Archery, goals, and friendship bracelets

My second summer working at camp, I was co-counselors with a girl that hated me. She kept looking at me like I was the stupidest person on the planet, and she never talked. I was terrified of spending an entire week with this girl, and I just knew that it would be one of the most uncomfortable, tense weeks of my life.

A few days into the session our cabin of little girls decided that they want to sign up for archery. As my co-counselor and I sat on the ground calling out instructions to the little 8 year-old girls, we started talking. I mentioned that I wanted to be really good at something random, like making friendship bracelets (which, by the way, I have been designated the "Queen of Friendship Bracelets"). I'm not sure how it happened, but we decided that we would become really good (Olympic quality) at archery. That way, at parties, we could whip out a bow & arrow and show off our random skills. We had a hysterically funny time letting each of the girls take one turn with the bows, then we would give ourselves 15 turns. We bonded that day, and I was later a bridesmaid at her wedding. She insists that she never hated me, and that she looked at everyone like that.

Lately, it seems like people have been talking about their life-goals. Their goals are not far-off dreams (playing in the NBA, becoming president, etc.) but actual things they hope to accomplish. When I think about my goals, I think about that day on the archery field. Although I have a few normal things - living in NYC for at least a year, traveling through Europe, collecting the soundtrack to every (good) musical - I can't really name my real goal. I'm not sure if writing a book is really something I want to do, I don't want to be the CEO (or whatever) of a company, I don't want to own my own business. I'm still trying to figure out what my life goal is, or should be.

I do know that I would like to do (or be) something different, or have one little area of expertise that is better than almost anyone else. Maybe better is not the right word, but along those lines. Definitely not archery, I hit the tree and the grass as often as the target, but something at which I can be really really good - even if it is really tiny and only a few people would ever know my specialty.

To quote Jo March, "I'm not sure what it is, but I'm on the watch for it."