I'm a Pisces. Can you tell?

So last Sunday the talks at church were all about talents and spiritual gifts and how important it is to find yours and nourish them. I'm still not really sure what my talents are, or what I'm good at, but here are some little hobbies I enjoy doing in my spare time. I think that is a good way to start.


Cooking:

I didn't discover this until after I was married, but I love trying new recipes and preparing meals. In the single life I didn't really have anyone to cook for, and was on the go so much my diet mostly consisted of can soups, frozen dinners, snack wraps, and what ever Kaye would graciously fix me.

Some of my favorite things to make are steak, chicken fried rice, chicken casadillas (I have no idea how to spell that. Spelling is definitely not one of my talents.) and cheese stuffed pasta shells.



Painting:

I haven't done this in a long time, but it's something I've always enjoyed. My mom got me into oil painting when I was home-schooled my freshman year. She signed me up for an oil painting class with a bunch of other weird home-school kids starving for social interaction.

Oil painting is really alot easier than it looks. It still takes talent, of course. But anyone can do it and make a few brush strokes look like a majestic pine tree. Mixing the colors and creating endless possibilities is really fun. I made a couple of really nice ones, but unfortunately, my mother reduced them to ashes in a fit of rage.

I painted a "fantasy" looking tree for matt a year or so ago, the first time he left me to go to school. Oil painting was something I'd like to get back into. But it is quite an expensive hobby.


Dance:

I started dance when I was four years old. My best friend was doing it so I begged my mom to let me take lessons with her. Within six months, she'd quit. But at that age I loved being in the spotlight, and I soaked up every ounce of it.

I've never really stopped dancing, but I'm missing it since I've stopped teaching. The closest thing I can find out here is a preschool gymnastics coaching job. I love going to work every morning, but being there with all the other gymnasts makes me a little intimidated sometimes. I just don't feel like I belong there.

So to fill the gap for the time being, I plan to take an Adult Ballet class over the summer. I hope dance is a big part of my life again someday.


Ghost Hunting:

I've never actually done anything like this, but I've had several experiences with the paranormal through out my life. Haunted places fascinate me and I love reading about other people's experiences I watch every single "ghost hunting" show that is currently on television. My husband has politely voiced that he thinks I have a problem :)


Writing:

I've published a few short stories, but right now I'm amidst the exciting process of editing my first full-blown novel.


Shopping:

Okay, this may seem superficial but I'm a big fan of retail therapy. I have fifteen pairs of shoes in my closet and at least six or seven different outfits for each one of them (mix and match, of course.) Like most girls, I love dressing myself, dressing my friends. Even shopping for groceries and laundry detergent is fun for me. You know that "Confessions of a Shopaholic" movie? I could so be that girl if I let myself slip out of control.

But I can't be to hard on myself. I hold onto things a loooong time. I still have jeans I wore in high school. And I don't by something I don't need or won't wear. Just ask my friends.


Reading:

I LOVE to read. It's probably my oldest hobby. Lately I've been mostly into fantasy. One of the best books I've ever read was "The Time Traveler's Wife" by Audrey Niffenegger. I was introduced to Orson Scott Card because of a school assignment in college and have been loyal to him ever since. I'm not a big fan of vampires but I really enjoy the author Amelia Atwater-Rhodes. She doesn't know it, but she's my inspiration and my role model.


Gardening:

I just started this one today! Matt got me a miniature indoor green house for my birthday so I could grow flowers inside the apartment. I'm really excited to see what kind of flowers will bloom. All day I've walked by it and stared at it, expecting to see buds peeking out of the soil within hours.

Also, the aroma of fresh soil is really refreshing!


So some of these hobbies could evolve someday into real, true talents. I hope so. It would be so fulfilling to have something like that to call my own. But what really defines a talent? What is a gift? How skilled at something do you have be to call it a talent?

I hope I find out.