“Find out where joy resides, and give it a voice far beyond singing. For to miss all the joy is to miss all.” -Robert Louis Stevenson.
It all started with three pitiful brown bananas. They sat, knowing they weren’t going to get eaten. No one wanted them now–it was even too late to blend them in a smoothie. “Please throw me away,” they cried out. With a sigh, I found myself mashing them and adding a few other pantry staples. No longer were they feeling sorry for themselves; they had been transformed into a family favorite. My tired bananas had found new meaning as banana bread.
A smile fell across my face. Not the kind brought on by a joke or a silly situation, but one of joy. I was surprised to feel like I was transformed, too. I had forgotten how much I loved to bake. I no longer felt like the bananas. Pitiful. It was time to add a few things to my life.
In the book, Rhythms of Renewal by Rebekah Lyons, she writes, “When we discover that passion, when we live into it, we become more alive.” That’s what I had felt–alive! I had rediscovered something that I love to do. I thought to myself, what other restorative parts of my life has my busyness put on hold? What else could I rediscover?
A small plot of land in my backyard needed something so we planted a vegetable garden there. I had no idea when we started our little plot that it would bring our family so much joy. You’ll often find the boys and me outside weeding, watering or just checking the progress of growth in our tiny farm. In the scheduled, crowded life we usually live, I probably would have thrown the bananas away or let the garden get overrun with weeds and produce very few viable vegetables.
How might living into our passion transform us from brown bananas to banana bread? What would it look like at the end of this season if we rediscovered something that brought us joy? What would it look like if we didn’t put what we love to do on hold? Is there a passion can you rekindle? Don’t miss out on the joy.