Sure, maybe you can dance or shoot 20 free throws in a row, but what skill do you wish you had but sadly don’t?
Bridget McManus: I really wish I could speak multiple languages. I studied Spanish and French in high school but nothing stuck. I’d like to be fluent in Italian, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Swiss, German, Japanese, just to name a few.
Miranda Meyer: I don’t know if general executive function counts as a “skill,” but that would be number one. Just, like, the general ability to keep my shit together would be really great.
Failing that, I wish I were a little bit more confident with tools, especially the power drill. I would like to magically know how to mix a wide range of perfect drinks (I mean. I can follow a recipe, or scratch together something pretty tasty without much trouble, but I want legendary bartender skills). And I would like to be the master of a martial art of some kind. These are my dreams.
Grace Chu: Turn water into wine.
Valerie Anne: Assuming impossible things like flying and magic are out of the question, I wish I could do parkour. I think it would be a great way to avoid tourists while navigating NYC.
Dana Piccoli: Sports! I am completely inept at anything athletic. I also have the upper body strength of a T-Rex. I also wish I could play piano. I hated learning it in college and it would have done me a lot of good over the years.
Daniela Costa: I wish I could skate. I’m a Canadian and, yet, I can’t skate. I can’t even use being a child of immigrant parents as an excuse because my brother is a rocket on the ice.
Erin Wilson: I want to be able to play any instrument. I don’t care if its the banjo-I just want to rock out.
Kim Hoffman: Definitely wish I had the skills to play the drums, which is why my girlfriend bought me a drum kit for my 30th. So, here’s to manifesting the skills to actually learn how! Inspired always by Patty “fucking” Schemel.
Chelsea Steiner: I wish I knew how to play the guitar currently gathering dust in my living room so I could live out all my rock star fantasies. Sadly, it’s just karaoke and Rock Band for this girl.
Ever Mainard: I wish I had better grammar and the ability to focus on achieving my goals.
Anna Pulley: Nipple confidence.
Chloë: A sense of direction.
Elaine Atwell: I wish I could tap dance. I wish I had a functional sense of direction. I wish I could draw. And I really wish I could win an argument. Confrontation is a huge skill.
Trish Bendix: I’m so bad at anything crafty or needing hardware. In my next life, I hope to be able to sew properly or even just cut in a straight line. I want to see a tool and know exactly what it does and how it works. I dream of being able to put together a piece of furniture exactly as its manufacturer intended.
Lucy Hallowell: I can’t sing to save my life. It doesn’t top me from singing along to the radio or belting out a song while washing the dishes, but I think everyone around me would appreciate it if I could actually come close to the right notes.
Ali Davis: I’ve had to let so many ideas die because I can’t draw them. I’d love to be able to do that. I also want to be a pet whisperer. No matter how shy or crotchety or weird-looking your furry pal is, I want it to love me and leap into my arms. Getting my own cats to realize that 4 a.m. is not a good time for chatting would be nice, too.
What skills do you wish you had?
