I play the Violin.

Well, sort of.  I've been taking lessons.  So, imagine what someone who has taken violin lessons for 3 weeks would sound like and that's where I'm at.  Maybe a little bit better than someone who has been playing for 3 weeks because my instructor said I'm doing really well.

I began taking lessons because I've always felt like I never had a "thing".  Now that I'm adult, I guess you could accurately call it a "hobby".  I don't like to say that I don't have a hobby though because that makes me sound pretty lame, even if it is the truth.  So I shall continue to call it a "thing" (repeatedly) for the rest of this blog. Really though, I don't/didn't have one.  Sure, I like to read, see movies, hang out with friends, chat over coffee.... but who doesn't?  I have never had anything that is mine.  That I alone excel at or admire or am in love with.  This really isn't a new revelation, either.  I have felt this way pretty much my whole life. (Middle child thing?  Maybe?  Underdeveloped personality thing?  Perhaps?)

Growing up, my sister Lindsay had all sorts of "things" that were hers.  The movie Titanic.  The Backstreet Boys.  A back brace.  (Ok that was a joke, hopefully you laughed Lindsay!  I did as I wrote it!) Those might not be hobbies to some people, but they were to my sister.  I also liked these "things" but not as much as Lindsay so when people picked up BSB or Titanic paraphernalia it was for her, not me.  Or when people said, "Hey Lindsay, can I stand on your stomach?" or "Hey Lindsay, show us how you can stick a pencil straight out from your belly button" they never asked me too!  (I'm cracking up over here...)  I also like France and the French language but guess what, now she lives in Paris!  Boom.  Her thing. And rightly so!  She is doing exceedingly well there, by the way.  I am so incredibly happy for her and proud of her for taking a leap into the adventure of living abroad.  (Check out her blog if you would like to know HOW well.) My brother Brian, he had things too! Dirt biking with Dad.  X-files/alien stuff... which is really quite odd now that I think about it.  He turned out normal though, promise.  Actually, he didn't turn out normal he has turned out to be quite the extraordinary man.  Still, he had things.  I didn't have things.

I still don't have things.  I remember one time, I went on a date with this guy who had lots of things and he asked me, in typical first date fashion, "So Leslie, what are some interesting things that you like to do?"  After several moments of pondering, I again realized that I didn't have anything interesting to say.  Inwardly panicking over my lameness I said, AND I QUOTE: 

"um... I really like nice windshield wipers.  Like... when you first turn them on after a hard rain and the whole windshield gets clean.. I LOVE that."  

Um... really?  I actually just started laughing out loud (again) as I wrote that.  I still do love that (and love my husband for sometimes waiting until I'm paying attention in the car to turn the windshield wipers on. it's so wonderful to be known, isn't it?) but that is NOT the answer mister first date was looking for or one I should have given. 

ANYWAY, the moral of the story is that now I'm taking violin lessons.  I don't know if I've played long enough to call it my "thing" yet but I sure do love it so far.  It's been awesome to have something to practice.  Something to strive for, to look forward to.  To have a goal set.  To dream about playing in the subways in a big city for passersby (not any time soon) but maybe someday, right?  It's been awesome.

Oh and yesterday, I volunteered at my first ever W.A.R. International party.  Remember the post I wrote about it a few weeks ago?  Yeah, they called me!  I went and helped sell the products, set up, and share information about the organization and the movement to end sexual trafficking.  It was awesome.  Maybe that can be mine too. 

So I'm learning.  I'm searching my heart for the things that make me come alive and I'm finding them.  It's been a fun journey.   What makes your heart come alive?  What are your "things"?  It's been awesome to figure out what mine are. 

Oh and just to make up for saying that Lindsay had a back brace I will confess that I had headgear.  It looked just like this: 

...except mine came in brown.  That was definitely one of my things. Ha!  I wore it to youth group overnighters and everything.  I even considered writing a book about "how to still look cute in headgear" because I figured out a way to pull pigtails through the top holes on each side of my head which was, in my opinion, super cute.

Ohhhh man.  Am I actually going to post this?  Yes, yes I am....