Celebrating what makes each of us unique

I couldn't carry a tune if it had handles. Perhaps that's why I admire the singers who seem to perform so effortlessly and so beautifully.

And no matter how hard I try, I'll always be a jogger, not a runner. Watching "Chariots of Fire," the story of one of the first great Olympic runners, on a movie channel the other night, I realized just how wonderful his athletic gifts were. His effortless speed and grace was truly awe inspiring.

I remember, too, the painting exhibition I once attended that featured the late Charles Vickery, the then-preeminent seascape artist in the world. Before our eyes, he created a detailed rendition of a two-masted schooner racing across a wind-swept sea. It was so real you could almost smell the salt water and hear the humming of the ship's rigging.

I recently read another novel by Illinois author Scott Turow. Again, I was struck by just how artfully he weaves together his plot lines, his characterizations, his dialogue, his vividly detailed scenes.

Gifted people. People gifted in ways that are easy for us to identify and admire. People whose giftedness we celebrate and reward.

Yet, I suspect there also exists a whole host of gifts that we do not recognize so easily, nor reward so readily. In fact, I believe we are all gifted in some way or another, whether we, or those around us, ever acknowledge it.

There are the people who are gifted at understanding how things work, who can take apart a lawn mower, program a VCR, or do something - anything - with a computer.

There are the people, amateur or professional, who are gifted at putting things together: our carpenters, electricians, plumbers and so on.

There are the people who are gifted in creating with their hands: crafts, woodworking, gardening, for example.

There are the people who are gifted with a special vision of how things go together - a decorator or photographer or flower arranger.

There are the people who are gifted at organizing the world around them, putting things right, bringing order to chaos.

There are the people who are gifted with words, who recite for us prose, poetry, lofty speeches or down-home wisdom.

There are the people who are gifted listeners, who not only hear our words, but hear the meaning behind our words and somehow know just how to respond to our innermost thoughts and feelings.

There are the people who are gifted with joy, with humor, with laughter, who with a few words or deeds can lift our spirits.

Those are just a few of the gifts we might possess. The list is almost endless. And though we might never achieve the acclaim of the most gifted among us, our gifts are there for us to use and be proud of nonetheless.

What are your gifts? How are you using them? Do use them!

• Dr. Ken Potts is on the staff of Samaracare Counseling Center in Naperville and Downers Grove. He is the author of "Mix Don't Blend, A Guide to Dating, Engagement and Remarriage With Children."