I’ve always thought the best, most interesting people are the ones who are passionate – about anything.
It doesn’t matter if I share their passion, if I think their passion is beyond weird, or if I’ve never heard of it. Few things make me feel more connected to someone than seeing their face light up when they talk about what they truly love.
I think I’m so attracted to that quality because I’m definitely one of those people. Whenever I love something, I go all in. I want to know as much as I can and immerse myself in it to the fullest extent. I promise you I’ve heard of any major marathon you could think of. I’ve looked at a stranger’s running shoes and named the brand and model without shame. I can rattle off the latest news about my favorite teams with major ease. When I was a kid, my mom had a license plate that said “Never Enough” (yes, I know that’s too many letters, but I was five and don’t remember the specifics – my apologies). I’m pretty sure it stems from that, so thanks, Mom?
For those of you who can relate, there’s another side to all of this love, right?
It’s when you get the feeling that you’ve become “too much”. You’re sitting there talking your friend’s ear off about your favorite book, sport, musician, or your dream job. You see them start to glaze over. They make a joke about how you’re a little crazy, and you know it’s time to turn it off. It stings a little bit. I’ve been there, and there’s definitely part of me that doesn’t understand why those closest to me don’t want to hear every single detail of my upcoming training plan and why I’m SO EXCITED about my race that’s still six months away. If you’re like me, you’ve felt that twinge of shame when you realize you’ve ventured into the “too much” category.
I’m going to share a quick story that my Viva Wellness partner may send me a text message filled with expletives for sharing. We’re big Yankees fans. Insert arrogant, prideful comment about our 27 World Series rings here. In 2013, our beloved Mariano Rivera announced his retirement and we were appropriately devastated. During a Sunday brunch, the topic of this devastation came up, and in the middle of the conversation we started to get emotional. Okay, fine, there may have been some tears. Yes – the eyes were getting watery in the middle of a restaurant just thinking about a baseball player retiring. Have you SEEN Mariano Rivera pitch? Anyway…
Like many of you now probably do, our friends thought we were crazy. Who gets choked up at brunch about a sports player? We do. Jor-El Caraballo and Rachel Gersten, that’s who. Sometimes when you really love something, you cry at inappropriate places. It happens, and we own it.
That’s not to say that you should finish reading this and turn around to talk your friend’s ear off about something they have absolutely no interest in for hours at a time. Social cues are important. Boundaries are good. But that feeling of shame? Ain’t nobody got time for that.
If you’re someone who loves and loves hard, be proud of it.
Be proud of what you love, whatever it is. Wear that passion on your sleeve, regardless of who might think you’re just a little nuts. If you’re obsessed with a certain K-pop group (hi again, Jor-El!), you talk about that K-pop group. It’s a privilege to fall that much in love with anything.
So the next time you’re afraid to share exactly how many times you’ve listened to your favorite band’s new song, or how excited you are about your upcoming travel plans to a new place, try to be proud instead. Be proud, and shout it from the rooftops.
There’s no shame in anything that means that much to you.
Author: Rachel
Rachel is a licensed therapist and co-founder of Viva Wellness. She gets most of her inspiration for the blog while on the run, and if you ever need to find her, she’s probably in Central Park. If she’s not running, you’ll find her planning the next time she’s going to eat, exploring all things wellness in NYC, or raising her stress level by watching her sports teams.
