Lucky!

Some things I'm willing to 'work hard' to learn.

Some things I wish I just knew already, no hard work necessary.

I do not play a musical instrument. I wish I did. If I played an instrument, it would probably be piano first, then acoustic guitar and third, drum set. After these three, I'd get more exotic (at least exotic for someone who doesn't play an instrument at all) and play the stand up bass and then maybe the cello.

I do not paint but if I did, I'd choose watercolors. I love the soft lines, the gradients of color, the mood it puts me in. Watercolor paintings makes me think of rain. I also wish I knew how to do colored pencil art and maybe pastels as well.

Frankly it isn't from lack of 'starting' but it is from lack of staying. I do not really want the hard work of learning and hours of practice. I have taken violin, guitar and sax lessons but honestly it was just too much work. I tried teaching myself piano since there was a spare one sitting in my dining room but again, no. I gave up quickly.

I've also been in a couple of art classes. It just didn't stick.

If I were Samantha Stevens, I could just wiggle my nose and play great music, sing moving songs, create stunning pieces of art. I could ice skate and french cook, speak french and fly airplanes. The problem with the nose wiggling technique is there's no earning involved.

How proud can I be of myself for playing beautiful music if I didn't have to 'work' to get there? My head so easily creates a list of the things I wish, but am not willing to work for. Yet, when I try to think of the things I have worked hard to learn, I'm coming up blank. This seems wrong. I know there must be things that I know. Something, something.... Then it hit me. It's because they never felt like work.

For instance, I am a photographer. I know a lot about photography, at least the old school, delayed gratification, black and white style of photography. I know how to manipulate the light exposure, the depth of field, the shutter speed and aperture. I know how to develop my own film, blow it up on an enlarger and process my own prints. It didn't come naturally, or with a wiggle of anything but it never, ever seemed hard or like work. I couldn't wait to get back into the dark room, or get outside and snap more pictures. It is the most incredible fun. The 'work' of learning, energized my desire to learn more. To get better and better and better. It didn't come naturally but it came very easily and freely. It never felt like a struggle or a chore.

That's the stuff. The tasks in life that we are happy to do, for hours, for days at a time. The things in life we feel lucky to do. The stuff we can't wait to get back to and the rest of our lives just seems to get in the way of.

I am so grateful for the things in life that I 'get' to do.