Helensville, NZ

We have found in life there are people who have learned to be good at something and possess “skill” (feel free to add the “z” as necessary) and people who have innate ability, which we’ll call “talent.”  While talent does provide an edge to those with the good fortune to posses it, skill ultimately trumps it in the long run, which is why even the natural talents still need to practice.  Sometimes though, an undeveloped latent talent doesn’t fade, or is discovered later in life and it provides us with potential insight into ourselves and our choices.  “What if,” this talent, imbedded in our very beings, asks, “what if instead of taking the road you took, you had developed me instead?”

We bring this up because Greg is convinced he married a repressed sheep-whisperer…

Which makes absolutely no sense being as the Thompson clan (Tiffany’s family) has been plying the waters off the coast of Florida for a living since time eternal and the Gulf of Mexico is not known for its sheep.  The first time Greg got an inkling of his wife’s hidden talent was on our first trip together to Ireland in 2001.  While we were driving the Ring of Kerry we came across a lamb.  We stopped the car but couldn’t get a good picture.

All of a sudden for no reason at all Tiffany lets out a “baaaa” and the lamb looks up from the grass…

Lamb: “baaaa?” (yes, we could tell it was a question.)

Greg: *whispered* “Dude!  Do it again!  Do it again!”

Tiffany: “baaaaaa”

And we kid you not the lamb runs right up to the side of the car bleating its head off.  Greg’s dead silent the whole time not knowing what to do and now the stupid baby sheep is too close for either of us to see and bleating to beat the band.  So Tiffany sticks her camera out the window, takes a picture, forgets to turn off the flash and simultaneously both protects the baby lamb from accidentally getting run over by our hasty departure and probably gives it nightmares for a week.

Now, here we are 11 years later, for the first time since Ireland in an environment fraught with sheep.

Once again without prompting Tiffany’s latent talent began to manifest itself.  This time Greg got it on film:

Which we all thought was amusing and worth a good laugh until on one of our evening walks a bleat for help was heard.  And, in a time of crisis, Tiffany had to tap the “Shepherd within” in order to come to the aid of those in need…

There’s a Christianity reference in all this, we’re sure of it. 

Oh, and Greg’s secret talent?  Cows dude.  Greg talks to cows… 

Which is good because Tiffany’s powers don’t seem to extend to bovines.

…and now you know why we prefer to eat pig. 

 

About the authors

Greg and Tiffany are traveling around the world on sailing yachts and keep a video blog of their (mis)adventures.  If sailing to Tahiti on a 44 ft sailboat, 3-day delays for wine tastings, getting pooped on by seagulls, opening coconuts with dull machetes, sailing past tornadoes and ukulele Christmas carols are for you, then check them out at www.CoastGuardCouple.com!