We Are All Winners

We Are All Winners--

I marvel at all the creative people in this world.  Now that fall is here, I see beautiful wreaths hanging on doors.  Someone had the idea and the skills to put those lovely wreaths together.  That is something I simply cannot do.  Put a glue gun in my hand, and everything becomes covered in glue.  After multiple attempts, I have finally given up on putting something pretty on my door--something that I made.  It always looks like such a mess.

Then there are the people who can paint.  They take a canvas, open tubes and jars of paint, gather brushes and begin to create.  When I watch, I am in awe of their talent.  They see things in their minds and then translate what they see to the canvas.  How do they know when they are finished?  How do they know that what they have on the canvas is exactly what should be there?  It is a wonder to me.  And I love to watch the creation take place.

Years ago I decided to take a beginning painting class.  I explained to the instructor that I had no experience in painting.  Knew none of the techniques he might ask us to use.  Knew nothing about mixing paint.  He assured me I would do fine.  So, I joined the class.  The group met at an old barn.  We were told to set up our area and begin painting what we saw.  I have never seen such a flurry of activity.  In a matter of minutes everyone was busy interpreting what they saw.  Colors and shapes appeared on paper.

And I stood there totally in the dark.  Where to start?  What did I see?  What color should I use? It became obvious that I was out of pocket.  These folks knew what to look for.  I did not.  So, when break time came, I gathered all my supplies, made my excuse and left.  I felt like such an absolute failure.  A sadness overtook me.  I wanted to cry. Why did I have such a reaction to this experience?  I think it might have to do with explaining my lack of knowledge but not being taken seriously.  How wonderful it would have been had the instructor taken just a few minutes to explain things to me.  That day I realized that painting or drawing was something I would never learn to do.  Simply a talent I was not given.

How about musicians?  Breaking into the music business must be one of the most difficult things in the world to do.  Yet, those who feel the music in their bones cannot give up that dream.  It overtakes all else.  They compose then redo the composition endless times.  They take any gigs they can so they can be seen and heard.  Their life revolves around the creativity in their souls.  I would imagine they see life in living colors.  Then they take those colors and transform them into music.  I so admire musicians.  They can no more stop creating and producing music than they can stop breathing.

Chefs are amazing.  Their food creations are not only beautiful, but they are also delicious.  They teach us how to make our evening meals look just like theirs.  Well, at least they try.  Honestly, who has time to do all the shopping and creating for a busy family?  I do enjoy browsing through cookbooks looking at the pictures of foods I have never seen in real life.  Did you ever read all the ingredients needed for some of their masterpieces?  However, they do inspire me to make my creations more appealing.  Nothing appealing about slapping a piece of bacon, a boiled egg and toast on a plate.  So, I appreciate knowing what to add to that to make it a food masterpiece.

Before we all become discouraged about what we cannot do, let's examine what we can do.

We can love others.  We can provide a loving home for our families.  We can select the best food to prepare for them.  We can take those children to school, to practices.  We can be available for friends.  We can take care of ourselves so that we are around for a long, long time.  They can learn new skills.  We can create a safe haven for those who enter our space.  We can let those we care about know that they are in our thoughts. We can take time to ourselves-even a few moments refresh our spirits.  We can count our blessings and be grateful.  We can encourage others who are struggling.

This list is a forever list.  It never ends.  While we recognize there are things we are not gifted to do, there are others we are.  We can develop those talents and skills.  We can continue to grow ourselves.

We often hear about winners and losers.  Well, we are all winners when we develop our own particular set of skills and talents.  We are all winners when we create a loving space for everyone.  We are all winners when we refuse to compare ourselves with others and their abilities.  We can celebrate others and ourselves at the same time.