There are plenty of things I never learned how to do. Learning things covers the broad territory of having knowledge, skills and abilities.
An ability is something that you can naturally do. Some people can flip their eyelids backwards (creepy). Some can curl their tongues. Some can easily roll their “R’s”. It’s the kind of thing that you just do, but you can’t explain how you do it. Sometimes you can teach yourself one of these things such as flipping an egg without using a spatula, or cracking an egg with one hand and not getting shells into the pan.
Knowledge is all about your education. Did you graduate high school? Tech school? Go for a bachelor or Master’s degree? While this represents impressive academic achievement, sometimes all it means is that you know how to pass a test. Having knowledge about something, and applying it in a real-world situation can be drastically different. But it’s still a pretty important metric.
Skills are things that you actually know how to do. If you have mechanical skills, you should know how to change the water pump, or even tear an engine apart and put it back together again. The unstated conclusion is that it will actually work when you’re finished with the job.
If you have carpentry, or woodworking skills, it means you know how to start with nothing, and make something. The same could be said for baking skills. Starting with raw ingredients, and ending up with a finished meal.
I think if there is a skill set that I wished I would have accomplished, it might be something artistic. Maybe juggling. Of course it requires a bit of hand to eye coordination, an ability I no longer have.
I used to be able to draw things with some passable skill, but painting always seemed outside my grasp. Well, artistic painting. I did okay with painting walls and things like that. It doesn’t require a lot of style or flair.
I used to enjoy watching Bob Ross as he created a new piece of art every week. It was amazing to see how quickly he went from blank canvas, to intricate scenery. All within a 30-minute time slot. He made it look so easy. I guess that’s how you know you’re good at what you do, when you make it look easy.
I guess if I ever decide to become an artist, it will have to be in the realm of doing something of a tactile nature. Don’t hold your breath as you await my next art show.
