What is your ONE THING?

My friend Dani pointed me to this post on finding the one most important thing in your life, your true focus. In her own blog, Dani decided that her one thing was feeling. Another blogger, Gretchen, quotes Justice Sandra Day O'Connor stating that her one thing was work worth doing.

I thought about my own one thing. What would it be? Water? My whole life is about water - it's the focus of my work as an environmental scientist (water resources), it's the focus of my unusual home life (on a sailboat). My colleague Imogene says this is a congruent life, because I live what I beleive is important. I've often stated that I don't want a balanced life, no matter how much work-life balance seems to be the buzz these days. To me, "balance" means a little good, a little bad; a little up, a little down; no black or white, just gray. Well, I don't want a life that's got some down and some bad and some gray. I want saturated colors, passion, and wonder! Okay, so water's a good candidate for my one thing, but not quite it.

Dan? After 25 years he still completes me and challenges me and we grow together. But, making him my one thing puts an unfair burden on both of us to live up to.

Learning is my one thing, and I realize now, it always has been. Stuff came incredibly easy to me as a kid in school. I like brainteasers and take IQ tests for fun. I remember discussing the sudoku craze with my dad, and we both agreed they're 'boring' - you can plug and chug and use logic to get the right answer, but you don't get that satisfying rush when the pieces fall together and you see the solution and say "Aha!" When I reflected on that conversation after reading Dani's blog, that's when I knew my one thing.