Binge Watching Bob Ross

I came into the living room from putting away laundry last night and found Ryan settled on the couch, eyes glued to the TV. I swung my gaze around to see what had him so captured, and there stood Bob Ross, painting happy little trees on a canvas. 

I giggled right out loud. First of all, other than football, Ryan doesn't really focus on TV. We often have it on for background noise, but he doesn't normally sit and stare. So the direct gaze and open-mouthed wonder were quite a sight. Secondly, I don't believe Bob Ross has ever been on our screen, so that was a surprise. 

When I sat down, I discovered I'd missed a text from my friend Amber, who said, "How's your week going?" I snapped a picture and sent it to her with the following response. "Ryan is binge watching this. Does that answer your question?"

Ryan looked over at me and said, "I put this on to run in the background, but I just can't look away! I'm hooked!"

I watched Bob casually put a sky, body of water, and clouds on a canvas in the span of two minutes and said to Ryan, "If I tried to do that...it would look nothing like that."

It's a true story. I so admire the talent Bob Ross had, but my happy little tree would be mysterious giant blobs. Onlookers would be forced to say to me, "Tell me about this painting." 

I've always admired those with an artistic flair. My friend Amber (of the texting conversation) is a brilliant artist. I joked with her the other day about something I should get on a t-shirt and in five LITERAL minutes, she'd sent me a picture with a generously perfect sketch of just such a shirt. Something she'd just whipped up for fun. It blows my mind and I have such respect for the talent that just pours out of her fingertips. 

I feel the same way about those with musical talent. I remember one night, early on in my speaking days, when I spoke at a women's dinner at a church in Fort Wayne. There were about 300 women in attendance that night, making it the biggest crowd I'd ever addressed. I was crazy nervous until the musician started playing. She played the harp, which has always fascinated me. I sat, mesmerized, and when she was done, I wanted to lean over and ask if we could just skip my talk and listen to her some more. 

I don't know if I could ever learn the harp or not (and fortunately my budget has made that decision for me) but oh how I love listening to harpists play! 

There are so very many talents out there that fascinate me:

* Perfectly decorated sugar cookies with the Royal Icing detail.

* Flower arrangements that are full and gorgeous.

* Latte art - effortlessly.

* All the braids that twist together and look amazing.

* Anything crocheted.

And the list goes on. It's not that I don't appreciate the talents God gave me, because I do! I love them and am thankful for them. But watching others shine - seemingly effortlessly - with their own talents always draws me in. (Much like Bob Ross painting happy little trees for Ryan.) 

How about you? What talents do you love to appreciate?