new favorite word...

I have friends and co-workers with real passions.  Some love reading, exercising or running, scrap booking, cooking, watching sports, blogging or being a parent.  In the last year I have been struggling to define what my passion is.  There are definitely things that I consider important to me.  I enjoy doing many things (some of listed above) but there isn't something that I feel obsessed (in a good way) about.  Not a lot gets me super excited.  I know...I'm not getting to the point.  I thought it was food and eating but that has even changed in the last few months. 
I have thought long and hard about this.  What makes me think? What do I spend a lot of time doing? What do I share with anyone and everyone?  Lately my passion has been being a negative person.  I could sit and think about all the negatives in my life for hours.  I could talk to family and friends about my woes. I can dream of things being better in certain ways.  I can pout. Pity myself. Cry about it. Laugh about it.  Have a glass of wine because of it.  I can take a longer nap so I don't have to get up and face it.  I guess I'd say I'm passionate about being negative.
How.
Sad.
How.
Bad.

But I've realized...the one thing that makes me move on, turn my thoughts back the right way is Validation.  When I want to complain about something, I don't want to hear how wonderful my life really is (with a bunch of reasons listed) because I know all that. I really do. That's a separate post because I could create a list that goes on and on and on for miles regarding all the blessings in my life, all the good in my life and how it could be so much worse.  I don't have that much to complain about.  I KNOW IT!  It's yucky that I am like this but guess what world?  This is me...And it makes me sad. But...BUT! When someone validates my concerns, worries, negativeness-I move on.  I change my attitude because I feel like someone finally is understanding and listening (which is the most important part).  This means that they are not trying to solve my problems for me or belittling me.  I can tilt my chin up a little higher and see the world with a little more color.  It's no longer a black and white shabby view.  That validation pushes me to have positive thoughts-which is what I need.

This last weekend my brother took Eli on a few adventures of his own.  He showed him where worms hid in tree stumps, let him live on the edge by trying to catch hail during a big storm, and took him for 20-30 minutes at the horse races.  I didn't hear it too much myself but he must have had quite the conversation with my sister because evidently he validated how tough it is to be a mom with a little guy on the go (and also how tough it is to be a working mom, or a stay at home mom with 3 littles running around).  Eli is very independent. He never looks back to check if he is close to family or friends.  He is off in his little world and nothing stops him when he is determined.  It is hard to take him somewhere and fully enjoy the time.  There is guilt if andy is watching him, and if I am in charge I don't enjoy anyone else at the function.  It's tiring.  To hear my single, currently childless brother validate that it seems hard and exhausting made me so happy.  Thanks Uncle Greg.  Click here for more details on the validation that I needed this last weekend.