Passion

So this graduate student came into my Latin class today. He majored in Linguistics and was explaining to us why certain words/letters sound a particular way and why they are constructed the way they are. He was a funny dude, Asian, good looking, and tall. He knows Latin, Sanskrit, and three other languages I don’t remember.Yet, the one thing that caught my attention was his passion. You could tell how much he loved language and that he was well read. When he would give us examples his eyes would light up and he’d get excited about it. I was blown away. Definitely a charming fellow.

I think this is probably why I always ask people what they are studying I want to see them light up when they tell me their major and what they plan to do and what they love about it. It’s a crazy feeling, almost like you’re sharing in their joy although you couldn’t care less why a word sounds the way it does and it’s origin.

This reminds me of my teaching class last semester. There were some music education majors and when they got together and played some music for us you could tell that, that is what they were born to do. I rarely get the chance to see genuine happiness, but that was definitely it.

I hope to find that spark soon, so I can share my enthusiasm with others.