Everyone has a passion for something, something they love to do and can’t imagine not having as a part of their lives. It could be that you love cooking or that you love to decorate your home. Whatever it may be, there is a passion out there for everyone.

Finding the time to indulge in your passion is a different story.

As military spouses, we tend to put ourselves on the back burner, making sure the needs of our service member and our children are met before our own needs. Is his PT uniform clean for the morning? Did she remember to set her alarm clock? Did he pack everything he needs for the field? Is my daughter liking her new school? Is my son making friends? When should bath time be? Did I forget to pack her lunch? Is she getting enough veggies in her diet? The list goes on and on.

Does anyone else’s mind work like that? I feel like mine is always on fast forward and never slows down. Don’t get me wrong, there is absolutely nothing wrong with occasionally putting our family’s needs before our own. However, for our sanity, we need to press the pause button and set aside time to pursue our own passions.

Take some me time.

Not sure what your passion is? You most likely already have one (or even several) and don’t realize it. What is something you love doing, something that you feel strongly about and which makes you happy while doing it?

Whatever that something is, that is your passion.

No passion is insignificant. It can be as simple as having a love for reading romance novels or as complex as finding a way to cure hunger in foreign countries. It doesn’t matter what it may be; it’s all about how it makes you feel.

Now that a new school year is about to begin, try and take advantage of some of that alone time to explore your current passion or find a new one.

Sign up for that yoga class you have been wanting to take.

Join a crochet group.

Write down the poem that has been in the back of your mind for months.

I know the school year can still be busy and, in some cases, even more chaotic than the summer, but I challenge you to set aside two hours a week to do something that you love or to try something new. I will be right there along with you. Something that I am very passionate about is writing and cooking. I will be spending my two hours a week trying to swrite my first cookbook.

What will you be doing?