Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge: A Unique Talent You Have

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A sketch of a heart in an otherwise blank notebook Not everything in our world is poetic or beautiful by any means, but my unique talent is finding the poetry and beauty in situations that at first glance do not seem to have a silver lining in them at all.

I’ll give you all a few examples of what I mean.

Years ago, I needed to go through some medical tests for a potentially life-threatening health condition that I was ultimately found not to have. While the technician was performing the ultrasound and taking notes of what she was finding, I quietly came up with pleasant thoughts about how the thump of my heart on the monitor sounded like something you’d expect to hear in a submarine as it dove deep into the calm, blue sea.

When my spouse and I went through financial trouble many years ago and had no money to spare for frivolities of any sort, I made taking long walks my chief form of entertainment and imagined that all of the trees were whispering delicious forest secrets to each other as the humans passed by unobtrusively below. It was honestly just was much fun as going to the movies or buying junk food and other things we couldn’t afford!

More recently, there were some protests here in Toronto earlier this year that clogged up some of our most important streets in the hospital district of the city. I imagined the sound of their angry voices on megaphones and the incessant beeping of their vehicles passing down the street while on their way to their destination were a warning from some future version of Toronto where such things were now commonplace.

This isn’t to say that i ignore the very real troubles we all go through or expect other people to think about scary life events the same way I do by any means. I simply find it easier to deal with them if I can make up whimsical stories about them in my head once I’ve done everything I can to change the situation.

Why worry excessively if there’s truly nothing else you can do in the moment? I think it’s better to look for the good in those moments if you can.

 

20 Comments

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20 Responses to Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge: A Unique Talent You Have

  1. I love this. I am constantly telling my kids to look for the good in every situation. It doesn’t take from the seriousness of the situation but helps to put it in perspective.

  2. Ha! Beautiful Wife and I used to a version of this when people were being unpleasant. Like:

    {car whips over and cuts me off, then brakes hard and turns into a grocery store parking lot}

    Me: “Wow. That was–”

    Beautiful Wife: “Probably has a wife at home with a colicky kid, hasn’t slept in three days, and just found out they’re out of diapers.”

    Me: “Yeah, probably.”

    (Or… at the start of the pandemic we ordered a bunch of little ceramic garden decorations: tiny hedgehogs and owls and little mushroom houses. Then we went around to nearby houses where we knew they had kids and arranged them in little scenes in the front yard. Whimsy may not always help, but it never hurts…)

  3. Such a wonderful gift. It’s not an easy thing to do.

  4. A great talent. I told my kids the same thing when they were young. An example… we were out of power for several days due to a hurricane, and I told them to pretend we were having an adventure in Little House days. My daughter (16 at the time), put her hands on her hips and said, “Mama, do you have to be so cheerful ALL. THE. TIME??” My post is here if you want to stop by.

  5. What a wonderful talent to have! I think being able to calm oneself and find peace in any situation is truly a unique and wonderful thing. It makes life SO much easier to deal with.

    Susan
    http://www.blogginboutbooks.com

  6. That is a special talent indeed! It sure isn’t easy for most of us to stop worrying.

  7. This is a wonderful talent. Very beautiful. I tried to do that during Covid, it really helped keep me sane.

  8. That is a great talent to have, and definitely one I wish I had!

  9. That is a great talent. I can remember doing a similar thing when I had a CT scan a couple of years ago.

  10. That’s a talent to cherish indeed. I wonder if its something that is used as a technique for people who are experiencing depression or anxiety?

    • Thank you, BookerTalk. I have struggled with anxiety and depression. I have no idea if it’s a technique that’s recommended for those illnesses, although I can see how they’d be helpful for sure.

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