I went decades without realizing I was unusual for this talent, but it has saved me an astronomical amount of money. It’s also cost me a lot of money, but whatever.

I am mechanically inclined to the point where it’s probably a mental illness in and of itself. I took all my toys apart as a kid, and put them together correctly, all the time. I was fixing and selling broken lawnmowers when I was ten.

I can figure out pretty much any piece of machinery, whether it is broken, whether parts are missing, no matter if I’ve never seen it before, no matter if that machine does something I didn’t know was possible. I once overdid it on the marijuana edibles, and rebuilt a motorcycle engine while I was completely, helplessly stoned. I’ve made things work again when I was so drunk I couldn’t stand. I just thought this was normal, my whole family does it. I was almost 30 before anyone sat me down and pointed out that not everyone can just do that. My wife’s family thinks I’m some sort of Wizard because there has been too many times that they have had something broken and expensive, and I managed to fix it for a few dollars.

It’s even worse. I have a beautiful 9 year old daughter. Just her living in the same house as I, hanging out with me, and soaking up my madness through osmosis, has warped her permanently. She just assumes that if something is broken, the first step is to see if it can be fixed. She comments when we are following cars that ate running too rich. She not only points out motorcycles, she tells me how many cylinders they have.

I don’t fail myself anymore ethically. Who I believe I am is congruent with my actions.

I have found the right balance between putting myself first and being empathetic to others.

I have not let my sense of humor die, and I try not to take life too seriously.

I continue to learn more about myself which helps me understand my past better and helps me make better future decisions.

I have found stability financially and emotionally as a single person after a rough divorce.

Knowing I can succeed when difficulties arise gives me hope that I will continue to do so no matter how hard things get.

I honestly believe that I am one of the best people that I know.

I am awesome at typing a post twice and getting Lemmy connection error every single time. Oh man.

EDIT: and NOW it decided to send it? Aww.

EDIT 2: let’s hope this thing doesn’t get broken the third time. So I think I’d say understanding IT and software development in general. I’ve been working as an IT manager, mentor and a lead developer for over half a decade now and I do notice that some things that take me one or two evenings usually take at least a week for other people. I don’t know, it just clicks for me rather fast.

Aside from being an expert worrier, I’m actually damn good at solving urgent problems at work. Fast thinker. It’s when I have too much time to second guess myself is the problem. 🧐

I’m very empathic, although that’s sometimes a double-edged sword. I also teach computers how to do new things (which is just my way of saying “I’m a programmer/software developer”).

I’m told that I look pretty decent, though I don’t know if I’d ever be able to believe that myself most of the time.

Then finally, I’m a pretty logic-first sort of thinker (another double-edged sword at times), though this comes at the cost at me not really being all that creative/imaginative, which I do wish I was better at.

I can draw and paint very well; to the point that a few people want to buy my art. If there is something out there in the world, I’m pretty sure I can draw it on a piece of paper.

I’m handsome, intelligent, and have a way with the written word. I’m introspective, and good at critically examining situations. I have a strong sense of duty and obligation, which is virtuous.

I soak up trivia, and information about things like a sponge. I work with meds, and I can tell you at least one little piece of trivia about most of the thousands of pills that surround me. I can’t let myself interact with an object, and not know what it is, or what it does. Every single songbird that I hear outside, I must know what it is. Every single flower on the ground? I need to know! We’ve spent an hour on a 10m stretch cataloguing, and identifying every single plant on there, just for fun.

I notice and appreciate cool details. I’m spontaneous and up for things. I can get really excited. I will support your questionable life choices if your heart is in them. I have creative associations. I’m usually good at following other peoples’ thoughts. I collect useful junk as well as quotes and stuff. I usually carry a bunch of key items that might come in handy, like a lighter, a pen and a pocketknife.