We are not meant to excel at everything
My kayak glided towards a “gulp” of Cormorants sitting together on a half-submerged log. As I approached one of them attempted, with spread wings, to fly into the air with its feet skimming and almost running on the water. I held my breath until finally the bird was in the air, awkwardly flying away. It was not great at taking off and only slightly better at flying. The others launched into the water, sinking lower that any water bird, and swam slowly away. I could only imagine their feet paddling madly below the surface. Then, like synchronized swimmers, they dived down into the water, only to surface a few minutes later holding fish in their bills.
While I kayaked around the lake these activities were repeated several times. I watched birds struggle to lift into the air and fly awkwardly. Yes, they can fly and swim, but were ultimately designed to dive and hunt underwater. They are not as graceful as the hawks and eagles that frequent the lake. They do not seem built to swim like the geese. But they are perfectly designed for what they do.
This made me wonder what I am perfectly designed for. There are so many things I do “sort of” well, and just as many I do poorly. And while I would like to think there are some things I do well, it is difficult to focus on anything I am specifically designed for.
If I had to guess, I would say I am designed to be resilient, to find side-doors when the front doors close in my face. And to use humor in situations that seem dire, to “pirate” through life with ingenuity and a bit of graceful creativity. To know that there is always a way to solve a problem, to have a break-through, to shift the energy around me. Much like the diving cormorants, I was not designed to excel in all areas. Rather I can find joy in any design flaws that helped me find my true strengths.