I Was Talking To A Coworker Recently And Offhandedly Said I Wasn’t Exactly Competent At A Lot Of Things.

I was talking to a coworker recently and offhandedly said I wasn’t exactly competent at a lot of things. He reared back in obvious visceral disagreement that made me stop midsentence.

“What do you mean you’re not competent?”

“I guess I mean compared to the people I’m surrounded by? I’m not very handy, I guess.”

He looked baffled.

I tried to illuminate with a story. So at the sex shop we needed to vacuum every night, right? But one time after my days off I could tell the carpets hadn’t been vacuumed since I last saw them. I asked the other girls why not. It turned out that the screw that held the handle on the vacuum had been stripped and it wouldn’t stay in. Why was that down to a single screw? Bad design.

So any attempt to vacuum meant the handle just popped off when the screw jumped ship. I looked over the vacuum. I found a junk drawer. I found the biggest screw I could that still fit in the hole wrapped it in tape to bulk it out. Then I shoved/screwed it in place. Then I duct taped the opening so that fucker couldn’t pop out. Voila, a working handle.

The other girls were utterly delighted that I’d fixed the vacuum but I was painfully aware that my solution was neither elegant nor long term.

My coworker listened. Finally he said, “I think being competent just means you have the ability to learn a skill you lack, and you can do that. Your solution worked, and you were the one that tried to fix the problem.”

I digested that and agreed, but admitted any new skill learned would prompt me to be a huge baby about it.

More Posts from Craftingrovingrambler and Others

craftingrovingrambler

1 year ago

Of course I'll be fine

I'm good on my own

An appartement that's all mine

Decorating however I want, as whimsical as I please

No screaming at 3 am

And I'm safe. The mess is mine. But so is the tidiness. I don't have to leave. This is mine. I'll protect it, and anyone that needs a small haven is welcome. Hot chocolate and cookies will always be here waiting. Such as a couch and a blanket. I can let people stay. No one to ask for permission to be kind and soft and to host a dinner.

A work that I am so excited about. In a region I already love. Discovering myself again. Reinventing myself and getting a third shot at life.

I couldn't be more excited.

But leaving... leaving everything is fine.

But him.

Yet I can't hold on. He isn't mine. And I am not settling. If I can have his friendship. And that's all. I'll always be grateful for that. For it shows me what I want. Even if I am forever looking for him. At least I know what I search for. If my heart is breaking, watching him live his life. That's alright. For I get to witness it. And perhaps, help the happiness along a little.

I know I am fine on my own. Yet I can't imagine being without him. Even now, without having actually had him entertwined in my life.

How do I leave a love so strong. Without giving it a chance. This gift the universe gave me, and I have no choice but to throw it away. How will I stand alone, when I know his quiet strength as it is behind me.

I know how to leave everything and everyone

But him

Want to learn something new in 2022??

Absolute beginner adult ballet series (fabulous beginning teacher)

40 piano lessons for beginners (some of the best explanations for piano I’ve ever seen)

Excellent basic crochet video series

Basic knitting (probably the best how to knit video out there)

Pre-Free Figure Skate Levels A-D guides and practice activities (each video builds up with exercises to the actual moves!)

How to draw character faces video (very funny, surprisingly instructive?)

Another drawing character faces video

Literally my favorite art pose hack

Tutorial of how to make a whole ass Stardew Valley esque farming game in Gamemaker Studios 2??

Introduction to flying small aircrafts

French/Dutch/Fishtail braiding

Playing the guitar for beginners (well paced and excellent instructor)

Playing the violin for beginners (really good practical tips mixed in)

Color theory in digital art (not of the children’s hospital variety)

Retake classes you hated but now there’s zero stakes:

Calculus 1 (full semester class)

Learn basic statistics (free textbook)

Introduction to college physics (free textbook)

Introduction to accounting (free textbook)

Learn a language:

Ancient Greek

Latin

Spanish

German

Japanese (grammar guide) (for dummies)

French

Russian (pretty good cyrillic guide!)

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craftingrovingrambler

11 months ago

“Look at her. I would die for her. I would kill for her. Either way, what bliss.”

Ruperto Banterle, “Fleeting Yearning” (𝟣𝟫𝟣𝟦)

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craftingrovingrambler

1 year ago

As the seasons change, so do I

"There Is Something At Work In My Soul, Which I Do Not Understand."

"There is something at work in my soul, which I do not understand."

-Mary Shelley, Frankenstein

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craftingrovingrambler

1 year ago

The itching to be back in forests and mountains

2 more months

Hiking is the best way to spend your time, seriously.

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craftingrovingrambler

4 months ago

Hyperallergic

My Grandma's Doilies Are Not a Joke

When will art institutions finally pay respect to our foremothers’ artistry?

This all day long … Elena Kanagy-Loux's article is right-on. I myself have made it a point in recent years not to share any content that glibly uses the phrase, "not your grandma's " because it's a) lazy and b) dismisses the real fact that grandmothers and older textile artists have worked hard to keep craft traditions alive and evolving, not to mention their immense skills. We should be thanking them and looking to them for inspiration, not mocking them. via @hyperallergic ❤️

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