June - July 2001 Edition

Follow Your Passion   By Sunny Schlenger    I’ve been closely following the Fair Lawn News Discussion Space for the past few months, and I find it to be fascinating. By reading it, I’ve learned a lot about what’s important to residents and elected officials.   Mostly, I’ve learned what people are really “passionate” about here. In one posting, a reader shared that she was considering moving to Fair Lawn, and another reader reassured her about the heated exchanges taking place on the boards: “You have just stepped into a very lively debate by people who care very much about our town. I think that says something really good about us.”  And I think so, too. People who are in touch with their passions can make things happen.  Take a moment and reflect on the times in your life when you've been around people who had a real passion for what they did, whether it was their vocation or avocation, a full-fledged career, or volunteer job, or hobby. Do you recall how they looked when they spoke about what they loved? The sparkle in their eyes? The intensity of their energy? Can you remember what it felt like to be in their company?  I was channel-surfing the other day and came across a cable show where a woman was taking viewers through her collection of antique pewter teapots. Now, I'm not real interested in old silver serving pieces, but I was intrigued by her enthusiasm about the history she discovered in each item and found myself listening to the stories of her findings as though I were an avid collector. It wasn't the teapots - it was her love of them that made her magnetic.  Most of us would say that our favorite teachers were those who shared their love of what they were teaching. It wasn't just that they made the learning fun; it was as if for a period of time, we were allowed to tap into what inspired their particular zest for life, and become a part of it. I've experienced this with a summer camp counselor, a dog breeder, a linguistics professor in college and a Broadway set designer, among others.  And I believe that we all have this kind of magnetism within us.  We are drawn, individually, to whatever it is that speaks to us, and our biggest gift to ourselves is to develop these talents and interests. Our gift to others then becomes the ability to simply share our pleasure in our interests, or to take that pleasure further and help others awaken to their own abilities. And it's never too late to do this. (One of my best friends has recently combined a talent for teaching with her passion for motorcycles and has become an excellent motorcycle safety instructor.)  The first step is to recognize and acknowledge what it is that brings us joy. We may not remember all the things that make us smile, but we do know them when they appear. The trick is not to let them disappear after that moment of recognition, but rather to make sure we've taken note of exactly what has transpired so that we can re-create it, or the circumstances that brought it about. We may actually have to teach ourselves how to keep happiness within sight instead of continually losing track of it in the overwhelming busy-ness of everyday life.   This takes commitment; a commitment to our own well-being and to the possibility of enriching others through the love of what we're doing. There is plenty of evidence of this in the Fair Lawn News, the Fair Lawn Focus, the Radburn Bulletin, and in the Shopper, as well as all of the community newsletters that are published here .   But there’s always room for more. Why not step out, and let your passion(s) become your contribution to Fair Lawn?     See Sunny's April 2001 column and her web site:  www.suncoach.com       What Do You Think?: Send an e- mail to editor@fairlawnnews.com or post a message on the Fair Lawn News Discussion Forum.