Passion or

Passion.
Can a person live without passion? When I hear the word 'passion' I think of a song from a few decades ago. In this song a relationship ends because the man has lost his passion for his girlfriend.
Is the loss of passion a good reason to stop a relationship, to stop doing what you are doing, always liked? I find it difficult to answer that.

I owned an animal shelter for years.
I did this with passion in addition to the two jobs I had and (single) motherhood. I was crazy about the predators, but the passion disappeared after over a decade when I noticed I was only busy making money to care for the animals that others wanted to get rid of. A perpetual lack of money, but also of time and sleep made me decide to give up on the animal shelter. My passion for these animals never left, but I had to choose for myself, myself and my family. Sometimes, when I see my favourite animals, I would like to start the shelter again, but an easier pet is a cat. With a cat you can just do what you want, a cat also goes its own way and that is what I prefer too.

By the way, my greatest passion is art.
Creating something, sculpting, painting, it doesn't matter, but those are expensive hobbies and there is always and always has been a lack of time and money.

Stories and reading have also been a passion of mine from an early age.
I have been saving pocket money, every cent to buy books since I was 6 or 7 years old.
I love stories and cherish the stories others tell me, this will always remain the case but I also put my passion for reading aside for some years. Reading takes time and I often lack that, even though I haven't watched television for at least 20 years or more.

I gave many of my books to my children, they share the same passion.
My eldest has at least 1000 books by now, so her own library.

Although it seems like people are reading less, I noticed that the bookstores in Germany, France and the Netherlands are always full of people. Many booksellers are also active online. Apparently, they are still doing good business just like the libraries and not everyone goes for an e-book.
An e-book is not necessary for me. To be honest, I think it's a waste of money, and it also doesn't read very well on a phone or e-reader. Something printed on paper has more value to me and my children think the same way.

After last summer, there are approximately 50 more books, if not 60, in our home. A large number of these were in giveaway cupboards or between the trash on the street. My youngest and I took them.
The giveaway shop also regularly has good books and the thrift shop had the most recent publications for a very small amount. Thanks to these initiatives, the passion for reading and expanding the book collection is back in full swing.

Reading is a way to travel to other worlds while staying at home. Whatever kind of book you read, it is always educational and it makes me think, that with a good book, you are never bored or lonely.

Another passion is watching movies (not on TV). Also in terms of films, you can now travel around the world and learn about other cultures, enter a different world than what you are used to. It is even possible to hear and learn other languages. The disadvantage is that it costs electricity and you need internet access. By the way, I don't watch American films anymore. Way too much aggression, shouting, cursing, eternal fighting and sex every few minutes, none of which I want. Hollywood is done for me. Many countries make good films, it would be a shame to skip these.

Of course, a passion also has disadvantages because every passion can also turn into an obsession. An obsession or even addiction makes you forget everything and everyone around you. A passion, a driving force, in life, is good, but only if not everything revolves around it.

5-11-2023