Someone Asked, “What Is The Most Basic Thing You Are Terrible At?,” And 33 People Delivered
Most people have a certain skill that, even though very basic and mastered by most people around them, still doesn’t come easy for them.
Among the examples are activities and processes as basic as proper breathing or folding fitted sheets, while the reasons behind it may vary from a person’s innate qualities, lacking patience, good teachers, or practice to simply not caring enough about it.
And these people are listing these kinds of basic skills they aren’t very good at, answering one Redditor’s question: ”What is the most basic thing you are terrible at?”
Do you have something to add? Please, share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Remembering somebody's name.
If a person comes up and says, "Hi, I'm Jim Peterson," I will have forgotten it by the time I've said "Hey. I'm NoxWild."
I know the names of all of the dogs living in my neighborhood. I cannot, for the life of me, remember their owner’s names. I have the lady in the house next door entered in my phone as “Milo’s Mom” XD
My attempts at folding fitted sheets are a chaotic masterpiece. It's like wrestling an octopus into submission every time. Does anyone feel me?
Sleeping. It takes so long to fall asleep. And I wake up wide awake multiple times a night. Nightmares constantly. I’ve tried all the things. Dark, light, silence, noise (tv, fan, white noise). I’m exhausted. I have a sleep study on April 29th. Cross your fingers they can help me cause your girl is sleepy.
Taking complete blood samples, to see if any is of. Deficiency, hormones or 'just' pescy thyroid gland.. and wonder how many sleep better at the sleep study, than at home?
Comforting sad people. I'll literally just stand there and be like, "you .. .you want some water?"
Small talk. I turn every casual conversation into an awkward dance of random facts and nervous laughter lol
The trick is to (pretend to) be incredibly interested in the person you're talking to and ask them everything about them and their life. Disclaimer: I suck at small talk.
Sense of direction. I navigate around well due to memorization. I have no feeling of which way to go. I can get lost after using the restaurant bathroom easy.
This is why I love living on the coast. If you get lost, just walk toward the ocean. When you get there, your choices are Right or Left.
Handwriting. It doesn’t seem to matter how hard I try it always looks like a drunk spider has stood in ink and wandered across the page.
Edit: Not a Dr so please ignore any medical advice I give out
my mom remarked that my chinese handwriting is better than my english handwriting 😆
Parallel parking. It's like my car has a force field that repels itself from the curb I swear
1. Socializing
2. Making new friends
3. Making small talk
4. Dancing
That last one sucks because I come from the DANCINGEST family. Every goddamn wedding it's a line of people trying to get me on the dance floor. Don't get me started on bachelorette weekends and the hours of clubbing they inevitably entail. People think I'm shy but I'm not, if I could dance I WOULD dance. I just have zero rhythm. I look like an injured cow having an epileptic fit when I try. So I don't subject myself, or others, to a public performance. I shouldn't be criticized for this. I should be THANKED.
Breathing.
My lungs have collapsed twice to fatal levels. Spontaneous Pneumothorax.
I had to have surgery to permanently glue my left lung to the skin of my back.
I still occasionally feel them have "mini collapses" once or twice a year. But Anything less than 25% or so (I am not a doctor) can fix itself.
This makes strenuous activity, like going for a jog, a bit difficult. If I feel that familiar pain, everything stops for that day.
I'm Filipino, I'm supposed to sing like an angel.
I'm part of the 10% of the population who cannot sing to save their life.
Cannot come close to carrying a tune, just awful noises come from my vocal chords. If I forget myself and break into a TV show song, my compassionate cat runs up to my face in a panic, i'm sure, thinking I am suffering some horrific ailment. At church, I have learned to either sit in the front row so I'm singing into a wide open space, or I silently lip sync the words.
Eating just one chip.
I'm good at eating just one bag of chips. Of course, it's a family-sized bag....
Holding a conversation.
I'm bad at holding a conversion , but I'm even worse at starting one. I just never know what to say. Maybe I'm not made to talk.
Making pancakes. I can cook otherwise, I can bake, but for whatever reason, I can’t make pancakes.
The last time I made pancakes, it put my partner in the hospital. There was nothing wrong with the pancakes themselves; they were delicious. That was just the day we found out that he has type II diabetes now.
Self-care.
I have a shower and might occasionally splash my face with some water but that's my limit. I own literally no skin care or makeup products. Shampoo, conditioner and body wash are the extent of my self care
Throwing.
I can throw a ball, but not far or fast. Never been able to. I'm in good shape, I got a good build, but don't count on me to be QB in your football game or pitcher on a baseball team. Something about my arm I just can't get it very fast.
I used to play cricket for our local village team, twice awarded "fielder of the year", but everybody (on our team) knew that I could not throw the ball from the boundary. My reactions were sharp and I could run it down quickly, but there always needed to be someone half-way to the stumps to relay it back. But it's a brave batsman who takes another run when the ball is in the fielder's hands.
Well, as my mom will tell you, in kindergarten I failed at skipping. They even put a note on my report card. So don't ask me to skip for you, I can't do it.
They put a note in your report card about skipping at school, or skipping school?
Studying
I just don't have the attention span. Or a retention span either.
Sewing
For me, knitting. My hands are too warm, it makes the wool moisten and swell. Ditto crocheting, also making decent pastry, makes the butter melt. I can do mental arithmetic, and write in cursive, but I can't knit. "Some Like It Hot" quote "Well, nobody's perfect" lol
Any DIY. I grew up with a father that could do anything and really well, electrics, plumbing, plastering, carpentry, mechanics, you name it. I can drill a hole in a wall, and that's about it.
I can drill a hole...just not necessarily where I'm supposed to drill it.
Cooking, like I'll literally mess up the most basic stuff. I even managed to burn instant noodles once lol
Driving. 29, never learned.
I mean, if you live in a place with good public transportation it doesn't matter
Cutting anything in half,no matter how even it seems it will be, it ends up stupid.
Swimming
Me too, embarrassing from a nation where 85% of us live close to the ocean and which thrives on winning swimming medals at the Olympics. I'm the sort of person who would even drown in the Dead Sea
Peeling a hard boiled egg.
Hold it under cold water (Please refer to Seinfeld episode about shrinkage).
Reading an analog clock.
I am 30.
I am a teacher.
Edit to clarify: I know how it works. I can tell the time but I can't look at it and tell instantly. I have to go through a whole process, the same as when you're learning this. So it goes like this in my mind: okay, the big clock hand is at 6 so it's half, then look at the small one..
I taught myself how to read and write when I was 4 and have an iq of 124 but my brain won't let me tell how to read a clock instantly.
I couldn't either, until I took Spanish. Learning it in a different language sidestepped the crossed wires in my brain. After awhile, I was able to do it in English without having to translate first. A shame OP won't see this.
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I can't take a compliment. Like, I've no idea what to say or do except to give an awkward laugh and say thanks
I used to be uncomfortable accepting compliments until I decided to offer a harmless twinge of awkward back to balance the feelings. If they compliment me about a personality trait I smile brightly and say "Thanks!" Without trying to reciprocate (which is what used to make it TORTURE, because it felt forced and left me feeling insincere. I enjoy complimenting people when I'm not made to scramble for one) if they compliment a possession or a feature of mine, I respond "Thanks! I like it too!" It's lovely when they happily accept the response, and gratifying when they get that oh so slight look of having been put off tilt.
Load More Replies...
1. staying awake during the day, 2. falling asleep at night. hell of a combo
Not sure if this counts but I just wanna be a part of the conversation- I take guitar lessons and my instructor tells me that I have some of the strongest strumming she’s seen in a student, I’m great at memorizing the songs and chords, but I suck at chord changes. I always have to pause and line up my fingers perfectly with the frets or else I feel like I’m not doing it right
I can't take a compliment. Like, I've no idea what to say or do except to give an awkward laugh and say thanks
I used to be uncomfortable accepting compliments until I decided to offer a harmless twinge of awkward back to balance the feelings. If they compliment me about a personality trait I smile brightly and say "Thanks!" Without trying to reciprocate (which is what used to make it TORTURE, because it felt forced and left me feeling insincere. I enjoy complimenting people when I'm not made to scramble for one) if they compliment a possession or a feature of mine, I respond "Thanks! I like it too!" It's lovely when they happily accept the response, and gratifying when they get that oh so slight look of having been put off tilt.
Load More Replies... 1. staying awake during the day, 2. falling asleep at night. hell of a combo
Not sure if this counts but I just wanna be a part of the conversation- I take guitar lessons and my instructor tells me that I have some of the strongest strumming she’s seen in a student, I’m great at memorizing the songs and chords, but I suck at chord changes. I always have to pause and line up my fingers perfectly with the frets or else I feel like I’m not doing it right
