People Have More Skills Than They Realise

Did you know that Jogyata used to ride a horse at full gallop whilst rolling up a cigarette with one hand? He can also accurately recite hours of Wordsworth and Banjo Patterson off the top of his head. People have more skills than they realise...

Through having a latent talent or just by using multi-tasking skills developed over a period of time, people can do the most phenomenal things without thinking twice. For instance, Sophie can hold her breath underwater for several lengths of a regular-sized pool, and she can chop mushrooms extremely fast (she sounds like a woodpecker!); Shardul can slide down the Centre stairs on his belly doing a fair impression of a seal; with a pencil and paper, my mother can add long numbers together faster than a calculator! You just cannot look at a person and tell what unusual skill or trait is lurking behind the serene countenance.

Some people are world-class standard and do not even realise it. Nishima can completely make a professional clown costume in half an hour. I bet if there was a category for that, she would win the Guinness Record for doing it. There are so many unsung people in the world who can do fantastic and laudable things. Barney can run for days at a stretch; Nick can fix anything; Mark can programme anything; and Tom can eat more than anybody except Utthal. They are all world-class in their fields but you would never guess it by looking at them.

By the way, I am experienced in the handling of radioactive isotopes, and can also play a Tyrolean yodelling accompaniment on the piano accordion whilst blindfolded. Beat that!

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