Pick and Choose
Because it doesn't have to be everything
Weeks ago, I offered seven simple steps to get good at anything. Simple, but not easy.
This year, my gardening efforts have started to pay off. I have beautiful cucumbers in my garden, both slicers and lemon! Last year, my cucumber plants never grew this big or to this mature state. In early September 2024, they were covered in flowers, but no cucumbers yet. Then we were hit by an early frost. My cucumbers were killed by that early frost . . . “killed, killed dead”. #Tolkienreaders
This year, I’ve gotten my cucumber plants to somewhere between Steps 5 and 6. This is very exciting for me, because I’ve always wanted to try making cold cucumber soup since I tasted it years ago, using my own, homegrown cucumbers. This goal is in sight!
Not great
Even though I truly believe we can get good at anything, we don’t have to be good at everything. In fact, I think it’s healthy to deliberately choose to be not great at some things, and that’s okay to stay okay-ish at them.
I’ll tell you a secret. I’m bad at ironing. I’m so bad at ironing that I find myself ironing in new wrinkles that weren’t there before. (Shh.) Maybe I’m being too hard on myself, because I somehow do manage to get my clothes to an acceptably smooth state before leaving the house. But getting really good at ironing is not something I’ll ever take the time to learn to do, and I’m completely at peace with this decision. That’s just my reality. I’d rather spend time practicing piano than spend time practicing ironing techniques.
Part of this peace comes from a secret power at my fingertips: my husband is really good at ironing. So if I can’t reach that acceptably smooth level on my own, I’ll ask him to help me out. It doesn’t happen too often; after all, he has to iron his own shirt in the morning, too. But it’s comforting to me to have his skill in my pocket, to pull out if needed.
Sometimes “from scratch” doesn’t matter
It’s smart to have others’ help.
For my cucumbers, I didn’t start from seed. This year, I purchased beautiful, healthy, well-established plants from my local farmers’ market. And it was definitely the right decision for me.
I’d rather have cucumbers on my table from someone else’s starter plant
than no cucumbers from my own seeds.
Because, you see, we don’t have to start from the beginning every time.
If I want to drive to the store, I don’t need to build my own car first. It’s fine for me to transport myself in a car that I didn’t assemble. (Although, truth be told, my family stopped using boxed cake mixes years ago.)
Where in your life, whether personal or professional, could you use extra help? What things are of minor importance where you don’t have to improve your skill, or that you don’t have to start from scratch?