February 8, 2023

I’m Good At

This post is inspired by Kate’s, which made me think. Like Kate, I am also good self-deprecation, and I’m also good at getting irritated by inane social media posts with messages like, “You are good, and you have worth, you are beautiful, and I love you,” which just never means a lot coming from a complete stranger and directed toward the general public, you know? I always prefer to be admired in the specific, and so, to that end, and also because I could write a post about what I’m bad about that would go on and on all day and I’m much less practiced in the art of affirmation, I want to put my mind towards those things at which I am strong and capable.

I am good at managing my household purchasing and, without use of sort of spreadsheet or app, keeping us from ever running out of such essentials as toilet paper, tea and maple syrup. Butter and eggs I take no credit for, because these are delivered weekly, but there is a part of my brain that is tracking our current stock of jam, and it never ever fails me.

I am good at helping to hold my kids’ feelings when they’re sad.

I am good at driving, which is an extension of the fact that I am good at sharing space in general and negotiating my proximity to others (except when I am dancing, arms flailing, likely to strike somebody in the face). I am also good at sharing space in the swimming pool and letting faster swimmers go ahead of me

I am good reading, and staying focused on reading, and finding the pleasures of reading.

I am also good at understanding what a book is at its heart, which makes me good at reviewing books and interviewing authors.

I am good at going to bed on time.

I am good at ensuring there is always a tin of fresh baking in my kitchen for snacks and stocking lunches.

I am good at meal planning. I am good at making dinner for my family every evening. (I am also very good at eating whatever somebody else has prepared for me, in particular lunch by my husband, a near daily feature now that he’s been working from home for nearly 3 years.)

I am good at making bad times into something good and bearable. Sometimes I am good at this, literally, to a fault.

I am good at picnics. I am good at keeping the teapot full. I am good at getting the hard work out of the way so I can focus on the fun parts. I am good at delayed gratification. I am good at remembering to floss and actually flossing. I am good at doing big things in small pieces.

I am good at karaoke and knowing all the words to epic poems such as “Total Eclipse of the Heart” and “If I Could Turn Back Time.”

I am good at supporting local independent businesses. I am good at putting my money where my mouth is and actually doing the things I say. I am good at meaning what I say and avoiding falsehoods. I am good at not pretending. I am good at being the same person in person as who I am on the internet.

I am good at taking it easy. I am good at booking holidays. I am good at buying myself the flowers. I am good at making special breakfasts and turning part of an afternoon into an occasion. I am good at finding the joy in extraordinary things, like flowers and sunsets. I am good at noticing the light and watching where it falls, and where it’s going. I am good at sitting—if I have a book I can sit forever.