Passion

The other day my own car was in the shop so I had to take a cab to work. It was a driver I hadn't met. I told him that I had been driving for about six months and that I really liked it. He warned me not to get stuck in it. He said there was nothing in it for the future. This amused me because he was in his 50's or 60's and still driving a cab. He told me his theory of the kind of person who will stay in cab driving forever. He said it's someone who values flexibility and freedom. It's someone who doesn't really fit into the office world. And, he said, it helps to be married to somebody with a steady job and health insurance.

Then he told me something that really struck me. He said

"The only time it really makes sense to drive a cab is if you have some kind of great passion. If you have a great passion for art or writing, then by all means, it makes sense to drive a cab while you're working on your passion."

When he said that, I stopped breathing for a moment. Then I leaned back, smiling and satisfied. It was perfect. I have a great passion. I have a great passion for art AND writing and also for other things like counseling and spirituality. What he said was exactly what I needed to hear.