I’m thankful for my passion. In all facets of my life, I’m a passionate person. It’s what makes me a writer and a teacher because my passion for language drives me to share it with the world. It’s what made me a decent football player. I wasn’t the most physically gifted person and was certainly under-sized for a lineman, but my passion pushed me to lift weights and run mountains and push my body to its limit to be the best I could be. Passion is what makes me a good father because the love for my children fills up my heart and spills over the edges. There’s no containing the passion I have for my sons, and I’m thankful every moment of every day that I have gotten to experience that level of pure love.
Of course, being a passionate person does come with a few disadvantages. It’s not something that can be turned on and off at will, so when I’m upset, the passion amplifies my emotions and I get really upset. It sometimes makes me hard to be around because I get so consumed with whatever I’m doing that the rest of the world disappears. And when I get hurt, the pain is deep and enormous because it too is amplified. Those things sometimes make being a passionate person a difficult burden to bear, but I wouldn’t trade.
I don’t do anything half-heartedly. When something sparks my passion, I’m full throttle, head down, no-looking-back 110% going for it. That doesn’t mean I always succeed, but it does mean that anytime I fall short, it’s not from lack of effort. In every aspect of everything in my life, I am passionate, and to me that is one of my strongest positive attributes. I live my life to die with no regrets, and a major part of that comes from allowing my passion to stir me. I realize that some people who don’t know me very well may be surprised to hear me describe myself as passionate because I often come across as so laid-back and mellow, but underneath that calm exterior is a highly emotional person who squeezes every drop I can from life. Still waters run deep, and I’m thankful to be such a passionate person.
Big Owl's Tree 
Oh, how I love this post!! It spoke directly to me as we are kindred spirits. I, too, hale from the Passionate Clan. 🙂 It often endears me to people but scares them at the same time. Living a life of authenticity is no easy endeavor and many choose shallower depths. So, I applaud your honesty, ability to put it all on the line and experience life to the fullest…