I was blessed in my “growing up years” to hang around some Country Folks that had, what appeared to me, a Magic Gift when it came to certain things. For example, the was a big old bow-legged Cowboy that seemed to know what cattle were going to do WELL before they did it! When I asked my Grand Dad about this skill, he commented something along the lines that IF you Hang Around Long Enough and Pay Attention Well Enough, you could learn and get better at most things.
The same was true for a couple of Horse Trainers I sent my young colts to when it came time to “putting a rein” on them. I was fair at messing with them as Babies on up to getting them comfortable with saddles and trailers, but NO WHERE near as good as those fellows when it came time to “finishing them” out. I would often query these Master Riders about their abilities, and both would simply talk about getting a “feel” for what was going on between the ears of the horse. They also commented, in slightly different ways, that pulling off LOTS of wet saddle blankets made the horse AND rider a better team.
My last example of this unusual skill set, naturally (for me), goes into the talent some Outdoorsmen have in recognizing WHERE and WHEN game would be moving. I remember once when my Grand Dad refused to go in after a morning hunt for Thanksgiving Dinner at our house because as he said: “The Deer are ready to be out and about, and I am gonna stay here and get some of them. Bring me back some Turkey!” I thought my Granny was going to have a Heart Attack over that choice when we got back to Pearsall. By our return for the Afternoon Hunt, he had managed to take 3 deer and had them hung up and field dressed. He then proceeded to give one to each of the other Lease Partners to tag and take home for their families.
I recall vividly asking him WHY he gave them ALL away and recall to this day his response. BOY, he said: “This ain’t the only time the deer are gonna be moving, and I don’t want to miss out on the fun of fooling them and pulling the trigger another time or two this Hunting Season”.
Just like with the cattle ,horses, and hunting, I reckon there is a LOT more I need to learn to be able to rise to the level of having Just Okay Anticipation on LOTS of things!