This is Day 53 of the Positive 100, a countdown to Rare Disease Day 2014 and an exercise in being positive despite it all.

Passion is something you love. But it is more than that. Something that you are passionate about drives you. It inspires you. It lights the way when you can see nothing else.

I have spent a while today trying to figure out just which of my passions to tell you about. You know all about my passion for cooking. And probably my passion for design and art. I am sure I have posted about my love of learning languages and my drive to keep learning new things. If you’ve seen my instagram, you know I love to knit. If you work with me, or have seen me talk at a conference, you know that I am mighty passionate about the web. And my slight obsession with sci-fi (particularly Doctor Who).

And if you follow this project, you know one of my greatest passions is showing people that being in a less than perfect body is no reason for despair.

But then, I stumbled across this quote:

“Nerd. One whose unbridled passion for something, or things, defines who they are as a person, without fear of other people’s judgement.” – Zachary Levi

And it couldn’t be more perfect. For a long time, I didn’t talk to other people about the things I loved, because they weren’t cool. I liked making my own clothes in high school, but that meant that my dresses didn’t come from the fancy boutique the other girls shopped at for formal dances. In college, I kept my love for speaking French to myself for a while because it just wasn’t cool to read and watch movies in another language. I never told anyone I knew how to knit until celebrities started doing it.

I hid my passions and refused to fly my nerd flag.

Things are different now. I attend conferences about web design and WordPress and can’t wait to talk about them with anyone who will listen. I advocate for the food allergy and gluten-free communities at events all over the country. I knit in public. I give my art as gifts.

And I’ll even dress up as characters from my favorite TV show when the moment calls for it.

All of these things make my life interesting, they make me interesting and they give me something to look forward to.

What are you a so passionate about that you are a nerd? Share your answer on social media with the hashtag #100positive days on Twitter, Instagram and Google+. 

Also, you can sign up to be emailed a recap each week of the challenge.