Issue 9.12
What is a talent? The dictionary says the ability to do something well. Not just in the arts, you could be a great cook, hostess, friend, carpenter, seamstress or any other area. We each have a talent or two. Sometimes it seems easier to recognize talent/s in our children or grandchildren while we have a block discovering our own special abilities.
Who has time to develop their talents or interests? There is a time for everything and a season… (Ecclesiastes 3:1 )…great advice from the good book. As youth we are ready to go forth and conquer the world, do it all, have it all, experience everything. Then life comes with its demands. After high school, the future looms with too many choices. Some are overwhelming decisions-to go to college, get a job, marry or other options beckon. Eventually, you settle for one or two of the above. In the blink of an eye, your family is raised, careers are over and retirement is here. Perhaps you’ve been retired for decades and are facing the challenges of failing health, grieving for a lost spouse or loved one and/or dwindling finances.
Each person has some interest or talent that can be develop or ignored. Musical or artistic talents demand responsibility in learning the techniques involved and practicing them. Every interest needs attention and time to be developed. Woodworking, model building, golf, hunting, fishing, the list of interests and talents that can be pursued is endless. The problem is identifying your passion and making time in your life to pursue it whether you are busy with a career, homemaking or retired now. Talents can help your self worth rise, as you display and share your skills in quilting, scrap booking, genealogy, or taxidermy. Whatever it is that you love to do can enrich your life and the lives of others.
Do you have a responsibility to discover and develop your talents? Let’s use the word opportunity instead of responsibility to make it sound less like work. You do have to give yourself permission to explore what interests you have. Then see which of these is most enjoyable. There are many opportunities to try new skills: pickleball, biking, hiking, photography, computers or travel. The list is endless. So sit down today and explore what talents or interests you could develop. Then take responsibility to pursue your choice/s. Your kids and grandkids are watching your example. I’ve just discovered art journaling. NEXT TIME: A Sense of Humor Want to develop your creativity and find your voice? Take Lin’s class USE YOUR VOICE offered at Zion’s Way Integrative Healing Arts Center, every Wed 7-8 pm, cost $5, call for more info. 435 688-0648.