My posts lately have been downers, or at least intense. I want to switch moods right now. Lest everyone think I’m a depressed loser 100% of the time I’d like to write about things I’m good at. There are quite a few. Here are some in no particular order.
1. Knitting. I happen to be an excellent knitter. I started knitting when I was 6, and knit all of my life although I did take off major chunks of time when I was involved in other activities. I am good at most crafts – sewing, embroidery, needlepoint, stained glass mosaics, beaded jewelry, cake decorating, scrapbooking, etc. I’m not an artist at all, I can’t draw, paint, do ceramics, things like that, but I love creative activities and I’m good at them. I’ll post some pics this week and you can see.
2. Computer stuff. Figuring out software and hardware, learning how things work and how computers are put together. Fixing things when they go wrong. Computers “talk” to me. If there is an error, if something is frozen, I just sit with the computer for a while and eventually things get put right. I’m not sure how I know how to do it, I just figure it out. I’ve always been good at putting things together. I guess because I can read directions and figure them out. Growing up I was always the one who put things together and fixed things in my house, and I’m still the one who does it in my current family.
3. Listening to people. I love to listen to people. Give me a stranger and a couple of hours and I’ll know their whole life story, the way they feel about things, things they like to do. People really like to talk about themselves and they love when someone shows an interest in them and in their work and family. I know just the right questions to ask to keep them talking about themselves (and therefore not about me!) Sometimes I get myself in too deep however, and I can’t get away from them. Lately whenever I go out with a friend or family member I make a mental note during our conversation to see how much of the time is spent talking about them. It’s usually at least 75%, often more. I feel more comfortable talking about them than me, so this is perfect for me.
4. Helping people. I am lucky that I have the time and flexibility in my life to be able to come to the aid of others. Friends, family, strangers, organizations, whatever is needed I’m always happy to help. I volunteer for a lot of things, the most important of which is my job as a court appointed advocate for a foster child. I’ve been advocating for my child for over 2 and 1/2 years now. He is 14 years old and I see him every week. He is one of the most important things in my life. It’s a big job, but I also take on the smallest of tasks if someone asks me for help. Lately I’ve been asked by various friends to help them with their knitting, pick out paint colors for their bathroom, drive their child to school, and teach them microsoft excel.
5. Organization. I am a master of organization. You probably wouldn’t know it by looking at my house, but I have systems upon systems. I help other people get organized too. I can be lazy and procrastinate at times, but I’m a good time manager in general.
6. Cooking. I love to cook and try new recipes. I used to think this wasn’t really a talent, but my daughter told me “Anyone can follow a recipe, but that doesn’t mean the food will come out good.” You can’t argue with a 16 year old, can you? Cooking for my family isn’t really enjoyable, because of their pickiness. No one likes the same thing. And I don’t eat much, a yogurt for dinner is fine with me. But I like to have friends over to cook for, and then I make big fancy meals with yummy desserts. Or I’ll get a craving to cook something, so I’ll cook it, take one bite, and give it away. Just like knitting, I’m a process cooker, not a product cooker.
Tags: strengths
January 20th, 2009 at 10:36 am
Yummy, that pie looks gooooood! And on listening to people – hmmmm. I do that too, but more because I don’t like to talk. That’s an amazing skill to have, and I applaud you for it!
January 20th, 2009 at 7:41 pm
Thanks e, it is a good skill to have isn’t it? And like you, it’s helpful when I don’t want to talk about myself.