveling, yet it's not the type of area where one can become an expert in. It's more experience-based, simply sightseeing and traversing to new places. Yet it's something that I always want to do, and could basically be up for after a moment's notice. I also greatly enjoy missions, although I don't know if it's something that I yearn to make my permanent lifestyle. I want to find an area that I can become proficient in and that truly means something to me. Something that I find a deep meaning in. Something that burns within me. Something that others notice as a true passion of mine.

I'm wondering if teaching preschool in Egypt this year will bring about this type of passion. I know I enjoy working with children and I know that I liked teaching violin lessons when I was in high school. When I return from Egypt after spending a year teaching in a school setting, I hope to find a community music school in BC where I can teach violin lessons. I sent my resume to some music schools this week to see if they thought they would have any openings for a violin teacher beginning next school year. I've received 2 replies so far...each one saying that there's a possibility that I could get a job after I return. I'm really happy about this, yet I don't know if simply teaching private lessons is what I want to do for the rest of my life. I wonder if maybe one day I might combine my musical skills, my teaching skills, and my love for children into one complete package.

The other day I found a website for a center that combines music and music lessons with child care and preschool. I was quite fascinated by this concept, since I didn't know centers like this existed. It seems as if it's a daycare and preschool that uses music as a focal point and where lessons are also offered. I think that if I feel passionate about early childhood teaching after this year, then maybe I might be interested in getting a masters in some type of education area, such as early childhood education or special ed...which are both areas that intrigue me. Then maybe I could mix my work into different fields, or work in one area on certain days and another area on other days. I think it would have more of an interest factor to me if I taught at a community music school for a couple days a week, then worked in a school setting on the days that I wouldn't be at the music school. These are only thoughts, but if I find that my passions lean more toward this area after this year, then maybe these thoughts could eventually become reality.

In the meantime, I want to take part in all the activities that I can and really put myself out there to try new things, because I never know if something will catch my interest or if a new experience will become my lifelong passion. I plan to travel as much as I can throughout my life and keep up all my interests, and hopefully somewhere along the way I can find at least one single true passion that will enrich my life more than I could ever imagine. This year marks the beginning of my PassionQuest...I'm going to follow my heart and see where it takes me.