I was watching Sweeney Todd, the film version, starring Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter (with Alan Rickman and Timothy Spall) last night, and I was amazed at the musical talent these normally drama-oriented actors showed. I know from playing the show that the music is not the easiest to sing, and all the actors demonstrated great musical accomplishment.
That got me thinking about people’s hidden talents. Most actors have some kind of musical training but in other walks of life, you often see glimpses of abilities that people shrug off as incidental. Sometimes we forget that everyone has a talent for something, even if they haven’t discovered it yet.
When we think about talent, we tend to veer towards artistic abilities – acting, singing, musicians, writers, poets, painters – yes, even weavers!! <G> – and sporting abililities – being able to play a sport to a certain level, whether that be kids soccer, swimming, cricket, rugby, tennis, running, darts, table tennis, diving, snowboarding (particularly appropriate at the moment!), skiing, skating, etc, etc.
But many people have talents that aren’t included in those topics – the ability to bond with babies, or nursery children, old people, the terminally ill, those afflicted with mental health problems or learning difficulties. These are the unsung heroes, the folks who just get on with things because that’s what they do. Without them, the world would be a severely poorer place.
We all need heroes.
In our culture of celebrity here in the West, we forget the heroes that live among us every day, people who aren’t on TV or in the magazines, who only occasionally are highlighted in the news. Yet any one of us could be one of those unsung heroes, and I know it does me good to reflect on how I could be someone who tries to be an unsung hero in my daily life, whether it be through being a good daughter, a better partner, a loving mum, a caring friend or by being strong through adversity.
It takes all sorts to make a world and it takes all sorts of talents to make that world a better place!