Things I'm Really Good At

Dancing. lol tho, this is so not true.

To balance out last Monday's post, I thought I'd better talk about some things I'm really good at so we can all accept and appreciate me for my flaws AND virtues. Also, only talking and thinking about things you're bad at gets depressing very quickly. So happy thoughts today, kids!

1. Making mixes. Not to toot my own horn (ok, who am I kidding, that's what this post is all about), but I'm kind of excellent at making music mixes. Roadtrips, rainy days, game nights, you name it and I can make a mix that will set your world on fire. Or at least gently blow a warm breeze across your world.

2. Baking. It's my jam. Pun intended. If my skills in the world of baked goods lack in one area, it's that I'm not great at making frosting look pretty on cupcakes.  But no one has ever complained about the flavor. In fact, my tasty treats are best enjoyed sitting down, as people are prone to fainting with joy after a few bites. Yes, I am grossly exaggerating.

3. Napping. Practice makes perfect, people. And if there's one thing I've been practicing for a quarter of a century, it's napping. 20 minute nap? No problem. 2 hour nap? Even better. 12 hour night's sleep? Step into my office.  Most days I can get by without taking a nap but anyone who knows me in real life knows that I am crankier than a wet cat if I don't get to snooze on Sunday afternoons.

4. Hypochondria.  Give me a twinge or an ache and after two minutes of intense Googling, I will have diagnosed myself with a terrible disease.  I've become even better at it since I got a smartphone. If my calculations are correct, I currently have no less than 3 serious medical conditions, only one of which is terminal. If there's one thing I can thank my anxiety for, it's that it's made me much more efficient at jumping to drastic conclusions. /sarcasm.

5. Organizing closets. My room may not always be neat as a pin but I cannot rest unless my closet is organized.  This means clothes arranged by color and season, shoes paired and lined up.  I will happily organize your closet for you for a small fee.

6. Having one hundred hobbies.  Can someone be really good at being adequate? Or is that too much of an oxymoron? If I have any special skill, it’s that I’m ok in everything while excelling in little.  That’s not like an awkward insult or some veiled plea for compliments.  I can paint, draw, garden, swim, cook, bike, decorate, take photographs, sing, play the piano, speak French but I’m not like really really awesome at any one of those things. I’m an expert at dabbling, if you will. While it would be cool to be like a secret musical genius or the next Annie Leibovitz, I’m actually ok with my across the board mediocrity.  Except baking, because I’m clearly amazing at that.

7. Spelling. One of the highlights of my life was winning the school spelling bee in eighth grade. I placed third in the district and that was without really doing any studying (she said, braggingly). I probably could have gone to state and then the national but I was too busy having ninety-nine other hobbies way cooler than spelling.

8. Being single. Again, one of those things that just comes naturally after years of practice.  Recently out of a relationship? Come up to the mountain and receive my wisdom, grasshopper. I have freshly baked cookies.

9. Finding other people’s things.  You know when you lose something and you’re tearing your house apart looking for it because you have no idea where you put it last? Me too. Except I have this weird knack for being able to find things for other people. If I lose my glasses, I’m toast. But if you’ve lost yours, I’ll probably be able to find them for you.

10. Figuring out what I don’t want to do with my life.  If you had to analyze the way I live my life, you could say I use the process of elimination. There are probably quicker ways to find your niche but so far I just keep finding all the things I’m not suited for. I think after another 20 years of living and working in various places, I’ll be about 50% closer to figuring it out. But we all know how bad I am at math so don’t bet on it.

What are you amazing at? Brag about yourselves, friends. Make me jealous of your mad skills! Show me how lucky I am to have you as a reader! (Just kidding, I know I'm pretty lucky. Thanks, you sweet thing.)

-----

Top photo of Fred Astaire by Bob Landry, published in LIFE magazine, 1945