“It’s your thing.  Do what you wanna do.  I can’t tell you who to sock it to.”

-Isley Brothers

Do you know what your ‘thing’ is?  I mean… what are you really, really good at?  What defines you?  What sets you apart from The Others?  You know.  What’s your… thing?

You may have more than one thing.  You may have a dominant thing and a few sub-things.  Regardless, you’ve got SOMEthing. Your thing doesn’t necessarily have to be something that wins awards or gold medals.  It may not even warrant an increase in salary.  It may be a skill.  It may be a parlor trick.  It may even be a physical attribute (good or bad).  It is definitely something that people think of when they think of you.  My husband’s thing is numbers.  He can add em’, subtract em, divide em’, multiply em’, square root em’… all in his head, at the speed of light.  Flash a phone number in front of him like a strobe light and he will memorize it forEVER.  Not sure what the date was when you bought your first car?  My husband could tell you… even if it was before he was born.  His thing is actually a little freakish.

My dad’s thing is his persona, itself.  He’s a big guy (6’5″, I think).  He has a lazy eye, so you never really know who the hell he’s looking at or talking to (even if he’s looking at/talking to you).  He says whatever is on his mind.  He’s a straight-shooter.  He will take your ass downtown in a heartbeat if you cross him (and I don’t mean he’ll give you a lift).  He’s borderline scary, if you don’t know him.  His persona commands respect and maybe even a little genuflection.

My mom’s thing is artsy-craftsyness.  That woman can teach herself to create anything.  ANYTHING.  She can draw, paint, sculpt, make jewelry, quilt, sew, knit, crochet, needlepoint.  She can build a loom out of popsicle sticks and dental floss and weave an f-ing rug, for chrissakes!  Honest-to-God, that woman can read one article about a particular craft and BAM!  She’s got it.  And she’ll master it so well, she’ll make the author of the article look like a hack!  Kinda pisses me off in a jealousy sort of way.  I try to be crafty, but my creations end up looking like I had a massive seizure during a drinking binge/bad acid trip.

I have a friend who’s thing is heads-down, in the zone self-transformation.  She lost a significant amount of weight.  Rock on, right?  No.  That was step 1.  Steps 2-100 included gut-wrenching body building, mountain climbing, marathoning, triathaloning, push-her-body-till-it-smacks-her-own-ass training.  I will never have that kind of drive.  I believe there are only a handful of people in the universe with that kind of drive.  Kinda pisses me off in a jealousy sort of way (are you seeing a pattern, here, too?).

I’ve been watching my daughter to see what her thing is shaping up to be.  She’s not athletic.  She’s not overly creative.  She’s not a dancer or a gymnast.  But you know what I do see in her?  Charisma – self-confident, unharnessed charm.   That girl can make friends with a pillow.  I can’t put my finger on it (yet).  She’s not sugary-sweet.  She doesn’t do anything out of the ordinary.  But there is something about her that draws people in and I think it will become stronger and more apparent as she matures.

But what of me?  I have soul-searched.  I have looked deep within myself.  I have asked my husband.  “What IS my thing???”  (crickets)  I don’t know.  I can write… but I’m not THAT good.  There are better writers out there.  I’m funny (in an inappropriate way).  But I think I’m really just obnoxious and nobody has the heart to tell it to me straight.  I give good Face Book Status Updates (I think, anyways).  But is that really a “thing”?  I have a lot of attributes; but nothing that really stands out.  Oh!  I’m NEVER on time!  Bah!  Maybe my thing is that I’m thing-less.

The funny thing, here, is that it’s really hard to see your own thing – especially when it’s been in your face and up your nose your whole life. Not sure what your thing is?  Here’s your assignment (should you choose to accept):  Ask your friends (in person or via Face Book or whatever social networking method you prefer) to tell you what they think your thing is (good or bad).  Their responses may be eye-opening.

-B(Sting)