What Do You Love So Much You'd Do It For Free?

Passion can be found in bits and pieces on the journey of life.

There's a little part of me that few people know about. I love births. I love the whole birth process. At one point in my life, I wanted to be a nurse and I wanted to work in labor and delivery.  At another point I wanted to be a midwife. In hindsight, neither of those choices would have been the right ones for me, but my passion for birth and babies always burned strong. I wasn't sure how to fulfill that passion.

After I graduated from college and took a job as a peer counselor and Deaf Services Coordinator, I discovered a cool way to feed that passionate fire inside of me: I volunteered in the evenings at a local hospital taking care of boarder babies.  I gave babies their first bath and swaddled them up. I rocked and fed babies who were born with drugs in their system.

After I had my own three babies, two born by cesarean and one who was born at home, I discovered another way to experience births: I became a doula, a mother's helper at birth.  I attended home births and hospital births and every single time, I left on a high that can't be explained, only felt. That's what passion feeds in you--your heart sings when you are aligned with what makes you come alive.

Today, I'll be meeting a deaf teen mom and beginning the journey of supporting her as she brings her child into the world. 

Passion doesn't have to be an either/or leap into full-time status. What are some creative ways you can experience your passion? What do you love so much you'd do it for free?