I was scrolling through buzzfeed the other day (as every academic does when they’re on deadline, don’t even try to lie) and came across this super old article about a woman who buys clothes from thriftstores and repurposes them.

And I thought to myself: what an awesome skill to have! I wish I could do that!

I think we’ve all felt like that. I think we’ve all wanted to learn a skill or play an instrument after seeing someone really talented do it. I wanted to be a saxophone player after watching Lisa Simpson (and actually convinced my parents to buy me a sax!). I wanted to be a writer when I read Harry Potter (still not giving up on that one!). I even wanted to be a kickboxer after watching Attack on Titan (there aren’t kickboxers, I just think Mikasa is ripped and kickboxing would be one way for me to achieve that look!)

I am not a kickboxer. I’m a poor saxophonist. While I practice writing everyday, I don’t think I’ll ever be up to Rowling’s status.

And I don’t see myself becoming a master seamstress either.

Why?

Well, in the case of the clothes, it comes down to time. I don’t have enough time to develop a new skill right now. I have other commitments to personal and professional growth that take up the bulk of what could be considered ‘free’ time.

Plus, I just got a dog. He takes up a lot of time, too.

So my desires for personal growth need to be tempered by the limitation of time. Time and funds (or did you think buying a decent quality sewing machine and all the trimmings would be cheap?)

Still, even though I know I’ll never be the next pinterest blogger with a great wardrobe, I think it’s good that I still want to. I like wanting to learn new things. Some would say that’s a symptom of envy; I would say that it’s a symptom of curiosity.

No, not the Mars rover.

Curiosity has always driven me to explore new things, and exploring new things is the best way to live (IMHO). If there ever comes a day when I’m not curious to try something, then we’ll know that something is wrong.

I would love to learn how to sew. Maybe someday I will. In the meantime, I can read about the practice and gain inspiration by watching others.

What would you love to learn to do?