What is My Passion? Hmmm...

So I started BlogHer's NaBloPoMo Soup Challenge today.  I am 10 days late and 5 posts behind.  But we won't dwell on that.  Today's prompt is "What is your passion?"  I got a little nervous, because there are lots of things I really like to do, but I wasn't sure they would qualify as passion... so I looked it up. 

Merriam-Webster gives quite a few definitions for passion.  I am choosing definition number 5b to write from, which is, "a strong liking or desire for or devotion to some activity, object, or concept."

Great.  I have lots of passions.  Some of which include running, beading, reading, writing, raising my kids, loving my husband, serving God, and spending time with my family.  I also doodle a lot.  Even at times when it could be considered mildly inappropriate.  So, since some might find the other passions I listed a bit boring or cliche, I am choosing to write about my doodling.

I have doodled for as long as I can remember.  During classes in highschool and college, the margins of my notebooks were filled with squiggles and block letters and tiny pictures.  Over the years, I have taken back up the art of doodling during meetings and conferences or while I am on the phone. 

I Googled, "Why do people doodle?" and found a great article from Time Magazine that gives the results of a study that proved that doodlers remember more facts when allowed to doodle during an information session.  Yes!  I love that what I do to pay attention is actually helping me learn!

For the most part, I am lucky to work in an environment where it is acceptable to doodle or knit or bead during meetings.  I listen best when I can doodle.  In fact, I can flip through pages of old notebooks and remember bits of conversation or how I was feeling when I created certain curly-q's or jagged edges. 

My favorite moment, and an indication that not all people appreciate those with the ability to multi-task (or the need to be moving to stay focused), was during an interview.  While interviewing, I began a doodle.  It had been a long day, and I was tired of asking the same questions and listening to drawn-out answers.  I needed to stay awake!  Between questions, the interviewee paused and glanced at my doodle.

"You must be bored?" she said.

"Why?" I asked.

"Because you're drawing instead of paying attention."

"No," I replied, "doodling helps me pay attention."

Well, that cinched the deal for me. 

In the interest of sharing, I am including pictures of some past doodles. 

 This is a doodle completed over multiple staff meetings. 

 This doodle was completed during the infamous interview.

 This doodle is from a three day TANF Conference.  I filled in the color during later meetings.  Highlighters are so fun.

This was a doodle I completed during a four day Eaglesun Users Conference.  I challenged myself to fill in a whole page with the same type of doodle in different sizes.  That took a little bit more concentration, but I remember talking about months on TANF and subsidized employment...












As an aside, I also learned from my Google search that there is a National Doodle Day in the UK.  Check the link and mark your calendars!  Especially if you are, or know, a doodler like me.