Written By Brandy Centolanza
I am one who believes in the fortune tucked inside of Chinese fortune cookies. I’ve kept this one from the night my son was born: “Today is a lucky day for those who remain cheerful and optimistic.” After this fortune—“It is time to take care of some unfinished business”—-popped out of my cookie the other evening, I lay awake that night thinking of all of the activities I’ve started but never followed through with: yoga, painting, crocheting, cake decorating, running, writing a book, and, ahem, blogging. I enjoy taking new classes and trying new hobbies, but I give up too quickly because I’m either too bored, too impatient, not confident enough in my abilities, too lazy, too busy with my kids and other life obligations, too injured, or just don’t have the passion for it. I recently had an interview with a woman who has been captivated since the age of 3 by horses. She’s been riding since the age of 5, and has taken that fascination, that passion, if you will, and turned it into a side business of portrait painting of horses. She’s had that drive in her since the age of 3 and here I am late-30-something with no real clue as to where my passion lies. My daughter’s goal is to achieve a black belt, and she loves taekwondo so much that she asks when class is and longs to be there. My son’s in fifth grade this year, which has opened up a wealth of opportunities at school to help him discover his passion. Meanwhile, I want to make a commitment toward a goal I want to achieve, I want to find my real “passion” (beyond writing, and my family) but often I don’t know how or where to start. I also want to set a good example for my children when it comes to branching out and trying something new, especially as the new school year is in full swing and new adventures await both of them. As I sit here writing this blog entry in the middle of the day, I feel lost. Lost with where to go with this post, lost with where to go as a writer, lost with where to go as a person now that my kids are no longer with me during the day, just lost. I want to help my kids find their way, but first I need to find mine. Maybe I will order Chinese for dinner tonight and hopefully the fortune cookie will tell me what to do next.
