Monday, January 25, 2010

Talents

I decided it would be nice if I had one.

Our ward here is pretty spread out, and there are not many moms and kids, so we try to make an effort to get together and do stuff. This past week we went to someone's house to make Valentines and let the kids play. I wasn't too sure about the making stuff part, but I knew we really needed to get out of the house.

When we arrived there were all sorts of crafty scrapbooking supplies and paper. It looked cool, but I didn't know what I was supposed to do with any of it. I kind of sat and watched while others made Valentine after Valentine. I felt anxiety growing and growing in my stomach and spreading. In an hour I was maybe halfway done with one card while they had made like 4.

Then I came home and played blocks with Benny. I built the same thing I usually build, a four-walled structure. I looked at the block box and saw a bunch of different things like robots and dinosaurs and wondered how people thought to build stuff like that.

I always joked with people that I didn't have one creative bone in my body, and that day I knew without a doubt it was true. I do not do cutesy blogs. I do not do fun daily activities with my child. I had no idea what I was doing when I taught singing time in primary at church. I don't photograph, scrapbook, decorate, or write.
I'm not saying all this to be all "woe is me" or anything, it's just a clear realization of who I am. I used to think I really needed to work on being more creative for my children, and it probably would be nice if I were, but I think they'll live if I don't sew their Halloween costumes or cut their food into cool shapes. It's ok if all my sisters are creative and I am not. It just goes to show how different we all are. And we are all good at different things.
I am REALLY working on trying not to compare myself with others--ie. how many kids they have, how they raise their kids, what kind of house they have--and I will just not compare myself regarding things we do, too.
Besides, it would be a pretty boring place if we all did the exact same things, right?
And for anyone who cares to see them, these are my 2 Valentines. My dear hubby came home and told me how cute they were:)

10 comments:

Court and Jill said...

Amen! How boring if we were all the same.

I do like your valentines though :)

kimiko said...

You are good at lots of things. You don't have to be crafty or creative. You always have a clean house (mine is always messy). You had the best behaved dog I have ever known (mine were the terrors of the neighborhood). You have the most well behaved child (mine goes up to boys at church younger than her and shakes her fist and yells "No no!" at them). You are not afraid to speak up when someone treats you unfairly (I go home and cry and let them walk all over me again the next day). And you can stick your hands and face in people's rotten mouths without puking.

mom2JJ said...

Great post. I love you just the way you are! :) You are on the ball...Arturo couldn't believe you had already made your valentine's...there are still 3 weeks to go!

kimiko said...

P.S. And you're organized. I've been wanting to update my blog for about a week now but can't get my pictures off my camera because I lost my card thing again for the seventh time this month.

Gina said...

You're perfect in my book!

Lori said...

Hey- i want you to know that one time in RS we had an enrichment meeting and we decorated bags for christmas. i was honestly having total tortured feelings. TRULY! I know that i draw and design for a living. and i have much to improve in that area. but I am in NO WAY crafty! Seriously. You might as well stick bamboo shoots under my nails and give me water torture. You couldn't pay me to be crafty. I would so much rather draw and design. so there you go. not everyone can do the crafty stuff. truly.

Esther said...

I like your post. I need to remember to not compare myself to other people too. It easily depresses me. I often feel like everyone around me is so perfect at everything, especially all the moms. I always wonder how they do it.

Steven & Adrienne said...

Thanks for your post Kari...I needed to hear and be reminded not to compare myself to others. And I think your valentines are cute...alot cuter than I could ever do. I always used to tell the young women I was craft retarded...and they never believed me until they saw my work...then they would just laugh. So I am with you on the cutesy homemade thiings...my kids have all survived and not died of embarrassment yet from not having a homemade thing from their mom...at least I think they haven't :) Plus you have so many other talents like making people laugh, smile, and you have a beautiful (sorry Ben handsome) little boy who is just happy and so darn cute!! I think you are doing a wonderful job with your creativeness with him. (By the way I figured out with the block objects when you get to legos...use the instructions they give you it really helped me out to make cool shapes other than a box like normal)

Bingham fam said...

I like your cards! YOu are so funny you have other talents! You don't have to be crafty to be talented! YOU ARE AN AWESOME HYGIENIST! And there are not alot of people that have that talent. I think you have a talent for making people have fun. You have such an infectious laugh and I think that is a talent. BECAUSE You could laugh like a witch like me. Anyway you have a lot of talents and I think your blog is cute and more creative then mine!

Erin said...

Oh Kari I love you just the way you are. And your little Bennie is so cute.