Baker 1 Kristen Baker Ms. Ingram English 1102-095 8 April 2014 Exploring My Passions Passion is a very strong emotion.

To be passionate about something means that you have a strong feeling of enthusiasm or excitement for something or about doing something (MerriamWebster). Passion is a very important emotion that is necessary to experience at some point in life. Without passion one will feel discontented. Nicholas Sparks best stated this concept by saying, The saddest people I've ever met in life are the ones who don't care deeply about anything at all. Passion and satisfaction go hand in hand, and without them, any happiness is only temporary, because there's nothing to make it last. I have many passions, but for this assignment I am going to discuss my passions for animals, helping others and life. I have a very strong passion for animals; I love cats and dogs. If one was to look at my room they would know that I love cats. In my dorm room, I have multiple cat calendars, a stuffed animal cat, and pictures of cats. At my house I have many cat objects and two cats, Rocky and Oliver. They are so cute and I love spending time with them. Not only do I love cats, I love dogs too. Anytime I am out driving or shopping and see a dog I get really excited. My friends find my love for animals to be funny, they even laugh at me sometimes. I feel that my reason for this passion is I have always had animals. Growing up, I had two dogs and multiple cats. Some of my greatest childhood memories involve sitting in the yard and petting my cats and dogs and talking to them like I would a best friend. Animals are so loving, especially when they curl up in your

Baker 2 lap and cuddle with you. Animals are always able to bring a smile to my face; I cannot imagine life without these adorable creatures. A second passion of mine is helping others. Volunteering is a great way to help others and is something I enjoy to do. In high school, I participated in several service clubs and with those I was able to volunteer at a variety of places. Some of those places include nursing homes, food closets, a homeless shelter, and elementary schools. One volunteering experience I remember most was in 2009. As a freshman in high school, I volunteered with Alamance County Meals on Wheels. This organization carries hot meals to the elderly, or to people who are unable to cook, five days a week. Four times a year, on a Saturday, they have emergency box meal deliveries. These are boxes with non-perishable foods to be used if Meals on Wheels for some reason is unable to deliver a meal. Since they deliver these on Saturdays my mom signed up our family to deliver boxes to a neighborhood. I asked my mom, "Why do you want us to do this?" She said, "I feel this is a good way to help out in the community." That Saturday my mom, dad, sister, and I went and picked up fourteen boxes to deliver. We were assigned to deliver in a derelict community. On the way to deliver the boxes, my parents explained, "You are supposed to be very friendly to everyone and ask if there is anything you can do to help them." We delivered many boxes and some of the homes we went into were very rough. The homes were so old; they had wood planked floors and only had a fireplace for heating. Back in the car I told my family, "The way these people live is shocking to me." Then we discussed how those people had so little, but yet were so happy. Everyone I met that day was so friendly and thankful to be receiving food. My experience that day changed me, I came to realize that I was so fortunate and that helping in my community in a small way can make a huge impact. Helping somebody and seeing the smile on their face as they thank you is so rewarding. That response and knowing the

Baker 3 difference you have made in their life makes the time you spent worthwhile. I told my mom, "I love doing this; I hope I get the chance to do it again." This experience my mom set up for me was amazing, I enjoyed it so much that I participated the next year. It has led me to partake in many additional volunteer activities. I enjoy volunteering no matter what organization it is with, but working with children is definitely my forte. My passion of helping others has a connection to the career I hope to have in the future. I am majoring in elementary education and really want to become a teacher. A teacher's greatest task is to help students learn. I am hoping that by choosing a career that directly relates to one of my passions will lead me to loving my job. I believe that if one loves their job they will live a much fuller life, which brings me to my next passion. I have a passion for life. This passion entails so much it is hard to explain. I have heard people say before that they hate their life, this saying really bothers me. I love life and cannot imagine hating it. I consider life to be more than just my existence, but everything around me. So by saying I have a passion for life, I mean that I love my life; my family, my friends, my boyfriend, my animals, and all my choices that I have led me to where I am today. I do not want people to think that my life is perfect because it is far from it, but life is not promised to be easy. Everything happens for a reason and I feel that we are supposed to make the best of all situations; this is what I try to do. I feel that this passion is evident to all those that get to know me. I love to talk to others about all of the following mentioned above, especially my animals. Once one becomes passionate about something as complex as life, their other passions will be easier to discover. For some this passion, a passion for life, may be hard to understand, but to me it makes perfect sense.

Baker 4 Passionate about animals, passionate about helping others and passionate about life are all descriptions of me. I am so glad I have discovered my passions at such an early age. In order to live a more satisfying life I plan to live out my passions. An excerpt from a poem by Kirk Nugent best tells us to live out, or pursue, our passions. "This is your life, Your purpose on this Earth is not to please me. Nor is it to fulfill your parents unrealized dreams. You were not placed here to make concessions so that they could be proud, So they could brag about their seed, Fulfill some unfulfilled childhood emotional need Let them be proud of their very own deeds This is your life! I came to shine light into the dark And like a dog against a hydrant, I am leaving my mark! We were not sent here to invest in someone elses idea of what we should be The complacent life does not stimulate me. So forgive me if I feel no compassion For those poor souls who live to follow the fashion. Because if you want to live a life thats neither limited nor ration, Then by God you must pursue your passion..."

To live out my passion for animals, I will own pets. To live out my passion for helping others, I will be a teacher and help students learn. To live out my passion for life, I will live life to the fullest and enjoy every moment. I hope that as I grow older I will develop more passions and find ways to live them out too.

Baker 5 Works Cited Nugent, Kirk. "Pursue Your Passion by Kirk Nugent." The Queen of Sales RSS. Shirleen Von Hoffmann, 5 Mar. 2010. Web. 8 Apr. 2014. <http://www.thequeenofsales.com/pursueyour-passion-by-kirk-nugent/>. "Passion." Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 27 Jan. 2014. <http://www.merriamwebster.com/dictionary/passion>. Sparks, Nicholas. Dear John. New York: Warner, 2006. Print.