When I was asked to write about “my gift” it was suggested that I write about the gift of writing. Certainly not penmanship (I was the nuns’ worst nightmare in that department), but creative writing.
I am not sure I am really very creative. True, I was an English major, I write the family Christmas letter, and I even edited the parish newsletter for more than a few years.
If the nuns could not teach me penmanship, they did teach me grammar and usage, as well as arithmetic. To this day, I am wounded by a split infinitive or other grammatical offense. Not only linguistic, but also mathematical errors jump off the page at me! I confess to being a nitpicker.
This peculiar skill served me well in my years as an accountant and auditor, as well as editor. But it is a gift that must be used with great discretion. I try to be helpful, proofreading when asked. But the feelings of others are far more important than a perfect document.
Nobody likes a nitpicker!
