Good at everything

Don’t hate me because I’m good at everything.

I don’t believe I’m good at everything, even though my sister disagrees.  She thinks I’m amazing.  And she hates me for it (not really, more like in that kidding sort of way that siblings hate each other).  Don’t worry.  I hate her, too.

Unfortunately, Husband #1 didn’t like that I was good at everything.  He felt threatened by my successes and emasculated by my willingness to take on projects.  It was OK if I was successful, just as long as I wasn’t more successful than he was.

I’m not your traditional woman.  I come with my own tool box, a 10-inch circular saw, my own compound miter saw, and now I have an air-compressor and power nailer to add to my collection.  I’ve never met a tool I didn’t like.

Or a project…

I’ve laid hardwood flooring.  I’ve gardened, photographed, canned, baked, written, and cross-stitched.  I’ve spoken in public, comfortably.  I’ve trained others in difficult concepts.  I’ve chopped down towering pine trees.  I’ve painted kitchen cabinets.  I’ve installed ceiling fans.  I’ve sweated and grunted and used muscles I didn’t know existed.  I’ve also imagined, planned, and executed.  Sometimes I even finish what I’ve started.  Ok, most of the time…although there are things that have waited years for me to turn my attention back to them.

Basically, I’m not afraid to try.  I take calculated risks and have optimism that things will turn out in the end.  And I do my best to help that happen.  I read directions, ask experts for help, research solutions, use my brain, and, most importantly, I pour my heart into what I do.

So it’s not that I’m good at everything.  It’s that I’m willing to try everything.

And that is half the battle.