The Best Advice

-I am oddly proud (though have never told anyone) that once when I was probably 9 years old my sister wrote an essay and needed to know the word count. she was stressed and had a lot to do, so I agreed to do it for her — I counted every word and wrote down how many were in each sentence (she had a gnarly high school English teacher) and… read the essay at the same time. she was shocked when I handed it to her and said “why DID Brutus hate Caesar?”

-I also have developed a small skill of which I’m rather fond — when I come across something that would make a good present, I write it down. I have a note full of URLs and names of novels etc, with the name of the person(s) it would suit. when the holiday/birthday rolls around, it’s so helpful. like a tiny gift from my old self!

-I’m fluent now, but even when I first started learning French I had little trouble with the tricky pronunciations (their “r” and “u” etc.) it’s something I cherish — I believe it’s because I can mimic people very well (their inflections and emotion in speech). when I was a kid I could make my little sister cry laughing with imitations of movie characters and friends.

These comments have made me so happy! I think I love you all! I can recognize the voices of actors in commercial voiceovers — every time!, I read really fast (but don’t remember all that well, sadly), can drive stick, parallel park, and can generally understand people who speak another language (even though I only speak English) – maybe it’s the inflection? It’s weird, but has come in really useful! I also rock at Bananagrams and Scattergories. My family is sick of me winning. Must be from all of that fast reading!

Thank you Cup of Jo for creating a space where we can all share what we’re good at! Why is it a faux pas to talk about our talents, or what makes us special? You are all amazing.
My random talents are:
– I can find anything. If I misplace something, I’ll find it. Even if I am in a house where I don’t live and I have never even seen the thing that has been misplaced, I will find it. I just know exactly where to look – it’s weird!
– I’m great at navigating. I almost never get lost and I’m great with maps. I have some kind of internal compass so I always know which direction I’ve come from and/or need to go. I also have a photographic memory for landmarks, so if I go somewhere once I will always remember how to get there.

I can whip up a meal from random bits and ends and kids + animals tend to immediately trust me.

I can write backwards in cursive. It’s a good trick with the kids, especially now that less & less of them are learning cursive!

I can talk to anyone, about anything. I never get starstruck or shy. I’m good at asking questions that haven’t been asked before. I am objective in nearly everything I do. And I know that there’s some clause in the motherhood contract that says we can’t sing our own praises but I am good at motherhood. Honestly nearly everything in my life outside of motherhood is a hot ass mess but I’m doing a bang up job with this kid!

– I can slice a cucumber super fast: multiple roommates have commented
– I always pack a lunch, without fail I always find something in the cupboard to take for lunch
– I am a swift stick shift driver
– I give meaningful gifts, the ideas just come to me
– I love public speaking and feel my best presenting
– I can often make jokes come full circle- somehow tying in a funny moment from earlier in the evening later on- these are my favourite kind of witty remarks!
Thanks for this opportunity, this was really fun to think about and I got lots of inspiration from others. This is my first time commenting, I don’t know what finally struck me to be apart of the community instead of just observing.

To be honest the comments are the best part of it…

I had so much fun reading the comments for this post! More, please!
I thought about my “talents” and came up with…
I can anything backwards even when it’s upside down.
My brother and I have been able to “throat sing/talk” since we were very young. Adults think we’re weirdos, but kids are wildly amused and eager to learn. Even babies are intrigued if we don’t speak too low or too loud, lol!
I can pronounce pharmaceutical and generic medicine names. To me, the names sound like a bunch of tipsy 10-year olds got really silly!
I am able to take control of a chaotic situation; becoming a total boss within seconds, and surprisingly everyone listens and obeys without question!
And finally; almost anyone will reveal their desires or secrets to me (sometimes it’s DEEP, DEEP/DARK, DARK stuff that can get “therapy and/or prison” scary fast!). It saddens me to consider the amount of pain that exists around me. I don’t think I could ever be a therapist, a cop, or clergy…what a responsibility!

So great to laugh at a personally tough time, thank you, all!
I am a master at finding things my family misplaces in the house/car/yard. I think this comes from many years of searching for a lost hard contact lens in almost any situation.
I drop into a book while reading and block out the world (and often need to!)
Alternately, I can give an impromptu speech to a large group of people and make them laugh.
I write an authentic condolence card. The key: Think deeply about the person impacted, their loved one/experience and write the note when you are ready. Grief is timeless. There is no deadline for sharing your love.

Thanks for this exercise, it helps against my current negative self-talk. My talents: I am reading really fast and can understand several languages. I am obsessed with etymologies. I make people at ease and am a good listener.
I can cook and bake decentely without measurements. I am very proud of myself for always choosing the right pasta.

I looooove reading these!

I am a whiz at spelling and have a huge vocabulary – comes from lots of reading as child, I believe.
I am a pro at getting stains out of clothes and fabric!
I have magic hands for back rubs and neck rubs – my friends and family love it when I give them and my hands just seem to know what to do.
I rarely get lost because I have an excellent sense of direction – always know which way is north, etc.

As a mom of 2, one still a baby, I usually do not have the luxury of going on a walk by myself, but Easter Sunday, I had the chance, and I don’t know what it was, maybe the weather, maybe the cute dress I had just put on, or that I had just gotten up from a nap, or maybe because I was chatting with my mom on the phone with no one to interupt, maybe it was the delightful cup of coffee i was drinking, or maybe it was just the fact that I was ALONE on a walk…or a combination of ALL of those things, but it was one of the best feelings I had in a long time, total contentment.

Years of working in fine dining has taught me how to rock a white polyester button down like I’m on the cover of Vogue. Roll the cuffs to just above the bend of elbow, tuck the correct amount into slacks/apron, button all the way up if wearing bright lipstick and earrings, leave unbuttoned if wearing necklace. Thank me later :)

I write beautiful songs.

I’m really good at knowing the actors in movies, even if I haven’t seen the movie before.
I also make a mean caramel cookie cake that is the requested dessert at most family gatherings.

I can make soup out of anything. You give me a nearly empty fridge and pantry, and I can turn it into soup. Really good soup! And I can turn anything into a song. This is a talent which my 5 year old has inherited as he SANG his bedtime book last night a la Gregorian chants. It was fantastic.

I can make good decisions in a blink. Dating to engaged – 1 week. Choosing a wedding dress – over my lunch hour. Engaged to married – 4 months (the venue wasn’t ready sooner and still happily married 8+ years later). Which house to buy – only looked at one and love it more each day. Selecting glasses at the eye doctor – 5 minutes. What to eat on the menu – 1 minute.

I always knew that Cup of Jo has the best comment section on the whole internet, but this time you broke the bank, ladies. Thank you all for making the world a better place with your lovely random talents <B

I can find four leaf clovers anytime I look! It feels like magic

Also this doesn’t your question but re: advice–the best advice I ever got was from my dad, who always tells me to “use the right tools for the job.” It sounds so obvious, but you know when you’re trying to fix a loose screw and you’re using your fingernail or a butter knife and it doesn’t work and it’s so annoying, but then you find your screwdriver and it takes two seconds and works perfectly? Just a micro-example, but it applies to everything. The right tools work better and take less time, even if it takes a few extra seconds to hunt them down at the outset.

People confide in me. I don’t know why — I myself am very private. But I am routinely amazed at what people tell me (and sometimes things I wish they wouldn’t have shared!). I also make the best scrambled eggs. And I am very good at making order out of chaos, whether we’re talking about organizing a room or figuring out what to do in difficult or confusing situations of all kinds.

I can make phone calls no problem, and I am excellent at the game Set.

I have small interior design talents, like hanging pictures the first time (even on a gallery wall!) without ever measuring or laying them out, or I can recognize when a space is missing something and think of what to add to make it feel ~right~.

And similarly, I am good at figuring out in groups of people when things don’t feel right–if someone is left out, if the mood is off, or if we’re missing something or someone.

So maybe physically and emotionally, I can read a room?

Hiya! I was just curious, I haven’t seen a lot of Kim Rhodes’ work as of late? Is she still here?

In order of gravity…
I can ‘weigh’ butter by eye, like within two grams.
I can always find the end of the sellotape
I can predict when rain is going to start and how heavy it will be, and more importantly, living in Ireland, when it is NOT going to rain, and it is time to get out for a walk.
I can distract children having meltdowns long enough for their carer to get the situation under control.
I can sit with people through grief and listen and not feel uncomfortable and without trying to cheer them up or ‘fix things’,

I think mine might be that I’m good at making friends as an adult! I always read people saying it’s so hard but I’ve moved to a new place 3 times in my 20’s and each time I’ve made friends pretty quickly! And mixed them so that they have become friends with each other too.
(The opposite of most people because through school and university I struggled with friends and always felt like a peripheral member of the friend groups I was in.)