Obsess Much?

One time in college, a friend glanced around my bedroom and remarked, "Wow. When you like something, you really, really like it!" At that time, my walls were covered with photos of Pittsburgh Penguins hockey stars, Steelers posters, WVU gymnastics' schedules, and bulletin boards of movie tickets and the like.

Over ten years later...these things still grace my walls. (Although, in that ultimate grown-up move, they have moved from my bedroom to the basement gameroom.) And it is still true - when I find something I like, it becomes a bit of an obsession. Only a few weeks ago, my husband commented on that very thing when I kept going on about "Mamma Mia" while my iPod remained stuck on the "ABBA Gold" album.

I embrace this facet of myself whole-heartedly. And I'm proud of it, too. Usually, my obsessions can be categorized simply: sports, movies, television, books, clothing and accessories. When listed like that, it appears I am not so complicated.

So, I decided to delve into this a bit and find some other things about which I am super excited - and, as a personal rule, I can not include any of the above. So...

My dogs - and dogs in general. It goes without saying that, in addition to those things already named, my friends and family are tops in my life. But add in my dogs and things skyrocket. Ever since I was...well, born, I have loved pooches. My face lights up when I see a dog with its head out the window of a car, someone walking a dog...you get it. When it comes to my dogs, I will do just about anything. Seriously. Obsession is a word that does not do justice to how I feel about the Beagle and the Chessie.

The environment. Okay, not to be cheesey, but I am a bit cuckoo with my recycling and vow to never use another plastic bag ever again. I'm not perfect, but I've changed my habits considerably. You will always find me with my cloth bags in hand wherever I go - and it amazes me how positive the reaction has been, with numerous inquiries into where I got them. (Hint: The Fresh Market.) Go Earth!

Multi-culturalism. After my grand adventure to Australia, I have found I'm more interested in other cultures than ever, and have begun to pick fantasy vacation plans accordingly. My one goal for the near future is to learn Spanish, so that when I visit Mexico someday, I can get into the real society and communicate. After that, I would love to do the same with other countries around the world: Germany, Spain, Russia, Amsterdam, Brazil. I know my scope is quite large, but if I could accomplish one trip, that would be fabulous.

My writing. More and more, I hope to continue doing more of it and in a better way. It's hard, especially when I'm overly distracted. But I push on the best I can.

Maybe above all, I am most obsessed with this desire to get my voice out there, no matter how broad. Because along with my passionate obsessions in life, I've always been a writer. It's nice to know some things will never change!