This I believe....
On the Section House hut trip, my friend Wendy and I started a discussion about NPR's THIS I BELIEVE. If you have not listened to this radio program, I suggest you should.
People profess what they believe in. Sometimes heartfelt. Sometimes silly. Sometimes both!
One of my favorites was about BBQ.
Sometimes the people are famous; most of the time, the professions of belief are from ordinary people.
On more than one occasion, being in nature has made me inspired to write. Wendy's discussion prompted me to think "What is it that I actually believe in?" And after a day off hiking by myself, I thought of what it is that I believe in.
So, here's my stab at this profession of belief:
What I believe in is passion. A passion for life. A passion for my interests. A passion for all that I do.
I am passionate about food. I grew up in a family where meals were an event. Where a meal was just not sustenance, but an act of expression and something to be savored. Where a meal was a wonderful way to spend a leisurely Sunday afternoon. I believe that cooking is joy...and that sharing that joy with wine, good friends and laughter is one way to make memories that will last for a long time.
I am passionate about the outdoors. My love for the outdoors is just that: A love. Something that is so intrinsic to me that I can't think of life without wilderness. My passion for the outdoors started with a backpacking trip in New Hampshire.I was
out of shape, took the wrong equipment and became lost. But I loved the beauty of the mountains, the ruggedness of
the trail and the contenment I felt in nature. Since then, I've roamed and rambled all over this country. I believe I just don't love the wilderness...I believe I NEED the wilderness in my life.
The outdoors is not my training gym. I could not tell you my resting heart rate. I barely know the difference between a Cliff Bar and a Goo shot.
What I do know is that a full moon on a winter's night is magical. That cold and crisp air, the stars shining above and a trail illuminated by a silvery light is something in life everyone should experience. I know that after skiing for a few miles and standing by the shore of an alpine lake, with a thermos of hot cider (and maybe a splash of spiced rum), makes everything in life that much more wonderful. I believe it is a type of joy that needs to be experienced as much as possible.
I believe that that sometimes a book, a play, a movie or a song moves me in such a way that I want to discuss it. Share what moved me. Express the love and emotion I feel for what I just experienced.
I believe that differences of opinion are OK. THat we all have opinions and causes we feel strong about and want to discuss. I believe that you can disagree without being disagreeable. That (playful) sarcasm and humor aren't bad things in arguments. That these discussions sometimes makes us laugh, sometimes makes us learn something and sometimes may even make us change our minds.
I believe that all great loves have a great friendship at its core. And that all great friendships are also great loves. Without passion in our lives, we can not have great friends or have great loves.
I believe that we all need passion in our life. I believe that passion is what makes life so wonderful, so complex and so full of promise. Without passion, life is just existence. I believe a life lived with passion is truly a life lived.
This I believe.
People profess what they believe in. Sometimes heartfelt. Sometimes silly. Sometimes both!
One of my favorites was about BBQ.
Sometimes the people are famous; most of the time, the professions of belief are from ordinary people.
On more than one occasion, being in nature has made me inspired to write. Wendy's discussion prompted me to think "What is it that I actually believe in?" And after a day off hiking by myself, I thought of what it is that I believe in.
So, here's my stab at this profession of belief:
What I believe in is passion. A passion for life. A passion for my interests. A passion for all that I do.
I am passionate about food. I grew up in a family where meals were an event. Where a meal was just not sustenance, but an act of expression and something to be savored. Where a meal was a wonderful way to spend a leisurely Sunday afternoon. I believe that cooking is joy...and that sharing that joy with wine, good friends and laughter is one way to make memories that will last for a long time.
I am passionate about the outdoors. My love for the outdoors is just that: A love. Something that is so intrinsic to me that I can't think of life without wilderness. My passion for the outdoors started with a backpacking trip in New Hampshire.I was
out of shape, took the wrong equipment and became lost. But I loved the beauty of the mountains, the ruggedness of
the trail and the contenment I felt in nature. Since then, I've roamed and rambled all over this country. I believe I just don't love the wilderness...I believe I NEED the wilderness in my life.
The outdoors is not my training gym. I could not tell you my resting heart rate. I barely know the difference between a Cliff Bar and a Goo shot.
What I do know is that a full moon on a winter's night is magical. That cold and crisp air, the stars shining above and a trail illuminated by a silvery light is something in life everyone should experience. I know that after skiing for a few miles and standing by the shore of an alpine lake, with a thermos of hot cider (and maybe a splash of spiced rum), makes everything in life that much more wonderful. I believe it is a type of joy that needs to be experienced as much as possible.
I believe that that sometimes a book, a play, a movie or a song moves me in such a way that I want to discuss it. Share what moved me. Express the love and emotion I feel for what I just experienced.
I believe that differences of opinion are OK. THat we all have opinions and causes we feel strong about and want to discuss. I believe that you can disagree without being disagreeable. That (playful) sarcasm and humor aren't bad things in arguments. That these discussions sometimes makes us laugh, sometimes makes us learn something and sometimes may even make us change our minds.
I believe that all great loves have a great friendship at its core. And that all great friendships are also great loves. Without passion in our lives, we can not have great friends or have great loves.
I believe that we all need passion in our life. I believe that passion is what makes life so wonderful, so complex and so full of promise. Without passion, life is just existence. I believe a life lived with passion is truly a life lived.
This I believe.
posted by Paul Mags at 12:10 PM
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