Which comes first, the talent or the practice? Answers may vary, but whatever we do over and over again must have some meaning for us, regardless of the amount of talent. We think of well-know artists, musicians, writers, and athletes as people with talent, but we all have a talent for something meaningful, even if it’s only for ourselves. We cook, invent, do woodwork, garden, decorate our houses, play with our children….
What do I keep practicing by coming to the cottage? What is my talent with all of this, this sitting, watching sunrises, moonrises, the water? I’m not producing anything physical; no Degas in my bones. Sometimes I feel rather useless here, but most of the time I have the sense that sitting in the silence, solitude and simplicity balances out all the doing that’s going on out there in the world. As long as it feels right, I’ll keep doing it.