Greatness?

So, today I learned that I am great at yet another thing. I was teaching a class today and there was an adult sitting in on my class. After the class they told me I should go in to teaching because I have a gift. I don’t think I’m that good. I think I just know how I would want to learn things. Anyway, I bring this up because I’ve heard comments like that before. I took care of my mother after she had her lump removed when she had cancer. Not to gross anyone out, but the doctors left a hole in her breast and it had to be cleaned and drained three times a day and bandaged. I did it and her doctor commended me and told me I should be a doctor because I did an excellent job. All I did was follow the instructions. I’m good at following instructions, especially when it’s important. I don’t really think there is anything particularly great about what I did in either case. Apparently I’m also great in math so I should go teach math. I’m great at persuading people so I should keep my original word and be a lawyer. I’m great at listening and giving advice, so I should further my psychology degree and be a psychologist. I’m great at cooking so I should sell a recipe book or sell my food. I’m great at research so I should further my sociology degree and get a grant to do a sociological study. I could go on, but I’m tired of listing things. The point is that people always tell me I’m great at things that I don’t really care to be great in. I want to be a great writer. That is my goal in life. That is the one thing I wish people would tell me I’m great at, but I only hear that from my fans, and no offense to the fans, but I think they may be a little biased.

It always makes me smile when people tell me I’m great at something, not because I agree with them, but because I’m amused by it. I mean I’m great in comparison to what? To the average person? Okay. I guess that makes me above average. When people tell me I’m great at something, it reminds me of when I was younger and I placed third in two golf tournaments and my mother thought I was the next great golfer. I had to tell her that placing third out of seven or ten people is not that impressive. I gave up golf and she was upset for a while, but she got over it.

People have varying definitions of what great is and I’m not saying I don’t appreciate the compliments because I do, it’s just that I hear it about so many different things and I wonder how much is an exaggeration. I think I’m good at a lot of things, but not great. Then again, maybe my personal definition of “great” goes beyond what other people think of as great.

Status: Pondering the meaning of the word great.