With each year’s Talent Show, I’m also struck by the fact that for so many of us, young and old, our most valuable talents don’t lend themselves to being showcased in a 3-minutes-or-less stage performance. Small gestures of kindness and patience, hints of genuine wisdom and empathy, courage in the face of a seemingly unsolvable math problem--these are talents that emerge quietly, sometimes unexpectedly, and yet they are more worthy of celebration in a world that reserves its applause for what’s visible. What links all of these talents, off and on stage, are the hours of practice, the inevitable mistakes, the possibility of doing your best work when no one’s watching, and the requisite acknowledgment of imperfection.
Whether or not your child is on stage today, I hope you’ll use the occasion of the Talent Show to take a moment to notice their talents, the visible as well as the hidden ones. Call out their kindness, give them a standing ovation for their courage and patience, watch them be their amazing selves when they don’t know you’re watching. Celebrate the talents they bring not only to the stage but to everyday life.