By Susan Dromey Heeter
Joyful Musings
In the adage, do what you love and the money will follow, it would seem a good idea to focus on knowing what it is at which you are good.
Susan Dromey Heeter
And, I wonder, does that always mean the same thing? I’m really good at procrastination but I don’t know if the money will follow if I pursue that course of action.
As I muse joyfully this week on talents and knowing what those are, I invite you to muse joyfully on your own …
I’m exceptionally good at sleeping – and, not to brag, but I can fall asleep anywhere, anytime, anyplace. Ask my husband. I can be in midsentence and then – bam – I’m gone. In fact, while watching my daughter’s volleyball game – no, I did not fall asleep at that, I did have a conversation with my dear friends Susan and Stephanie about a sleep fundraiser.
Kara Russell and son Cameron enjoy watching volleyball in Dover.
Yes. We decided we could have sponsors and they could sponsor someone for simply snoozing. I think I’d get a boat load of cash for any worthy cause.
We decided the venue would have turkey dinners, cheesecake and Benedryl. And perhaps a TV put permanently on C-Span. We might invite a guest lecturer…someone with that type of monotone voice who continues to say, “And finally…” but then goes on for another hour.
When I mentioned this potential fundraiser to one of my high school students in my first block class, the one that begins unmercifully at 7:35 a.m., with no hesitation, she said, “I’m in.” I think there is something to this. Perhaps “Sleepy’s” could be a corporate sponsor.
Talents of others are delightful to muse over – it’s wonderful to witness someone doing something they obviously love. At the aforementioned volleyball game, I watched Coaches Kara and Philip Russell as they guided their teams. Not once did either of them check their watch, their cell phones, or look as though they wished they were anywhere else.
Really. This husband and wife LOVE volleyball – both competed in college and both share their talents with the students of Saint Mary Academy in Dover. And they have four children who watch this love, this dedication, this spirit of athleticism. And did I mention Kara spent last weekend running the Chicago Marathon?
Yes, she ran to support Our Lady of the Angels, a Catholic Mission serving the poor on Chicago’s West side. The Mission serves 700+ families a month with food and other basic material needs, assists 900+ at-risk kids in after-school programs, serves bi-weekly community meals and brings hope to a neighborhood plagued by gangs, violence and poverty.
And Kara may take me on in the sleep competition though she has more energy than a three-year old with a bag of gummy worms. I think I’ve got her beat. But, obviously, Kara is doing what she loves – giving back, running, delightfully serving those around her.
And what do you joyfully love to do? Cook? Drive? Watch “Law and Order” reruns? Do tell. Share your insights as you muse joyfully on your passions, your drives, your thoughts on loving this life.
And perhaps the money will follow…or not. And if you’d like more information on Kara’s guide to joyfully running and supporting a wonderful cause, do visit her web page for more information. Click here for Kara’s website. Perhaps some money – and support – will follow…
Susan Dromey Heeter, a writer from Dover who recently let her hair go au natural white, debuts her new column “Joyful Musings” at InDepthNH.org. Dromey Heeter is a secondary Spanish Teacher at Dover High School and the mother of two teenage daughters. Writing has been her passion since her English majoring days at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst. Dromey Heeter has lived in The Netherlands, Alaska and currently basks in all things New England, including the frigid winters. An avid swimmer, Dromey Heeter’s great passion is to bring back body surfing as most children have no idea how to ride waves without ridiculous boogie boards. She also writes about thrift shopping and all things frugal in a column called “Budget Vogue” for the New Hampshire Union Leader.