Thursday, April 24, 2014

Journal Day: Strengths and Abilities

"Quite simply, what are you good at? All of us have particular strengths- what are yours? This week, talk about these talents, big or small. Ideas: discuss how you use these things in your daily life or job, how you discovered a knack for this or that, perhaps even touch on whether or not you are passionate about the things you're good at."

This was a fun Journal Day prompt to consider.  It's all very subjective, of course, but I enjoyed taking a few moments to catalog the things I am good at and enjoy doing.  Here is a brief list of what I would consider some of my strongest talents:

  • Surprisingly to me, I'm good at running.  It's a talent that I discovered relatively recently in the grand scheme of things, and even though I'm sorry that it took me so long to find it, I'm really glad to be a runner now.  I may not be very fast, but I've got the endurance, and there are few things I love more than hitting the pavement with some good tunes (low enough so I can hear my footsteps and breathing, of course) and getting out a few miles.  I adore organized races too and am always looking for opportunities to participate.
  • I know a lot about food.  Partly because my I've gained a ton of knowledge at work, but partly because I'm just plain interested!  I can tell you the perfect ripeness of almost any fruit or vegetable and provide the best wine, cheese, and bread paring for your get together.  I've always enjoyed watching other people cook and have fond memories of hanging out in the kitchen while watching my mother bake all sorts of delectable goodies as a kid.  I'm also a pretty good cook, and I'm working on improving my skills with practice and by utilizing the wisdom I've gained to become even better in the kitchen.
  • I love to write.  I always have.  My ability to express myself via the written word got me published in Northern Illinois University's Towers, the English Department's Literary and Creative Arts magazine, two years in a row.  Oddly enough, I actually enjoyed writing most of the papers I was assigned in college and have produced many personal projects over the years.  No matter where I am or where I have gone in life, my love for writing has never waned and I hope that even twenty or thirty years from now, I'm still sharing my thoughts via the written word.
  • I have a knack for music.  From piano lessons when I was a kid, to playing the clarinet all througrh middle school and high school (you can read about my history with music here and here), music has been in my life for almost as long as I can remember.  I am still working on getting reacquainted with music, but adore the digital piano that resides in our apartment and hope to spend more time playing it from here on out.
I think it's really great to celebrate all of the things that we are good at, our talents and abilities.  If you think about it, there are over seven billion unique individuals on the planet--we all have our own great strengths and different, interesting areas of expertise.

(Looking forward to reading all of the great responses at Sometimes Sweet.)

2 comments:

  1. Great list! I know what you mean about running. I always hated it growing, but once I started doing it as an adult, I found out it's actually pretty great. I might even call it fun. Maybe it has something to do with not wearing PE shorts.

    Hooray for celebrating our talents!

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    1. Haha, I think that must be it! Thank you for your comment! :)

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