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Day’s Verse:
And not only this, but we exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
Romans 5:3-5
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I need you — yes, you, dear reader, even you lurkers who read but never comment (I’m sure there are, oh, dozens of you) — to help me out with a project. The project is top-secret, so I can’t explain why I need this, but trust me: The project makes this request practical and not as egotistical or praise-seeking as the request will sound all by itself. That said, my request is for you to answer the following question:
What am I, Katie, good at?
What are my skills? Rule nothing out (except the inappropriate; this is a PG-rated blog after all), dig deep into what you know of me, give me some food for thought.
When I think of my skills, they seem so puny and ubiquitous: I can ride long distances. Great, me and else on two wheels — and most of them are faster than me. I can write tolerably well. Super, so can literally millions of other people. So I’m asking for you to honestly help me out here with something I’m not that good at: Realistic self-assessment.
I did add a bit to my skill set today by riding on ice pretty much the whole way to work. When we got outside the parking lot was a skating rink (albeit a really lousy one), and I worried about riding safely through the ice or the slush that formed as cars drove on the ice. I needn’t have worried. My studded tires kept me not only stable but more stable than when I was on foot. I never slipped, but I did take the precautions of riding slowly and braking primarily with the rear brake. It feels so good every time I face and conquer a little bit of my fear.
So critical thinking seems to be a skill of yours. Breaking down the goods and the bads of any writing or communication put out there.
Also, I’m sure writing is a serious gift you have. I’ll think some more on this one.
I would say your skills are definitely the following (and much more I am sure, but this is what comes to mind right now!)
– I second Marty on critical thinking. You are amazing at pulling the facts out of complicated literature and making sense of them and developing really solid arguments or even just thoughts about them.
– Perseverance. You do not give up when you have a goal in mind, whether figuring out a solution for bike riding, or even just being able to look beyond drawbacks of situations like a non-ideal job or teeny (though cute!) basement apartment kitchen and make the very best of things and stay loyal to them.
– Creativity. I remember your collage shelves, your amazing ability to find new uses for recycled objects, and just being able to see things beyond what’s on the surface.
– Environmental conscientiousness.
– Excellent vocabulary and writing skills, both creatively and technically.
– Appreciation for nature and respect for material goods. You are probably the most conservative person I know in terms of making use of things to their very fullest potential. You’re not one to buy or throw out frivolously, but you’re able to buy things when they’re needed (or really wanted!). You stop to appreciate beauty with your camera, and I think this shows you appreciate the little things and the big things in your life.
– You are true to your faith and devoted to pursuing knowledge and peace through faith, willing to pass control to God when things worry you. This shows that you recognize that you are strong and independent, yet also willing to admit if you don’t understand something or need guidance.
– You are good at being organized, both in information and in your life in general.
– You are good at speaking your mind.
…if I think of more I will let you know!
KT,
I would ditto the comments above. In addition, some that come to mind for me are:
-You take pride in a job well done.
-You are motivated for self-improvement.
-You apply yourself with energy to whatever task is in front of you.
-You are inquisitive.
-You are interesting to talk to.
-You are a quick thinker (unlike me).
-You have outstanding language skills. There are many sub-categories for this, such as report writing, fiction writing, editing, etc.
-You have a good eye for photography.
-You haven’t expressed it a whole lot, but you are pretty good at graphic art. For example, the sweatshirt you made for me.
-You tend to form opinions quickly. This can be good and bad, but it is good if, for example, you happen to be a movie critic, or if you are a quality control inspector, or if you are commenting on any kind of work someone else has done. There is nothing worse than a wishy-washy critic.
-I am sure you have many specific skills I don’t know about, such as facility with Adobe Acrobat (OK, I knew that one).
What a fun post. So many things already listed that I wholeheartedly agree with, but I’ll try to add my own anyway, or at least paraphrase them.
– Katie, you’re great at identifying worthwhile causes and giving meaningful support to them in creative ways
– Katie, you are excellent at showing hospitality. In my experience, this means making people feel welcome and enjoyed in your presence, reaching out to people (through letters across a continent, or through interactive posts on a blog), and valuing their involvement in your life.
– Katie, you value your family and relationships. It’s not an accomplishment-oriented strength, but I bet there are a lot of renowned, retired individuals out there who wish they had been more like you in their love for the people in their lives.
– Katie, you are good at putting blue slugs in your posts.
I think I mean by that, to say that you’re creative. But that’s already been said. Also, that you find little ways to make yourself and others smile. Which, I think has also been said.
– Katie, you are funny. Clever, to be precise, a sharp humor that makes it okay to laugh at yourself and others in our absurdities, while remaining kind.
– Katie, you are brave. any day you go out in the snow is sufficient for me to call brave. But I am sure even compared to others who would live or bike in frozen environments, that you are still notably adventurous.
– Katie, you excel at being modest. Which probably makes reading these comments interesting – must be a good project. I want to remind you that with billions of people on the planet, the odds are slim that you are going to possess any skills that are not shared with millions of others. BUT, you have a definitely unique combination of strengths, which makes you stand out even among all of the exceptional writer-scientist-cyclists in the world. You are set apart in my mind as one of the most intelligent, sophisticated, genuine people I know, to a degree that would be intimidating were it not for your warmth and love for Jesus.