Well
this past week I turned 27! Not a grand age by any means, certainly not one that
will warrant a telegram from a head of state. Nor is it something that should
be considered by anyone of a similar age or upwards as anything other than “in
my prime”.
I
recently however received an email from an insurance searching company, who I
believe have a close affiliation with Meerkats!It was entitled:
"Is it time to consider life insurance?"
What
do they know that I don't??? Was this a threat? If it was then their conscience
obviously intervened to make sure my loved ones are looked after once the
threat is followed up!
Despite
my potential need to beef up my security, this type of email only added to my
realisation that like it or not I am getting older and moving out of brackets I
have grown accustomed to being a part of. Even venturing to the gym the day
after I turned 27 did nothing to allay any fears of getting older as 3 of the
machines asked me to enter my age, apparently to help monitor preferred heart
rate but I’m still suspicious!
Anyway,
add that to the reflective nature of a birthday and it has all ensured that a
familiar question has reared its head in my… well, head!
Before
I raise this question though, I will have to ask you to cast your minds back a
few months.
April
this year saw the return to our Saturday night TV screens of a show that is as
much about being a perfect example of false advertising as it is about
entertainment.
That’s
right Britain’s Got Talent returned to our screens, to apparently help fill the
void in our lives that is left each year when The X factor finally finishes and
to entice us back in for when the show inevitably returns once again!
Now
I’m not here to downplay the impact these shows have or their entertainment for
millions of viewers. I myself find it hard to resist watching at least some
part of each series, where by if I really wasn’t intrigued, I’m sure I could
find many other programmes to watch or hobbies to take up (which I did find
myself doing more and more with this series).
Instead,
now that Britain’s Got Talent is firmly implanted within popular culture, each
year it comes around, much like a birthday, it draws out conversations that
ultimately lead to the same question...
“What
skills do I possess?”
Naturally,
this is one example of this question. Multiple variations of this same theme
pop up from time to time:
“Shouldn’t
I have more to show for my years?” “Why haven’t I got a talent?” “Am I an
expert in something?” “Can I perfect one particular skill?”
And
the answer to all of these is...I have no idea!
I
have no discernible singing voice, neither can I play a musical instrument of
any kind (although at age 6 my school teacher did spot a speck of affinity for
the glockenspiel!). I have rhythm and can dance somewhat but not to the level
that your average talent show contestant could easily manage.
It’s
not just a money-spinning talent that I appear to be lacking. Looking through
my Facebook friends I see all manner of skills, talents, vocations and trades that
have been picked up and ran with. I see practical skills in abundance such as
fixing cars and fitting kitchens. Anyone that has read my previous blogs will
know that my ability to portray masculinity and practical man-skills when it
comes to something like car repair appears to escape me no matter how hard I
try!
Even
when I recently purchased my first road bike to try to kick-start my fitness, I
had to take it round to my dad’s house for him to help me put it together, much
in the same way he would have done 20 years earlier!
*Authors note: When I say “help me
put it together” by that I mean, he knew exactly what needed to be done and
even my offering of a helpful hand was often looked upon with the “oh just give
it here, if you want a job done properly, I can’t believe you are my son” kind
of look!*
So
does all of this mean that time runs out in life to start learning new things?
I hope not. Maybe some people are born with more practical skills. Maybe some
people have an ability to learn new skills throughout their lives.
Either
way, growing older seems to be a real theme in my thoughts (and blogs) of late.
The past 6 months have been a period of transition for me. Changing jobs, as I did in March, can do that to your mind-set I guess. It’s not until you get
older that you realise, annoyingly, that things you were told as a child end up
making perfect sense.
Phrases
such as “School days are the best days of your life” and “Enjoy your youth”
“The years go quicker the older you get” start to reverberate from your subconscious
as a distant memory that grows stronger each and every year.
So,
as time ticks on (quicker and quicker apparently...however scientifically
incorrect it may be) I start to wonder whether it is easier to learn new
things, pick them up, master them during your younger years? Maybe the phrases
of “helpful advice” mentioned above are offered by people who have come to the
same realisation as me, that they have reached a certain age and wish they had
made the most of their ability to learn new life skills.
Don’t
get me wrong, I do have some skills.
I
make no secret of that fact that I taught myself how to juggle whilst I was
being paid as a bored 16-year old to work Sunday’s for a well-known retail
newsagents and stationers.
In
between waiting for customers and completing any tasks I was actually being
paid for, there was plenty of time to hone my talents, utilising the balls of
string that were on sale before carefully replacing them for public consumption
once again. Who knows, you could have inadvertently purchased one of these, now
infamous, string balls and would have never realised the life it had before
becoming your possession!
I
should probably add at this point that this was in the days when 24 hour
supermarkets were just a mere fantasy and Sunday shopping was only just taking
off so very few people in the sleepy town where I live had even realised
venturing out to the high street was even an option!
I
should also point out that despite “honing my talents”, I can in no way profess
to be a world class, or even a half decent juggler. I am able to juggle but
there is however an end to the act of juggling that is usually beyond my
control.
It
is however the epitome of “practice makes perfect” and “If at first you don’t
succeed, try, try again!” (I bet whoever first created these phrases must have
also been teaching themselves how to juggle (potentially not using balls of
string but I am sure they would admire the resourcefulness) and it led them to
the phrase they were after much in the same way it has led me to them as well).
The
question is, can this be considered a “Life Skill”?
It’s
not something I have on my CV for instance.
It’s
not on my passport either. I don’t return from holiday passing through customs
and when asked by the Passport Control Officer if I have “Anything to Declare?”
turn and say “Actually, now you come to mention it, if you take off one of your
socks, roll it up and pass it to me I’ll add it to mine and show you how I
taught myself to juggle 3 items at once when I was a bored 16 year old!”
Also,
did I only learn this skill because I was only 16?
Whatever
the reason, as I find myself joining the “27 club” (hopefully just through
physicality and age rather than the one joined by Kurt Cobain, Amy Winehouse
and Jimi Hendrix… although if those pesky Meerkats have anything to do with it
I’ve got a tough year ahead!) I am more determined than ever to define a life
skill or at least ensure that come the same time next year, when these
questions inevitably surface once again:
“What
skills do I possess?” “Shouldn’t I have more to show for my years?”
I
have at least one answer other than other, 12 years of juggling experience!
Footnote:
If you have any suggestions for potential skills, talents or hobbies for me to
take up then please comment or get in touch on twitter @justdrewonit
No comments:
Post a Comment