Hidden Talents

Ever get an email that just puts a huge smile on your face? Sure you have. We all have. I got one this morning. It put a smile on my face and set me thinking, a sometimes dangerous proposition, I assure you. :)

We all have hidden talents, don't we? To the world, we're one thing...doctor, lawyer, Indian chief, author... But behind that "one public persona" we have so much more. Some people paint. Others dance or sing or garden or--who knows?--make origami birds. (Don't laugh. Have you ever tried making origami birds? It's not as easy as it looks!) Others, like this author friend of mine who gave me something to think about with her gorgeous photos, sew.

This woman makes quilts that are beyond pretty. They're breathtaking, the kind that make you forget they are scraps of fabric and not living, breathing art. She's got talent, besides her writing talent (and of course the many other talents she has, most of which are also probably hidden!), but for the most part she keeps it hidden. She sews like the wind and I can't help but be overwhelmed. I sew, too, but nothing like she does. She's good. Really, really good.

So this morning her email sharing her latest creation just made my day. Put a smile on my face, gave me a mind picture that I'll come back to again and again, and gave me something to think about. Hidden talents. Now when I pass someone on the street I don't think I'll be able to help myself...I'll wonder what his or her hidden talent is.

Oh, and me? I play the piano. I don't tell a lot of people that I do, but I do. I love to play and, if I do say so myself, I'm pretty good at it. Not orchestra good, but more than passable. But that's a talent I pretty much keep to yourself.

What about you? What talents do you keep hidden? :)