A Zen poet said, “A person who is a master in the art of living makes little distinction between their work and their play, their labor and their leisure, their mind and their body, their education and their recreation, their love and their religion. They hardly know which is which and simply pursue their vision of excellence and grace, whatever they do, leaving others to decide whether they are working or playing. To them they are always doing both."
At Church last Sunday, the congregation was treated to a special musical performance by a group called Selah. They were phenomenal, but what really touched me was the passion displayed by the pianist. Every note he played seemed as if it were the most important note ever played on a piano. His body language told the story of the music in such an incredible way that even the deaf would have “heard” the music.
I started taking dance lessons over 15 years ago and I remember an early teacher telling me that my goal was to dance in such a way that somebody who couldn’t hear the music would still know exactly what the music sounded like. I must admit, this is still tough for me to accomplish today.
When I met Jo almost 14 years ago I was introduced to a level of “passion” I had not experienced before. I specifically remember watching Jo line dance to Scooter Lee’s Honky Tonk Twist. I was absolutely shocked how clearly her movement told the entire story of the song.
Of course, Jo is in the entertainment business and all entertainers (to some extent) try to bring this level of passion to their performance. The difference is that Jo doesn’t have to “bring” anything to her performance. It’s her natural way of being. How do I know this? Because I see that same level of incredible passion in her everyday life.
I’ve been asked many times over the years, “What’s Jo like when she isn’t ‘on’”? If you’ve had the pleasure of spending time with her outside of her professional career, you know what I know. There is no “off”. She has an incredible way of bringing intense passion to practically every moment of every day. I’ve seen her do this when she’s planning a baby shower, when she’s making greeting cards, when she and Anna are planting flowers or when she’s decorating the house. It seems like every single day she sees an opportunity to take an ordinary experience and make it extraordinary.
About 5 years ago I saw a wonderful presentation by a man named Charlie “Tremendous” Jones. All professional speakers bring passion to their presentations, but this man was different. This man’s passion cut straight through to my core. I saw Tremendous Jones in the hallway later that day and before I even introduced myself, I was drawn into him and I gave him a big hug. It was like he had some sort of magnetic pull like a black hole drawing people into him.
I know some of you have spent time with Jo away from the dance floor and you know that her passion for life creates this same sort of magnetic pull no matter what she’s doing. I still don’t comprehend exactly how she does it, but I sure am glad I caved in and agreed to take a line dance lesson back in the spring of 1993. I could have never guessed the path that would lead to just a little over a year later.
