Talent

This morning a friend sent me a recording of himself playing and singing one of my favorite songs. It's "Delicate" by Damien Rice. He does a fantastic job. The guitar work is nearly perfect. And surprisingly he has a really great voice (only surprising because I've never heard him sing before). It brought a huge smile to my face and put the song in my head all morning. I've listened to it several times already and marveled at all the hidden talent I didn't know this friend had.

This same morning Jeff showed me the finished fingerless glove that he's been working on for a while now. He finished it late last night and it's a beautiful thing. He designed the pattern, worked in the tiniest softest yarn I could imagine. He managed to repair it when he dropped several critical stitches on his last round. He's recreated it several time, always persistent, and has come away with something that's really wonderful.

With both of these things I'm reminded how incredible a thing it is to share talents. I've smiled all day because of two people who were willing to share their talents with me. I tend to be a private, hidden person. I'm generally guarded with my passions and interests. But today I'm seeing how much joy I could offer by sharing more. By offering my services and talents. And maybe I could bring a smile to someone's face.

Special Talent

I had a conversation this afternoon that got me thinking. My boss and I were chatting about things we're good at and he asked what my special talent was. And it threw me completely for a loop. I sat there dumbfounded. I struggled to think of something that I'm really fantastic at or something which surprises me about myself. I stammered out an answer that somewhat makes sense to me: I'm awfully good at telling stories. I make them up daily and tell them to myself, often in the car. But I rarely write them down.

But as I was driving home I started thinking about the things I'm good at. I'm a decent writer and an exceptional reader. I'm great at writing academic papers (a talent that's underused outside of academia). I'm a fairly decent knitter and I'm working to improve. I can juggle although not always with grace. And that's when it hit me.

I'm a terrific zombie. Being a zombie is my special talent. Now you're probably wondering how often one gets to use a talent like that. And I would have to answer every time my nephews and niece come to town. Our favorite game is to chase either other with Nerf guns or swords. Almost inevitably sometime during the game I will get killed. And then it's my turn to shine. I drag my left foot behind me (not a tough task for me), contort my face into a hideous expression (also not hard), and make a horrible guttural moan that has them running and screaming. I normally chase them until my voice gives out or until I get the magic kiss that turns me back human again. And then they beg me to start over.

So that's it. I'm a decent writer, storyteller, reader, juggler, knitter, and paper writer. But I'm an incredible zombie. Luckily this kind of talent has longevity. Who knows I may come back as a even better one. I've had a lot of practice.

What's your special talent?