Synthesizer

All my life people have told me that I'm creative. And I think, "Creative, really?" Maybe I'm too literal, but look at the definition of that word:

cre·a·tive

–adjective

having the quality or power of creating;  

resulting from originality of thought, expression, etc.;

imaginative

I associate that word with the idea of producing something from nothing. I mean, I don't design cloth, or hear a tune that no one's ever heard before. I've never tried, or really felt the impetus to try...so I don't think I'm genuinely creative.
HOWEVER...
Sit down with me for a chat, share photos of your life and a few anecdotes and then set me loose in a room full of pretty paper....and I'll make you a beautiful scrapbook. EVERY time! I love paying attention to others. And to details. I think I was created for:

syn·the·sis

–noun

the combining of the constituent elements of separate material or abstract entities into a single or unified entity;

a complex whole formed by combining.

I really do think this "power" is in me. As a child and young adult I did this on stage. Give me a script, a character, and I would combine bits and pieces of me and others and my experiences and things I'd watched and make that character come to life. As a mom...well, don't we all do this? Give me four people's schedules, special occasions etc., and I'll keep life clicking along. I'm really good at this (and if you know me, you know I don't say that about myself very easily!) Funny thing is, I don't always like being good at juggling, balancing, multitasking ~ synthesizing. I confess to sometimes getting tired of being relied on...and don't like the perfectionistic tendencies that accompany this trait.
HOWEVER...
When it comes to scrapbooking (and other crafty projects!) this talent makes me really happy! Because, not only do these books bring me joy, but they bring so many other people joy as well. This past week I was able to send some baby books to a new mom of twins. She told me she didn't want typical baby looking stuff. That her nursery was black and white, and one of her girls was a "hot pink" gal and the other was a "soft yellow" sweetie. And she liked cute safari animals. Here's what she got:

Now, I didn't create anything that I used to make these albums. Didn't even come up with the concept! But I sure did make some precious baby books...don't you think? That's cause I'm a born SYNTHESIZER!