A Shared Passion

It's one of the most powerful bonding forces there is. It can easily be mentioned in the same conversation as: faith in God, being part of a family, and physical attraction in regard to it's effect on human relationships.

It's one of the main reasons Comic Con, Star Wars, Star Trek and hundreds of other themed conventions happen every year. It's why there are sports bars and fan clubs all across the country. On a more personal basis it's the reason the podcasts I listen to each week, about Walt Disney World, The Muppets, and amusement parks, exist.  

I am referring to the bond of "shared passion".  Finding out that someone is interested or "obsessed" with same thing that you are. I won't go into the psychology of it all; but there's something extremely compelling about knowing there are others like you.

Finding someone with the same intense interest gives you a sense of belonging. It eliminates the haze of self doubt that hangs over the head of someone who feels isolated in their passion for a specific interest or subject.

Over the last few years the Internet has made finding others with similar interests much much easier and almost common place.

Connections between people with common passions have formed online and in a lot of cases, transitioned to face to face friendships. The one I'm most familiar with is the large group of Disney fans. 

The people of the Disney online community regularly have meet ups and special events. They are a diverse group of people drawn together because of their passion for the Disney Company, it's history, and theme parks.   

There are Internet websites and message forums for those who are interested in puppetry and ventriloquism, as I am. Some are devoted to those who are involved in Christian puppet ministry. 

But the opportunities for face to face meetings and spending time with others who share that interest are few and far between. Occurring only once or twice a year. 

This brings me to my recent discovery of someone right in my own church who shares my passion for puppets.

Connecting with him may open up the "mentoring" aspect I've been wanting to add to my ventriloquism ministry for a while. 

Several months ago Dennis came to me explaining that he is interested in puppetry, has puppets of his own, suggesting that he would like to talk about it with me. 

This past Wednesday night, along with several of our puppets, we finally got together to discuss our passion and potential ministry partnership. 

We shared a few of our stories and personal history in regard to how we became involved with puppets. He told me that being able to do funny voices drew him into performing with puppets. 

As a demonstration, he did a very good impression of the voice of Spongebob Squarepants for me. Although it was an impersonation it can be used as a very good puppet voice. 

He showed me some of his puppets which included a policeman, a fireman, and a baby characters. 

I showed him my primary and animal puppets. He met Cecil, Schnozz, Archibald Jones, Calvin, Lanoline, Nigel the Nerd, and more. With each of the characters, I explained just how and why they became part of my menagerie.Telling these stories helped me realize just how bonded I am to each of my puppets. This gives me an idea for some future posts. 

Dennis expressed a desire to learn ventriloquism. Like anyone with a passion for a performance art; he wants the opportunity to share it with others and move up to the next level in his craft. 

His passion for puppetry is evident in the way he talks about his past history and his characters. He really enjoys making people laugh. This is rather ironic because his "day job" is in the funeral service business.   

We spent less than an hour in our sanctuary talking but it only seemed like a few minutes. After leaving the church (we were the last ones to leave the building after a busy Wednesday night of activities) we both agreed that this could be the beginning of a "beautiful friendship". It's was real blessing to find someone who shares my passion for puppetry.

I am excited about sharing my sketch writing experience and knowledge of the world of ventriloquism with him. His creative spirit and enthusiasm will be a welcome shot in the arm for me.

In addition he's directly involved in a local service organization that I've been trying to establish a contact with for some time now. 

This is definitely one post that has a "to be continued" attached to it. I'll make sure I keep you up to date.