I like to think of myself as creative. I love crafting something from nothing, creating something that is uniquely me. More than just writing, I honestly enjoy drawing, painting, sewing, crochet, cross-stitch…really anything that begins with a blank slate and ends with something beautiful.

And yet I’m also logical, analytical. I love math and science. This weekend I had 8 teenagers excited about growing crystals…take that public education! I enjoy solving puzzles and logic problems. How many of you can say you’ve taken a class in symbolic logic, or even know what that is? And yet in college I took not one, but two classes in which we turned words, sentences, into math problems that could be determined to be either true or false by solving the formula. And I loved it.

I’m not sure where this dichotomy in me comes from but it has served me well. One of the reasons I’m successful at my job is my ability to understand a problem, logically break it into its parts and then creatively devise a solution that others might have missed. It is this use of my imagination that has brought me satisfaction in a career that would otherwise be considered solely analytical.

But it’s not who I am. It’s simply what I do.

I’ve been unhappy with my job for a while now, searching for something to do that will be more fulfilling. I feel a need to help, to contribute in some way and where I am now my ability to do either is crippled by the limited thinking of those in power. I’m not saying this is wrong, only that it’s no longer a good fit for me and who I want to be. I’ve looked at many possibilities but found none particularly inspiring. And so, out of a desperate need to feel like I’m creating something meaningful I began to write.

And this is how I have discovered, quite by accident, that when someone is doing something that is completely true to who they are, that resonates deep in their core, they become luminescent; they glow with possibilities. Their excitement and ardor for what they are doing radiates from them and draws other people to them.

I have found this in my writing. I have never before experienced such intense passion for any project I have undertaken. My desire to create has been reawakened. It has lit a fire in me that others are noticing, and now they want to be part of it too.

Because I suddenly understand what it means to follow a passion, I want that for my girls. I want to tell them that they don’t have to settle for a job that will pay the bills. Yes, they will need to have a roof over their head and food on the table, but it is now equally important to me that they discover what it is that will make them glow, what will ignite that spark within them that I’ve only just identified in myself.

I want this for my friends. The treasured people in my life who have done the best they could with what they have. Many are just like I was, pushing through the daily grind, counting on being “happier when”….well, that was a different post. But it’s true. They can choose to be happy. They can look for passion and follow that dream. They don’t have to give up what they have now, but I want them to know it’s there. They can find it.

I want that for people who read this blog. I’ve said this before but I’m repeating it here…your comments, support, passion and inspiration have all added fuel to the fire. You are amazing and I’m grateful to join you on your journey and welcome you into mine.

I want that for anyone I haven’t met yet but might meet in the future. So many people fail to understand that there is more out there for them than just getting by. There is another way. I didn’t know it either. It’s okay.

We can do this! Together! Join me.

This post is in response to the daily writing prompt Luminescent