I like people watching, and not the kind of people watching that you do at the airport (though, that’s pretty good too).
Really, I like watching people do the things that they excel at.
I used to live in Seattle, which is a city crawling with people who aren’t afraid to display the things they excel at. You see talent everywhere. You see it in the mundane because artists turn roadblocks into murals. You see it in the people on the street asking for money because they’re usually playing some sort of instrument or reciting some sort of poem. You see it in the businesses, restaurants and stores because many of them have expanded to be the most successful companies in the world; however, despite seeing it all these places, I’ll never forget how seeing it in the place I lived completely changed my perspective on life.
While I was in Seattle, I lived in the Capitol Hill area of the city in an old monastery with about 20 other 18-25 year olds from around the country. These people are amazing. They taught me a lot, but one thing I’ve really been reflecting on lately is how much these people taught me to appreciate one another’s talents and how much joy there is in appreciating those talents. It wasn’t uncommon to walk through the door and see someone writing a poem, drawing a mural on the giant chalkboard or serving someone in a remarkable way. It was like watching the ’92 Dream Team in action, but probably better.
Not only was there writing, drawing and serving, but there was always, and I mean ALWAYS, music. There would be someone singing, someone playing guitar and then in another room, probably someone playing cello or something crazy like that. It was everywhere, and at one point there were at least 8 guitars that could be found laying around the house- one of which belonged to my good friend, Zack (Sack, as we liked to call him).
Zach is an awesome dude. We were roommates and slept about three feet from each other, but we never actually talked to one another much until about six months into living under the same roof. It was after this six months or so that I realized just how much I enjoyed the fact that Zack literally took his guitar anywhere he went around the house.
You saw Zack, you say Zack’s guitar. You saw Zack’s guitar, you heard Zack’s guitar, and what a lovely sound it was to hear.
That’s when I remember it hitting me: people are talented, and I really enjoy when people share their talents.
There’s just something transfixing about watching a person execute what they’ve worked hard at all their life. It’s more than a state of being entertained, and it doesn’t have to be on a grand, extraordinary stage; It’s about tuning into someone’s God-given creativity and soul and sharing an experience with them. It’s something deep that can connect you to a person’s core, and it’s amazing when you think about it.
People, as in the entire human race, are talented- like really, really talented, and we should enjoy that, share in that and encourage it. The world is full of crafters, business people, artisans, athletes, geniuses, storytellers and more, and we all have something like that engrained into our core. Which one are you?
-Cliff
Cliff’s Note: Don’t take for granted someone’s ability to do something special, in any sense of the word.