Natural and Learned. Memorial Day. One Month for You. Lou Gehrig.
- Quote of the Week: “Everybody has talent and it’s just a matter of moving around until you’ve discovered what it is. A talent is a combination of something you love a great deal and something you can lose yourself in.” – George Lucas
I’ve asked about hidden talents before and received many interesting answers. I also feature a Pure Talent segment in each post, highlighting people and their abilities in areas such as music, sports, and intellect. What I find especially interesting is that some people do not fully acknowledge their talents, and others keep them hidden altogether. For example, my friend K.C. has an incredible voice, and T.D., now in his late 60s, still plays golf at an eight handicap. Their talents are very different, but both are deeply committed to what they love—singing and golf.
Webster’s definition of talent as “any natural ability or power,” with the keyword being “natural” or how you are hard-wired. There are other ways to garner talent, through knowledge and skills, or in other words a learned behavior that eventually yields talent. As a reminder, here are some answers to a question I recently posed about a talent that you have that most people are not aware of:
- I have the ability to decorate a home or a person –(almost always myself) –from treasures discovered at garage sales.
- My hidden talent: I can stick my fist in my mouth-literally and figuratively.
- OK since you asked it is my uncanny ability to putt one-handed and to hit tennis shots behind my back.
- Private pilot and scuba divemaster…..Very senior special ops…here I come.
- I do song parodies about family and close friends.
- I was a trumpet prodigy in high school, awarded a music scholarship to a renowned music department in a prominent university. Turned it down–What do you do with a music degree?
- For a many reasons, tomorrow is an important holiday in the United States. Memorial Day is observed on the last Monday of May and was formerly known as Decoration Day. Memorial Day commemorates all who have died in military service for the United States. Tomorrow takes on additional significance with those around the world who have fallen in the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East. If you have a flag, please fly it this weekend. If you do not have one, please go buy one.
Question of the Week: The last Question of the Week asked about aligning a song with your past. Here are a few of your answers:
- Hold Your Head Up by Argent
- A Pirate Looks at Forty by Jimmy Buffet
- Crazy Train by Ozzie Osbourne
- Into the Night by Benny Mardones
- Lucky Man by Emerson, Lake, & Palmer
- Right Now by Van Halen
- Unstoppable by Sia!
- Romeo and Juliet by Dire Straits
- Head Full of Doubt/Road Full of Promise, Avett Brothers
Here is this week’s Question of the Week: If you took or were given a fully-paid, guilt-free sabbatical for an entire month starting tomorrow, how would you spend that time?
I Have a Few of My Own Questions
- Did you ever drink Schlitz, and remember their tag line? “When you’re out of Schlitz, you’re out of beer.” Not kidding.
- Are you surprised that the U.S. Supreme Court rejected a series of appeals from many drugmakers requiring the ‘big pharms’ to negotiate with Medicare on prices for their most popular drugs? The first round of negotiations is expected to lead to $6 billion in savings for the federal government and a $1.5 billion reduction in out-of-pocket costs for seniors. I am thinking about the 1st and 5th Amendment parameters with the government dictating to private companies how and what they charge for their products. Just sayin’.
- Do you trust ChatGPT or any A.I. tool with your financial planning?
- At forty-one years old, he was a two-time Cup Series champion who won more races than anyone across NASCAR’s three national series. RIP Kyle Busch. Are we concerned why they have not released the cause of death?
- Tomorrow I am taking a hard look at my subscription services. Do you know what your monthly spend is for streaming services? I know some of you mooch off your friends and family – maybe that will be my go-forward? 🙂
- An unexpected surprise last weekend as I attended a high school reunion. Held in Deerfield Beach, Florida, the surrounding beach area has completely been redeveloped with hotels, restaurants, and bars. Well done, Deerfield Beach.
- Have you used an ‘air taxi’ yet? The New York City metropolitan area is using these eVTOL (electric vertical take-off and landing) to move people back and forth from New York City to their three large airports (Newark, LaGuardia, and JFK). Last week, the Tampa, Sarasota, and Orlando regional transportation authorities announced eVTOL’s will be used to move people to and from these three airports. “Meet George Jetson, and Jayne, his wife” comes to mind.
- Have you listened to Bad Company‘s greatest hits lately? The playlist is fantastic.
- Stephen Colbert’s “The Late Show” aired for the final time last week. I have not watched late night talk shows for a very long time. Have you?
- May 29, 2026, and June 12, 2026. I am hoping that Anthony Maras’ film Pressure gives us a more intense look into the lead up to the D-Day invasion. I am also expecting big things from Steven Spielberg’s highly anticipated sci-fi thriller “Disclosure Day.” I am not one for sci-fi in general, but the subject matter of this movie has my attention.
- Pure Talent. Diagnosed with ALS later in life, “The Iron Horse” left a profound mark on both baseball and society. Despite serious health challenges, Lou Gehrig became one of the game’s greatest players, winning an American League MVP and the Triple Crown. In 1927, the left-hander hit .373 with forty-seven home runs and 173 RBIs. Joe DiMaggio, another all-time great, once said of Gehrig, “I not only admired Lou but I was amazed by him…To see his broad back and muscular arms as he spread himself at the plate was to give the impression of power as no other ball player I ever saw gave it.”
Lou Gehrig had a career batting average of .361, and a .731 slugging percentage. Lou Gehrig was Pure Talent.