Passion

Today’s drawing of Mary Magdalene

I have to admit that as I age, I have been feeling less passion in general. It reminds me of my father, who around my age, felt similarly. All his previous life, he had been a passionate man who developed many projects and whose enthusiasm was so contagious that he would easily recruit people, including me since I was a child, to help him turn his ideas into reality.

In his 50s, I suspect, he was feeling like I feel these days, not wanting to look back, but not so sure about the future. Tied to something that extracted his energy and joy. Conflicted between commitment and freedom.

The good news is that, in his 60s, he moved to another country and built himself a new life, and published several books about his experiences. He found his passion again, and truly enjoyed the last years of his life.

I remember when he asked my opinion about whether he should close the newspaper he had built. A local newspaper in the time of the emerging Internet was no easy task. But he managed to keep it afloat for several years, pay several employees, and establish a name for himself and the newspaper. He enjoyed it while it lasted and then, when he lost his passion for the project, he decided to move back to Puerto Rico to renew his passion by building a house made of ideas and many recycled materials. Then, once the house was complete, he got tired once again, and that’s when he left to live in Dominican Republic. This last life project never got old for him, and he died wishing and planning to go back.

All my life, I have been inspired by him, and felt his support in any project I embarked on. He encouraged me to explore the theme of Mary Magdalene and accompanied me to presentations and art exhibitions. I have been missing him a lot lately, wanting to have a conversation with him while taking a long drive through Puerto Rico. And these memories remind me that passion is something that might become dormant, but can reappear in its own time.

Passion has always been the guiding principle of my life: passion for art, passion for a certain theme to explore, passion for a place or for another person. Mary Magdalene ignited that passion that after 25 years still glows and guides. But passion has a price and the price is that you must always chose it beyond what is logical and practical. And I have been too practical for the last 8 years, and passion is not necessarily patient...

My father’s story reminds me that life is not for living with regrets. Life is something we build as we go and we envision as we discover how our heart glows with each step.

Life is for living with passion, enthusiasm, and immense joy. And it’s for us to create it that way.