Time for something serious

I list my name as "Annie B. Cheek" because my grandmother has always called me Annie Bones. I know this sounds a little weird, and I have no idea where she came up with it. I'm pretty sure, though, that she calls all of her grandchildren their name followed by "Bones." My grandmother is probably the most amazing woman I know. She knows how to do everything! How do women just know how to do everything? How do you just know how to cook and clean and sew and knit and quilt and can vegetables and tend a garden and raise a family? My friend Ashley is the same way. She just knows how to do things. Like domestic things. I do not know how to do domestic things. I know how to sit in front of the tv watching Lost and eating Salt & Vinegar chips. I know how to dump all my clothes in a pile on the floor. I guess my talents must lie elsewhere.

Here is what I do know how to do: I know how to make someone feel like I understand what they are saying and feeling. I can listen to you and empathize with you, even if I have never been in your position. I have led (and continue to live) a comfortable life - but I work with people every day who have gone through terrible things and done terrible things themselves. Yet I can make them feel I understand. Maybe this is my talent and maybe I will never be a domestic genius. So, I am applying to grad school, hoping to earn a Masters degree in social work. I can continue using my talent at a high stress, low paying job, and possibly learn how to do a few domestic things. My grandmother also has a love for people, and if I cannot follow her footsteps to the quilting hall of fame, I can at least strive to love the way she does.