Talents anyone????

I read an article yesterday that got me thinking about talents….Some of us have talents that others are envious of, I wonder if the following are some of them:

Butt dialing…I’ve heard of many who can do this effortlessly…I’m not one of them

Armpit farting…not my talent either…Yours?

Knitting…that’s a good one to try….

Thinking outside the box…wow I’m too narrow visional for this one….but then again, I heard a story about an e-mail sent in asking that the deer crossing sign be moved to a better location since there was too much traffic for it to be in that area…..Nope not envious, but very amused!!!

Whistling…Well, I can get one or two sounds out in a row then I’m finished…some can whistle a whole song in key…Now that’s a worthy goal, but I’ve practiced every since my embarrassment in grade school where we had a relay race and as one part of it had to eat a cracker and then whistle before moving on…well, those of us… a.k.a Me…who couldn’t whistle had to sing a verse of Old McDonald…Quack Quack…YES I am definitely Envious in this talent…grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!

Swallowing stuff…swords, live goldfish, nails, etc….not a good talent of mine either however…I could definitely use a bit more pride swallowing practice !!!

Maybe if I had more persistence like the person in the article I mentioned earlier, I could perfect some if not all of these…alas…I’m not that interested in those pursuits!!! The article that got me thinking about this absurd post? I’m glad you asked…. Read on!!!!

Persistence and a Sense of Humor

Those who knew President Heber J. Grant personally agree that two characteristics stood out among the many good qualities he possessed: his persistence and his sense of humor. President Grant often referred to the story of an ant that made 69 attempts to carry off a grain of corn before it was successful. “This wonderful lesson of perseverance by an insect has been an inspiration to me all the days of my life,” he said.

An example of his persistence is demonstrated in the way he learned to sing. When President Grant was 43 years old, he decided he wanted to sing, despite the fact that he had never been able to carry a tune. As he explained:

“I had a private secretary with a beautiful baritone voice. I told him I would give anything in the world if I could only carry a tune. He laughed and said, ‘Anybody who has a voice and perseverance can sing.’ I immediately appointed him as my singing teacher.

“My singing lessons started that night. At the end of two hours’ practice I still couldn’t sing one line from the song we had been practicing. After practicing that one song for more than five thousand times, I made a mess of it when I tried to sing it in public. I practiced it for another six months. Now I can learn a song in a few hours.”

President Grant’s sense of humor was evident in the stories he shared of his efforts in learning to sing. He told of a time when he was practicing his singing next to a dentist’s office. He heard someone in the hall remark that it sounded like somebody was having teeth pulled.

While I am a bit…okay a lot envious of those who have a wonderful singing, instrumental, or artistic talent…and there are MANY of you….I don’t believe I have ever sung something 5000 times just trying to learn it…
Moral: There is still time so.....count your blessings and enjoy everyone’s talents…find your own talents and share them with others…who knows…someone might be envious of your special uniqueness!!! Don't be Green....with envy!!!!