Have you ever noticed that a great song on the radio will make you want to move and even sing along? I feel stronger and more alive when I am dancing to techno or ’80’s New Wave bouncy tunes. I get a kick out of bopping to uptempo “musique electronique”.

I am inspired when I start and tend a fire. I feel reflective and relaxed when I garden, write, meditate or decorate. These hobbies maintain my sanity and are as necessary as my breath to my very existence. God forbid I shouldn’t have pens and paper, paint and brushes, colorful makeup and markers, flowers outside in my garden and indoors in vases. Like food, my passions feed me and keep me balanced, so I tend to them, like little fires in the hearth.

On the other hand, have you ever known anyone who sucks the life out of you? Vampires really do exist and sometimes they are in the form of family members (no one reading this need be concerned).

What about a job that depletes you? I am exhausted after making a bed but love to wash dishes. I hate laundry duty but love ironing.

So, continuing with our inward journey in getting to know our authentic and unique selves; what puts a spring in your step? what interests make you lose all sense of time? AND also ask; What or whom or both makes your skin crawl or drains you? What tasks do you despise?

It’s good to know what we love but it’s also smart to know what we’re not fond of so we can avoid it or deal with later at a better time or place or delegate.