Doing what you're good at (a letter to Beth)
Beth, I hope you don't mind me saying this, but when you first started to cook, there were some true "fails." I particularly remember a round of pretzels that hurt my face. The knitting, the fabric stuff, and the art seemed to be different. Like you were good at it from the start, and then just got better. When you made me Chariot the Dragon (a ferocious but kind dragon, for those not in the know), it was one of your first, but totally spot-on. And it seemed like you started to knit and spin wool at the same time, across the hall from me in our home.
You worked at the cooking though, a lot, and now are a maestro. I miss you, living very far away in Wisconsin, and I miss your lovely breads and stews. And you continued to work at making art. I remember when I visited you, and you had sold your first piece. What a brilliant thing.
Your recent email to me got me thinking about what "we" should do with our lives. Do we find what we're good at, and build on that talent? Or do we say, screw it if I stink at it, and work at it until I get good? I know it's often more fun to do what we're good at, too, so I think most people choose the former. It, however, maybe isn't as gratifying. Maybe not as shifting.
I think I do what I'm good at, and have always been drawn doing what I'm good at. In the past year or so, though, I've started painting. I started off very, very bad, but this year I made Christmas cards (Hanukah cards?). I still think I lack a certain aesthetic sense, but, I'm getting better. I'm getting back.
Maybe, instead of, "Do something that scares you every day" we can "Do something that you are objectively terrible at every day." At least it's a start.
Beth, you can park your school bus on my lawn any day (any of you out there can, I suppose, if you had a school bus, as Beth will). Thanks for the inspiration, chica.
Love,
Emma
You worked at the cooking though, a lot, and now are a maestro. I miss you, living very far away in Wisconsin, and I miss your lovely breads and stews. And you continued to work at making art. I remember when I visited you, and you had sold your first piece. What a brilliant thing.
Your recent email to me got me thinking about what "we" should do with our lives. Do we find what we're good at, and build on that talent? Or do we say, screw it if I stink at it, and work at it until I get good? I know it's often more fun to do what we're good at, too, so I think most people choose the former. It, however, maybe isn't as gratifying. Maybe not as shifting.
I think I do what I'm good at, and have always been drawn doing what I'm good at. In the past year or so, though, I've started painting. I started off very, very bad, but this year I made Christmas cards (Hanukah cards?). I still think I lack a certain aesthetic sense, but, I'm getting better. I'm getting back.
Maybe, instead of, "Do something that scares you every day" we can "Do something that you are objectively terrible at every day." At least it's a start.
Beth, you can park your school bus on my lawn any day (any of you out there can, I suppose, if you had a school bus, as Beth will). Thanks for the inspiration, chica.
Love,
Emma
