Doing a Thing for the Love of It

In the made-for-television movie A Christmas Without Snow (Korty Films / Frank Koenigsberg Productions, 1980), a haughty singer tells a simple church choir singer that she is no more than an amateur. The simple church choir singer is heartbroken, until the choir director (John Houseman) tells her that the word amateur derives from the Latin word for love, "amor." Thus, an amateur is one who does a thing for the love of it.

We all have a thing we enjoy doing simply for the love of it. Be it riding a bicycle or writing poetry or baking goodies, we all have something we truly enjoy and would spend a lifetime doing, even though it does not pay a dime.

Do we allow ourselves the privilege of enjoying those activities? We should!

I enjoy writing fiction. My fiction doesn't seem to attract many readers, but I enjoy it. I call it my R&R writing (rest and recreation). Sometimes, it allows me to go places and do things I never could or would do in my own life. At other times, it helps me to work out whatever is on my mind. In both cases, the stories draw me in and give me a sense of contentment that few other things do.

Allow yourself to spend time in your own R&R activity. Do it for the love of it, not to please others and not to gain professional status. You'll be glad you did.