What I Wish I Could Do

by Toni L.P. Kelner

Like most bloggers, I tend to post about the things I can do, want to do, or have done. Sometimes I add a bit about what my children can do, want to do, or have done. Even more rarely, there's something about a pet--though frankly the things are guinea pig can do, want to do, or have done are limited. (Eat, scurry, poop, purr. Not always in that order.) So today, I thought I'd devote myself to things I wish I could do.

 

 

I wish I could sing.
Sure, I can sing along to songs in the car, and my beloved husband says I have a lovely voice, only untrained. He's very sweet. The fact is, I wish I could really sing. Not professionally--that requires a passion I do not have--just enough to sing in public with skill rather than just enthusiasm.

 

 

I wish I could dance.
Again, I do dance at the occassional Bouchercon dance party, and occassionally gyrate around the house for fun and/or embarrassing my daughters. (That's a win-win, since embarrassing my daughters is also fun.) But I'd love to be able to waltz, or slow dance with more than bedroom eyes in my favor. Maybe a touch of swing dancing, or a even a simple tango. Heck, I'd be happy if I could manage the Electric Slide! (At least I have finally mastered the motions for "YMCA," but that's spelling, which is well within my wheelhouse.)

 

I wish I could cook.
Okay, I'm pretty good with some simple items. My deviled eggs and forgotten cookies please Steve and the girls mightily. But we watch Food Network shows like Chopped and The Next Food Network Star, and the ease with which those guys chop cheese, stir-fry veggies, and add ingredients without the use of a measuring cup just impresses the heck out of me. And I guarantee that if I were to fling food around in a pan, which they all seem to do in lieu of stirring, it would be all over my stove, floor, and wall. Probably my ceiling as well, come to thing of it.

 

 

I wish I could enjoy housework.
I really hate that stuff, and even though we have a loyal cleaning man--in fact, he's scraping crud off my kitchen floor even as we speak--there's a certain amount I need to do myself. Or should do. It's mostly stuff I can do, but I don't seem to be able to learn to like it. It would be so much easier if I could like it. Or, if not easier, it would get done a lot more often.

 

 

I wish I could parallel park.
This is a huge, embarrassing problem for me. When I lived in North Carolina, I could go for whole years without ever encountering the difficulty, but up here I face it daily? And I know how to do it, the backing in and so forth. I just choke like the Red Sox used to every time I approach a spot unless the street is completly empty of traffic. And people sitting in their cars. And pedestrians. In short, when there is anybody around who can see me. So instead I drive around looking for a spot I can pull into instead of backing in, or try to pull in and mess it up and drive off in a panic. 

 

I wish I could finish this post.
All right! Finally something I can do. And I shall do so with a question: what do you wish you could do?

 

 

 

Comments

[Edith Maxwell]

See? You found a great topic! I wish I could sing, too. I wish I had time to relearn the cello, do community theater, start/research that historical mystery series I want to write, do yoga every day.

[catriona mcpherson]

Toni, The next time (Malice?) we're together and one of us has a car, I'll teach you to tango - I mean, parallel park. There are just a few tips and tricks that make it a skoosh. I'm not bragging - everyone in crowded wee Britain can do it.

[Toni L.P. Kelner]

Thanks, Edith. But I can't claim that having more time would help me with housecleaning. When I quit my day job--pre kids--and did have more time, I thought I'd clean more. It turns out I hated it. Hence the cleaning guy, who apparently likes it. Go figure.

Catriona, I'll take you up on that.

[Georgia Akin]

Toni, I didn't know you had a blog. I really enjoyed reading this! (is your cleaning guy your husband). lol!

[Toni L.P. Kelner]

Thanks, Georgia. And no, Steve likes cleaning nearly even less than I do. OUr cleaning guy is an older gentleman. He was retired when he first started helping us out, and that was when I was pregnant with Maggie. (The one about to graduate from high school.) Despite that, he's got far more energy and speed than I do, when it comes to cleaning, and sings happily as he cleans. We are lucky to have him!

[Donna Andrews]

How about all of the above?