Earlier this summer, Chrissy Teigen (*ahem* Tei-gen) posted a Tweet about being the only person in the world who can translate her daughter’s gibberish. As a mom, it was of course immediately relatable but also got me thinking about my own secret talents, which quickly turned into a team discussion about all of our secret talents. Read on to learn our talents—you may be surprised by a few of them!—then don’t forget to share yours:
https://twitter.com/chrissyteigen/status/1011942239973486594
Emily: I have a very strong sense of smell. But here’s the thing: It’s very rarely a positive thing. It’s not like I’m constantly stopping in my tracks and saying, ‘ooooh do you smell that? I think it’s freshly baked bread!’ It’s more like, ‘hold up—I think someone stepped in dog poop.’ And I can usually smell things minutes or even days before other people (as was the case with a mouse that died under our house a few years back). It’s typically a burden, but there have been two recent instances in which it was actually helpful. During my trip to Paris with Cristina, I smelled smoke in the middle of the night and when we looked out of the window in the dark, there were plumes of it billowing out over the neighboring building. We alerted the front desk and the fire department was quickly contacted. And a few weeks back, when I was getting into my car, I thought I smelled gas, which was promptly confirmed when someone from the gas company came out to inspect the area (our barbecue had been left on).
Leslie: I’m weirdly good at guessing which scene was filmed first in a movie. Every time I watch one, I spend a good portion of the movie doing the mental math of how warmed-up the actors appear and which scene makes the most logistical sense to film first (would these actors want to get the sex scene out of the way as Kate and Leo did? Does the director prefer to shoot chronologically?). My suspicions are often confirmed by the IMDB Trivia page, but I’ve briefly toyed with the idea of starting a “First Scene Filmed” Instagram, except for the obvious issue that it’s probably a niche interest and I’m terrible at Instagram… Bonus secret talent: I always wake up ten minutes before my alarm, regardless of weekday or weekend. Thank you, internal clock.
Jess: Not sure if this is considered a secret talent, but I can quote any line from Friends, How I Met Your Mother and 30 Rock. I find it therapeutic to throw on these happy-go-lucky shows in the background at home, almost like white noise, but I’ve retained a concerning portion of the lines and committed them to memory. My boyfriend hates watching those three with me because I tend to quote the lines before they’re even said!
Ann: I am surprisingly really good at those basketball shooting games where the hoop moves back and forth (it’s called Super Shot) usually found at fairs or arcades. I’ve broken many records even though I’m not even close to that good on an actual court haha.
Geoffrey: I have abnormal hand strength—I can crack a whole walnut with my bare hands.
Lisa: I don’t think this is a secret talent, but I have a really good memory. As a result, I can quote movies, shows, songs, and am pretty good at trivia because I know so many random facts. This comes with a disclaimer though; although I have a good memory all around, I can be forgetful when it comes to simple things such as a grocery list or what I was doing ten seconds ago (I write a lot of things down).
Anne: This is a secret talent that I appreciate more as I get older, but I have a great internal alarm clock! Even with the time changes and travel, I wake up (like clock-work, literally) right before my morning alarm goes off. Unfortunately, this skill doesn’t transfer to other alarm situations—I constantly miss my oven alarm and burn food—and having a great internal alarm clock doesn’t prevent me from being late, as it also comes with a great internal snooze button!
Kelly: I’m weirdly ambidextrous (although it applies to my feet too, not just my hands!). Part of it is natural, and part of it was “learned.” I broke my right shoulder falling off a trampoline when I was 15 (NEVER AGAIN!), so I taught myself to write with my left hand, and I can still do it pretty well. If I am trying to open a tough jar, I also do that with my left hand. When I beat people playing foosball, it’s because I have a nasty kill-shot with my left wrist. I played ice hockey growing up, and I stop with my left foot forward (I was the only one on a team of about 20 girls). It’s not a terribly useful “talent”… but it does sometimes catch people’s attention!
Katie: I am fluent in French! I started learning the language in middle school and loved it so much that I decided to major in it. While studying abroad in Paris for my entire junior year, I was able to hone my language skills through visits to museums, local cultural events, and daily social interactions. I’m looking forward to going back to Paris next year and using ma langue préférée.
We’d love to hear—what’s your secret talent? Share in the comments below! x
