There are a lot of skills I would have loved to have known in the past, from horseback riding, to fencing. Currently, I think the one I would most like would be painting or drawing more realistically. I draw and paint kind of when the mood strikes and let my imagination guide me to do whatever it wants.
If I try to draw or paint what I see it always ends up kind of a twisted flat version and not what I was picturing in my mind’s eye. I don’t really have the patience to do photo realistic work.
It takes a lot of time and small movements, and I have always been an outline and broad strokes type of artist. I guess if I wanted to do this badly enough, I could invest time and energy into it and probably get closer to realism.
So, on that note, I would have to say that maybe deep down, my desire for this skill isn’t that deep. Maybe a part of me likes the fact that I just wing it; that I let my mind decide what it wants to draw and that it is more stylistic than realistic.
Maybe a part of me is afraid to live and breathe reality. I have always been a bit of a dreamer and like to speculate and wander in my head to worlds unknown. Maybe realism isn’t really who I am, deep down.
I guess another skill I wish I could learn is managing stress and anxiety. I have learned how to do it somewhat. I certainly could be better at it. I have tools I use, but there are days where I could use a shoulder to cry on, or where I just reached my limit.
I put a lot of pressure on myself to not let people down, and sometimes, I cause that very thing to happen. I don’t like letting people down or making mistakes. But it is part of being human, and something that will happen. I wish it didn’t derail me so much. I wish I could just shrug it off and go about my day.
It bothers me when I let someone down, or make additional work for someone. It bothers me if I add stress or problems when I want to be helpful and take the burdens off people’s shoulders. Ultimately, it doesn’t do me or anyone else any good dwelling on the past or what went wrong. Only learning from it and trying not to make the same mistake is all that I can do.
I know I am far from perfect. I like to think I am quirky and charming in my own nerdy way, but I am not under the illusion that I am perfect, or even special or particularly talented in any one thing. I am and do strive to be a good person, to be kind, and caring, and to do the right thing. I try my best, and sometimes it isn’t good enough, and other times it is. I think it is important to not give up.
There are times where being stubborn isn’t the answer though. There are times when giving up is the right thing. I guess I would love to have the skill to communicate clearly with people and be charming enough that they would listen without the social anxiety or nervousness getting in the way.
I would like to do more than survive, but actually thrive in this world. I want to be seen and appreciated on some level, but I have a lot of fear that holds me back. I would most like to finish what I start. That follow through is really what holds me back sometimes.