Why did I wait so long???

I told a friend of mine last night that I really needed to put up a more personal blog. I started out with what appear to be 4 rants in a row. And the whole goal of this blog was to unify the sides of my personality not create another one! I was going to tell one story, but a 2nd friend had sent me a video of Susan Boyle. I finally, just tonight, watched that video.

oh.
my.
goodness.

She is
AH.MAZE.ING!

I heard the audio of it on the radio the other day, but it is even more fantastic to see, and even more "I want to root for her!"ish if you see the intro part of it.

They asked her what she was there for and she said "I am tryin to be a professional singer. [then] I've never been given the chance before, I'm hoping that will change."

and it did.

I mentioned in a previous entry that I seek out that wonderful, beautiful tightness in my chest that I get at different times. When I finish a wonderful book. When the credits roll on an inspiring movie. When I hear people cheering for a 47 year old, frumpy, small-town woman who opens her mouth and sings with a voice significantly better than at least half of what is coming out of American record companies right now.

I don't tear up at her voice, I do tear up at hearing the crowd go wild for her. At hearing them acknowledge that she was not what they had assumed her to be. We all make assumptions based on our first impressions of people, but we all should be forced to wonder how many of those assumptions are wrong. How many times do you run into someone in the grocery store and decide they are this or that or the other??

Tonight I talked to the friend that sent me the video and she said that she thinks every town probably has someone like that. I have to agree. I have to wonder how many fantastic voices we have floating around our towns that we don't even know about.

I have to wonder how many amazing artists are putzing in their basements or attics that may never be 'discovered.'

I have to wonder how many writers are toiling away on a typewriter that will never get published.

Meanwhile drivel is being produced by the ton and we praise it. I wish I had more influence. I wish I had more drive and ambition. I wish I had more commitment-ability. Influence to force the drivel to be risen to a level worthy of my attention. More drive to work on my own projects with regularity and hone my craft, as it were. Ambition to get published in some way shape or form, or even just enough ambition to work on my novel again. More ambition to scour the art galleries in the area and find the people I believe to have talent and help them figure out how to get recognition for their gift.

What gifts do you have? What are you hiding under a bushel basket? I found out recently a friend of mine does pinatas. Full, paper mache pinatas, for fun! Like fantastic and accurate and big and gorgeous pinatas. I told her that we need to get our group of mutual friends together and just have a day where we share those random gifts, quirks, abilities, hobbies etc with each other and start utilizing the gifts around us. I have absolutely no idea whatsoever that she did pinatas, it would never have occurred to me to ask her. Now, I know. I know a friend who knits. I know a friend who sews beautifully, a couple actually. But now that I know about the pinata, I wonder what other gifts are all around me that I don't know of because it never comes up. Worse, I wonder how many other gifts I'll never know about because the person in possession of the gift doesn't realize what a gift it is and how rare it is and how much the rest of us would appreciate it! What is your gift? What are you hiding away? what do you wish you could while away your hours doing? hmmm? Please share.