Mercy! Mercy! That Dang Nabed PERCY!

A dearth of aptitude

Many of the things I get involved in are activities I don't have a natural aptitude for. It seems I often have a passion for things I lack an inherent talent to accomplish... So while I'm not wanting in enthusiasm, I wind up a bit short on the art and science to make it happen. There are many examples I could give, the sheer volume of which would bore my readers to tears... so I'll only offer a couple .

In my younger days I would often go to a museum and see the amazing wonders that human beings are capable of achieving. Take art for example. I would see pictures by renowned painters and go out and buy paint and brushes only to discover that my efforts were nowhere close to my expectations... oft' to the extent of becoming becoming frustrated and embarrassed. Still, if I persisted, my stubbornness usually was rewarded with a marginal improvement of outcome, albeit still far short of the standard achieved by the masters.

More recently I was working on a motorcycle engine and the clutch linkage fell out and spilled onto the shop table. I was at a loss as to how to get it all back together again. I watched U-Tube videos, read shop manuals, studied parts diagrams and still couldn't figure it out. Then I asked friends and the results were still incomplete. It turned out the explanation was simple and when I realized it.. gave my head the stupid slap and muttered under my breath. It is interesting to go from a state of complete ignorance to one of total understanding. The clarity is like a mental breath of fresh air.

Sometimes people who struggle to learn are the best teachers... I know that sounds curious, however I always learned more from the students around me than the professors at the chalkboard. Is this just me or are there others on the planet wired the same way?