Monday, January 8, 2024

Do you have a passion? by Jan Scarbrough


I’ve known people who don’t have a passion, and I’m sad for them. I’m not talking about an obsession for ice cream or pizza, but something that colors your life and makes it better.

 

For me, one of my passions is horses. If you know anything about me, I wouldn’t have to tell you that, would I? My love of horses began in the fourth grade with the Black Stallion Books. A year or so later, my parents gave me riding lessons—hunter jumpers. I fell off a few times and got scared. My passion was hidden for a while until my nine-year-old daughter asked for riding lessons. Six months later, I started riding lessons too, deciding I wouldn’t live my life through my daughter.

 

That began my obsession with American Saddlebreds. Over the years, I’ve owned three of them, but I don’t own one now. I continue to take riding lessons so I can get a weekly horse fix. My latest “ride” is a chestnut mare named Maggie.

 

So, it was only natural that one of my first books was about American Saddlebred horses. Kentucky Flame finds two trainers, the hero and heroine, competing against each other at a big horse show. For another book, I toured Kentucky horse country for the setting of Kentucky Blue Bloods.


 

Do you have a passion for something? Maybe it’s not a living creature, but something you like to do—playing golf, cooking, ball room dancing, gardening, sewing, fishing. Whatever it is, does it make your life better?



4 comments:

Julie Lence said...

Hi Jan: I like dancing (though I haven't in years), old movies and I love horses, but don't own any. Thank you for sharing your passion.
P.S. That's a great pic of you with the horse.

Kat Sheridan said...

My passion has always been books. Reading them, keeping them, now and then writing them. I have a ridiculously huge collection. I can't bring myself to give them away. I also have passions that come and go, which explains why my craft closet looks like the annex of Michaels! Right now, it's cross-stitching. I have more patterns than I could ever finish, but I love having them.

Deborah said...

I have several passions -- reading and writing among them. I've also been passionate about rescuing animals and rehoming them. I've gone through "crafty" stages. I, too, love cross-stitching, but lately I've been into adult coloring books. I always loved coloring when I was a kid and that passion remains with me today. I have several friends who are into jigsaw puzzles and always have one or two spread out somewhere in their homes. Crossword puzzles are more my style.

Anonymous said...

My passion is people of all ages.