From “Julie’s Gems”: March 2003

“It is difficult for the ungifted to express emotions that yearn for expression, yet the desire is so strong it cannot be completely denied, and so I write because I must.” – Jewel Jalanti
Beautiful words aren’t hey? My grandma wrote them. I find it strange that she would refer to herself as “ungifted.” She is such a talented poet that her prose has often brought tears to my eyes. “Ungifted?” She makes Shakespeare look like Dr. Seuss! Okay, maybe that was an exaggeration. Don’t we all feel that way though, like we have no gifts and we’re waiting for a lightning bolt of talent to strike?
My 2 favorite pastimes are writing and singing. I will most likely be doing both until the day I die. Am I any good at either? Maybe, but it doesn’t matter. I don’t care if my words will ever be as powerful as Tolkien, or my voice as pure as Charlotte Church. What matters to me is the joy these things bring to me. Not doing either would be like not breathing. Granted I don’t have any ambitions to try to be the next “American Idol,” but I would love to have a novel on the New York Times' Best Sellers’ List. That may never be in my destiny, but it does not mean I will stop writing. When I used to make this my only goal, my writing was not as natural. When I quit worrying what the critics might think, my writing began to flow w/ ease and became much more enjoyable.
My long, drawn out point is this: don’t worry about how talented you are when doing something you love; it takes the joy out of it. So what if you never hit a home run, bowled a perfect game, or paint as well as Rembrandt. Does it make you happy? Yeah? Then don’t listen to the silent critic nagging at you in the back of your mind. My grandma felt “ungifted,” but it never stopped her from writing, for as she put it, “I write because I must.” So don’t give up and don’t over-complicate what you enjoy. Gifted or not, follow your dreams, strive to improve, and most of all, have fun!