Two HDQ’s and an Ask Nic

The first HDQ today is:

What are your thoughts on passion vs. love?

Can we talk? Seriously. Take a moment to read the following definitions. Both are taken from Miriam Webster online.

Main Entry: pas•sion
Pronunciation: 'pa-sh&n
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Old French, from Late Latin passion-, passio suffering, being acted upon, from Latin pati to suffer -- more at PATIENT
1 often capitalized a : the sufferings of Christ between the night of the Last Supper and his death b : an oratorio based on a gospel narrative of the Passion
2 obsolete : SUFFERING
3 : the state or capacity of being acted on by external agents or forces
4 a (1) : EMOTION his ruling passion is greed (2) plural : the emotions as distinguished from reason b : intense, driving, or overmastering feeling or conviction c : an outbreak of anger
5 a : ardent affection : LOVE b : a strong liking or desire for or devotion to some activity, object, or concept c : sexual desire d : an object of desire or deep interest
Text: 1 a feeling of strong or constant regard for and dedication to someone they shared such passion that they were married at 18 and have been together for half a century -- see LOVE 1
2 a strong but often short-lived liking for another person her passion passed when the next movie star arrived on the scene -- see CRUSH 1
3 a strong wish for something a passion to become a doctor -- see DESIRE
4 a subjective response to a person, thing, or situation people are sometimes slaves to their own passions -- see FEELING 1
5 depth of feeling your passion for your cause is admirable, but you still can't insult people who disagree -- see ARDOR 1
6 passions plural
general emotional condition people who are swayed by their passions and not by reason -- see FEELING 2

OR

Main Entry: love
Pronunciation: 'l&v
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English lufu; akin to Old High German luba love, Old English lEof dear, Latin lubEre, libEre to please
1 a (1) : strong affection for another arising out of kinship or personal ties (2) : attraction based on sexual desire : affection and tenderness felt by lovers (3) : affection based on admiration, benevolence, or common interests b : an assurance of love
2 : warm attachment, enthusiasm, or devotion
3 a : the object of attachment, devotion, or admiration b (1) : a beloved person : DARLING -- often used as a term of endearment (2) British -- used as an informal term of address
4 a : unselfish loyal and benevolent concern for the good of another: as (1) : the fatherly concern of God for humankind (2) : brotherly concern for others b : a person's adoration of God
5 : a god or personification of love
6 : an amorous episode : LOVE AFFAIR
7 : the sexual embrace : COPULATION
8 : a score of zero (as in tennis)
9 capitalized, Christian Science : GOD
- at love : holding one's opponent scoreless in tennis
- in love : inspired by affection
Function: verb
Inflected Form(s): loved; lov•ing
transitive senses
1 : to hold dear : CHERISH
2 a : to feel a lover's passion, devotion, or tenderness for b (1) : CARESS (2) : to fondle amorously (3) : to copulate with
3 : to like or desire actively : take pleasure in
4 : to thrive in
intransitive senses : to feel affection or experience desire

One of my blog friends posted a topic about passion last year. Honestly, this was going to be an HDQ last year but it sat in draft form until now.

Below are come snippets of conversation from that post and its comments. All true and all I agree with – yes it’s cheating a bit but I'm tired today (though more than a few of the comments are my own).

Passion – it's a powerful word, isn't it? It encompasses a strength, just in typing it, just in saying it. When you're feeling it, it can be overwhelming. That being said, however, passion lacks reason. When consumed with passion, you can't very well make thoughtful and considerate decisions. You're lost in the passion, the moment, the person. All that matters at that moment IS that moment. Nothing else. It's a fire that blazes and burns and if allowed to grow out of control, it can destroy. If left untended, it becomes this low, smoldering heat. If not stroked and teased, it eventually dies out. One moment there's heat, and then, nothing but ash.

You can love without passion. And passion without love. Some people may think that love and passion are the same thing. I assure you, they are not. Love is cozy feeling, a warmth that spreads and lasts for years, passes through generations. Love has highs and lows, peeks and valleys. Love is comforting. Love is safety, a surety of things. The knowledge that it will always be, one way or another. Like the sun rising, you know you will have love.

Now think of passion. Comforting is not something you think of when you imagine the word "passion", is it? It's immediate, it's fuel that drives us. It makes us lose all reasoning. Nothing matters at all but the moment of right now. You can have love without all of that. But you cannot have passion without it. And if one is not careful, passion can dance on the wire with a little friend called Obsession.

Both of them, passion and obsession, consume. Both of them control. Both of them burn you up from the inside out. The line that separates them, I believe, is very blurred.

Passion leaves you breathless from the resulting physical workout and romance leaves you breathless from a moment in time with someone that you never want the moment to end.

In the argument of which is better, love or passion; I choose love for the very reasons that are mentioned. Passion without love is momentary and of little lasting meaning. Love, if true and deep, will create a passion far more intense and satisfying. That kind of love lasts, whereas passion doesn't always last. It can fizzle at the sign of tough times. Passion won’t get you through those tough times, love will. Love looks forward to the next 50 years. Passion looks forward to the next 50 minutes. Love takes work, passion takes about 15 minutes if you're lucky.

I believe that anything you have to work for is worth holding on to.

Now for the 2nd HDQ for today:

What is/are your biggest blog peeve(s) from people who visit your blog?

For me it’s when people sit on your blog for hours and hours and visit several times a day or weeks and NEVER LEAVE A COMMENT – y’all know who you are b/c there are more than a couple of you out there (and I'm not talking about my ex either – I shudder to think what he or his hussy would leave – well actually she did and I deleted it.). There isn’t even a “Hey, just want to say neat blog” or “Interesting post” or “Good point but here’s my take on it which is different than yours” or anything along those lines – though strong profanity is not appreciated.

If you’re on my blog that often for whatever reasons you have to be reading me 5, 10, 20, 30 times a day or more for a period of several hours or days or weeks then please be courteous and leave a little note in the comments section. Yes, I might use it in a post or mention it in a post as I did last week, but chances are 99.99∞% I won’t.

The occasional fly by for a while is one thing, and comments aren’t always necessary – though I do like to hear y’all’s thoughts and opinions, but if you are on my blog that long (as noted in the above paragraph) for whatever reason, I’d kind of like to know what has you so curious, interested or whatever that keeps you here. I’ve even had some people email me apart from the blog to give me their thoughts, that’s fine too – in fact, one of them has become a regular correspondent with me and, dare I say it(?), a friend. I look forward to their emails to read what is the latest in their life and their thoughts and I respond in kind.

Anyway, that’s my biggest peeve from those who visit my blog for extended periods of time.

*UPDATE*
Some clarification is needed on this b/c some of my blogfriends who visit but don't always leave a comment think it's them I'm talking about. Trust me, my friends, it's not. There are people from all over the US who are on my blog anywhere between 10 on up to - kid you not - 50 times a day some days (where do they get the time???) who NEVER have left a comment. I'd just kind of like to know what has them so interested that they stay on for so long and so often. Ya know?!

Up next is Ask Nic:
This is the place where you can ask me anything that is on your mind about me, something you have wanted to know or were just curious about in general. You can ask about my experiences in life and love and parenting, my beliefs, etc... Be creative, be fun, be introspective, but please be clean! You can post the questions in the comments section or email me your question directly to asknic@gmail.com.

I will be posting the questions and their responses soon so check back within the next week for them. They probably will be up over the weekend if I get enough questions.

My wonderfully delightful friend, the lovely Lois Lane posted a question last week which I am answering today. You really must check her out. She is fascinating, witty and a generous spirit. She had other stuff to say but I am posting her question only here.

Please be clean? Well darn. ;)
How about this, where was the best place you have ever visited? Was it the company you kept or the place itself that made you enjoy it, or both? ...

Lois Lane

Hmmmmm, that’s a toughie b/c there are a few great places that I’ve been to but I’ll just list 3.

#1 – This would definitely be the place itself kind of thing. As a teen I went to this Young Life camp in Colorado (Frontier Ranch) that was the most fun, the coolest, the most awesome experience, well, I have to say ever as far as going somewhere. As a Christian group in the high schools, they were totally in tune with the 200 teens there and had this awesome camp in the mountains. For the week we had the YL Olympics with a variety of different sports to compete in with 4 different teams like a horseback ride race, only it was giving someone a ride on your back and not on an actual horse, shaving cream balloon volleyball, etc. They have this great ropes course, horseback riding in the mountains at 6:00 in the morning to watch the sun rise over the mountains and through the trees as you make you way to a campfire to eat a cowboy breakfast. They have HUGE waterslides into a heated pool that overlooks a valley full of trees and the distant peaks. They have musical skits that are hilarious and eating in a HUGE log cafeteria. They held a square dance that was really more of a dance but we had to dress country for it. They had a buggy ring where the wet down the dirt to do dirt buggies. I can’t even name all of the activities they had but it was the most fun! They say their mission is to provide the best week of your life and they delivered! It still ranks as #1 16 years later.

#2 – Kansas City. This was both. As I mentioned in a previous post I went b/c of the person I was involved with and fell in love with it on it’s own merits.

#3 – New Orleans. This one again is purely for the place itself. In my early 20’s I went several times a year with a couple of my close friends but we didn’t go just for Bourbon Street. We went to take the tours and go to the French Quarter with the St. Louis Cathedral and Garden District and look at the houses and go to the Zoo and the Aquarium and the riverboat rides and the open air farmer’s markets (excellent produce there). I went a couple of times with Matt later on and loved it just as much but I haven’t been since 2000. I’d like to go back with friends and just absorb the atmosphere again – though the excessive humidity and the mid-day stench of the garbage in the streets, I could do without. What I’d love most is to go during Christmas time, like the week before, b/c I’ve heard it’s just gorgeous, they do caroling in the French Quarter and candlelight services at the churches.

Thanks for playing my lovely friend!

If you have a question you’d like to ask and have me answer, please either leave it in the comments or send it to asknic@gmail.com.