Desperation can and does inspire

“…this is supposed to be a ‘bad’ time for journalists and writers, and for newspapers, magazines, and publishing companies, and even, presumably, for the alphabet itself. And if one’s measuring stick is a pile of money or credit card debt, as layoffs and downsizing and uncertainty have recently taken their toll, it is a bad time. But those are hardly the only measures. The work continues regardless, and for many of us, no matter how much we may complain, the only way we could ever really stop writing is if someone amputated our hands. Even then I suspect most of us would still manage to scratch out something with our bloodied stumps. Because at times like this you don’t stop writing—you write more. Desperation can and does inspire. What follows will be better than what has come before. Of this I have no doubt.”

- Glenn Stout, from the foreword of Best American Sportswriting 2009

Apologies to Glenn Stout and the BASW folks if I'm breaking some copyright laws by posting that verbatim, but I needed to read it, and wanted to share it.

We all have dreams. Don't we? And we've all had a dream, whether large or small, in some form or another, fail. Fall apart. Shatter. I've certainly had mine. And I'll write about them one day. 

But to live with passion is to live well. Passion is the currency of the soul. Money is great, and fame is fun, but neither is lasting. Passion, however....passion creates in us things that we'll have forever. Memories of when we risked it all and how that felt, whether we made it or failed, won or lost. Like Ironmen, the reward isn't winning the race, but trying it and, if we're really lucky, finishing. 

From part of the above quoted text, you can substitute just about anything in place of "writing" and "write." 

"...At times like this you don’t stop [INSERT PASSION HERE]—you [LIVE YOUR PASSION MORE]. Desperation can and does inspire. What follows will be better than what has come before...

I have passions other than writing, other than storytelling. Sometimes they feel like a waste of time, but then, in those moments, the moments where I'm doing what I love, it feels nothing like waste. It feels good. And silly as it sometimes seems, it feels right.