10 Things I'm Good At

I have given both my boys, one especially...ahem.., many a little talk on the definition and importance of humility and how one absolutely must possess that quality in order to be a respectable person because nobody likes to be around a bragger and a know-it-all. I think that most of us develop a healthy dose of it as we get older but many times we take it to the other extreme by becoming our very own worst critics.  I'm definitely guilty of that one.  


Not many a day goes by that I don't mentally beat myself up over something I deem a shortcoming.  So when I first saw Stasha's Listicles topic for today, inspired by Mommy Padawan, my first thought was there's no way I can list ten things I'm good at. But then I reminded myself of the fact that I have also given my boys many a talk on the importance of owning a healthy faith and respect in oneself during the times when they are beating themselves up over something they deem a personal failure of their own, which is why I have decided to take this challenge on.  Here goes...

10 Things I'm Good At

1. Winging it.  I've never been a big planner or organizer of details and although I often panic a little when I'm asked to do something on the fly, I can usually pull it off successfully, as long as you're not asking me to do something absurd like speak in front of a large group of people! 

2. Remembering important dates and numbers.  It is a rarity for me to forget someone's birthday or phone number.  Once I file it away in my memory, it's likely going to stay there.  Forever.  

3. Gift giving/thoughtfulness.  I take this very seriously and have been known to spend hours choosing the perfect gift and/or card for someone's special occasion.  There's no better feeling to me than seeing a face light up and knowing that I got it right.

4. Decorating a room.  I'm a very visual person so my eyes are always scanning the room for improvements.  I only actually change things around at my own house though.  Unless someone asks me of course and then I'm happy to pounce right on that.    

5. Recalling conversations word for word.  I'm an introvert married to an extrovert who is a good storyteller of moments past. But since he can't always remember the exact details or words that were actually used, I'm handy to have around.  Or possibly annoying, depending on how you look at it.  

6. Spelling and grammar.  Don't ask me to help you understand the laws of logarithms or to determine the area of your parallelogram, but if you need to know how to spell a word or determine whether to use their, there, or they're, I'm your woman.  

7. Reading people. I can usually tell when something is weighing heavy on someone's mind or just not sitting right with them, even when they won't admit it and have everyone else fooled.  


8. Listening. I'm very good at listening without talking over someone and offering up words of compassion or encouragement without judgement. 
  
9. Seeing all sides. We've all heard that saying, There are three sides to every story...his, hers, and the truth.   I pride myself on my open mindedness and the ability to see and understand why someone may feel the way that they do even when my own opinion differs.  


10. Adapting/Carrying on. I've weathered some storms in my life that could have shut me down but I possess a quiet inner strength and faith that has always been able to push me back to the surface and fill me with life again. 

And there ya have it, ten things I like to think I'm pretty darn good at.  It was easier than I thought it'd be.


Now it's your turn! I know you want to tell me.