My heart. So far, it’s been as tough an old Timex watch: takes a licking and keeps on ticking. My cardiologist says that I have the heart of an ox. I inherited it from Dad, who survived nearly thirty heart attacks before he died. My score isn’t even half that yet.
I may be 5’ tall and weigh 300 lbs, but at least I won’t lose my hair young.
No one in my family dies until they’re over 100. I knew ALL my great grandmothers and had them until I was 28. No heart disease, no cancer, no NOTHIN’. I’m HEALTHY!
Also, I’m smart-ish. Though, the older I get, the less smart I realize I am. If you know what I mean.
And one of my favorite things: I’m extremely manually dextrous. I type more than 110 wpm, play the piano like no one’s business, and can do ANYTHING with my hands; knit, sew, you name it. None of this translates into actual artistic talent. For instance, I can read a piece of music and make my hands move quickly enough to play it, but I can’t play by ear, improvise, and so on. It’s all mechanical talent. Still, it comes in HANDY. Get it!?
Oh yeah, and I’m also hilarious.
I am not comfortable listing things I would consider personality traits or mental skills as genetic gifts. I for example have a (if I dare say so myself) breathtaking intuition, in some cases more finely tuned towards certain things (such as finances and economy) (or overall disaster), but I don’t consider it a genetic gift. I think it’s an (although unconscious) involuntarily acquired skill. Little bits of talent like that, we all have in our little way.
But genetic…
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I am a human furnace. As a child during winter all my aunts would try and bogart me to keep them warm. I could build snowmen in shorts and a t-shirt and not be cold. I’ve been up in the mountains and everyone wearing 20 layers of clothes (and still freezing) and I am quite alright in just a light sweater. (At the same time, my body regulates itself quite well, since I am not hot in heat (and don’t sweat much at all).
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Over time I have discovered I heal very well. For starters, despite my antics and adventures as a child (some day I will entertain you with the stories), I have never broken a bone, never had surgery, have very few scars (this includes considering I had chicken pox when I was 22 and I wreaked havoc on myself and still - no scars to show), only two cavities in my whole life, if I get sick (virus) it hits me VERY HARD at once, and then I am over it in two days, etc etc.
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Natural endurance that I used to think was just “I am young and that is that”, but as it turns out, it is a gift. Despite being a smoker, and not exercising regularly, I can still, within a week, run 3.5km in around 16 minutes, which I consider pretty damn fast (also, not really destroying myself in the process). Even my doctor recently told me “your blood pressure is amazing for a smoker”. When I was about 13 I joined a marathon impromptu and made second place. I can work 36 hours straight and still have enough energy to watch some TV before I go to bed. The list goes on and on.
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Not Jedi-like, but pretty damn good reflexes and coordination (grace), which explains why I have been good at any sport I have ever had the desire to try. Tennis, volleyball, water/snow skiing, skating, you name it.
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My brain is very well wired, but I consider that a double-blade sword.
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My voice is hot.
My mother thanks you, my father thanks you…and I thank you.
High native intelligence, mostly. And being double-jointed pretty much everywhere. I suspect that the latter has saved me from more than a few serious injuries. Plus, it just looks damn cool.
The rest of it can go hang, though.
I’m sure I’m not as intelligent as some of you worthies, but I think fast and can do simple reasoning much faster than most people, giving the impression of intelligence.
This also means I’m very funny and that I can manipulate conversations very well and come across as charismatic and likable.
I’m also modest. 
It’s hard for me to choose just one: My incredible physique, strength and stamina? My all encompassing mind? My Hazel green eyes and rugged good looks? The disease free and healthy old age that I can expect to inherit from my centenarian grandparents? My strong moral compass? My fast reflexes? My inherently competitive nature? My thirst and gusto for life? You wouldn’t think so, but a third nipple sure comes in handy. Should I be most grateful for that? My schlong?
Truth is, it’s probably the whole gestalt. I am a colossal badass of evolution and an apex winner of the genetic lottery in so many ways, it’s just impossible to choose. I stand head and shoulder above the rest of humanity to such an extent I’ve had to learn to shield my brilliance lest the rest of you be drawn to it like moths to the flame.
I’m like Cromagnon living in the age of Neanderthal. It’s hard to consider that we are even the same race. I just thank my Fuhrer… err father every day for the life he granted me.
Lest you think I’m bragging, I’m not. Gifted genetically, I am nonetheless cursed by fate. The perfect man, I have spawned to perfect… yet opposite children.
My Daughter of Light - Firstborn, blond, brilliant, kind, and gentle
My Daughter of Darkness - Secondborn, Redhead, brilliant yet twisted in her dark mishcievous ways.
As I raise them to adulthood the world will gather around my archetypal children, good with good, evil with evil, and my daughters will wage the ultimate battle for the soul and future of mankind.
I will be forced to participate and play a crucial tragic role, yet the details are unknown to me.
It was so prophesied by a Holy Man, and I dream in it my sleep. There are only 22 years left before the final battle.
I always pictured you as tall and rapier thin. I think it was the fencing you did that gave me that impression.
My looks, probably. My mom was/is a babe, and my dad has the handsome dark features/dark skin, so I came out looking all right. I love my skin; it’s clear and kind of olive-hued; plus I have dark hair and eyes, and nice-looking features. Thanks, mom and dad!
I have lovely hair – thick and wavy. My breasts showed up when I was twelve and then proceeded to delight teenaged boys and anyone nearby for a few decades. I am also quite verbally gifted. Words have always been my comfort, my delight, my best friends. I love to read. I read very fast and write well.
But I have ovaries I’d gladly throw against a wall, no math skills, an anxious, easily hurt and constantly worried personality, my mom’s hopeless upper arm flab and teeth that have been nothing but a disappointment.
My brains, to the extent that was inherited. I think my sense of humor may also be partially inherited.
I guess I’m reasonably attractive, but I don’t feel particularly grateful about it. I’m good-looking enough to attract unwanted attention at times, but not so beautiful that it gives me any obvious advantage in life. I am glad that I was blessed with good skin, although I don’t spend much time thinking about it. But I’m happy I have the luxury of being able to not think about it! I also have thick, healthy hair.
I wish I had inherited my mother’s normal eyesight, but I didn’t. My vision is terrible. I did at least wind up with a rather pretty eye color.
ETA: Oh, and I don’t have severe PMS or cramps. I do get menstrual cramps sometimes, but they’re usually mild and even at their worst I know I’ve never experienced the severe pain that some women have to put up with every month.
The fact that all of my grandparents made it to their 80s with all faculties intact. I only have one grandparent left, but she’s 89 and steaming along full tilt (she walks up a reasonable-sized hill every day).
:eek:
(I might need one later in life. For now, it’s staying active by my daily routine of trudging up a mile to the store to look at, um, magazines and other stuff. Weather hasn’t cooperated much lately. Wait, I guess that’s why it’s called… Might start running this spring.)
Athletics runs in my family. Lots of track stars. I ran in high school. Now. I walk.
I guess mine would be be the ability to eat utter crap, not gain weight and somehow turn it to muscle. It’s stayed with me this far in life (nearly mid 30’s) and has been passed to the kiddos thank og.
I used to play this Role Playing game where characters could have little “extra abilities” called talents that would be useless 90% of the time but occasionally very handy, like “direction sense.”
Two of mine are “direction sense” (I can’t tell north, since that’s not the system of reference I grew up with, but I can tell you where the local “main street” is within minutes of arriving to a new place) and the fact that I plan in contingency. It took me a long time to realize that when other people make plans that are completely linear (and which often get completely thrown out the window as soon as a single glitch happens), it’s not because they didn’t think other options were worth considering, or because that particular glitch didn’t occur to them… it’s the whole notion of making “what if plans” that doesn’t occur to them!
To give you an idea, my idea of planning a day downtown would be along the lines of:
- go downtown (by foot unless it’s raining, in which case I’ll take the subway),
- depending on method of transportation, I’ll arrive “downtown” at different points… so that leads to two different intended routes already!
- and I’ll have a mental list of several places where I may eat, depending on what route I’m following, which stores I’m entering, and when do I feel hungry.
The way some of my friends plan:
- go downtown by subway
- stores to enter: A, then B then C then D
- eat at X place
If X happens to be closed, they can take one hour to pick up another place… while standing in a square that’s got a dozen restaurants if it has one!
So basically whenever I’m going somewhere with other people, I let them do the planning, as their plans are a lot more rigid than mine and explaining my “tree of choices” would take all day. But if there’s a need for contingency plans at work, I’m your consultant!
I think for me it’s general intelligence
And really pretty blue eyes 
I have great hair. It’s thick, soft, a lovely shade of auburn, and just enough waves to make it fun. I’m 41 and no sign of grey yet!
I’ll bow down in thanks to the hair gods.
My biggest complaint is that I gain weight very easily and it doesn’t want to go away, even with a strict diet 
Genetic gifts?
Brains. Ummm… creativity?
I think it was his rapier that was rapier thin. Or perhaps his rapier sharp wit. Maybe both. Still, I don’t recall Maeglin as being more than a few ounces over 295.
I inherited an amazing sense of direction and memory for “how to get there” from my dad. My mom’s got to go the same route a dozen times to be able to drive without directions. I can easily come up with alternate routes and figure out how to get home if we get turned around in my home town. And if I’m not at home, let me stop at a gas station and give me five minutes with a map - we’re golden.
I have an amazingly good memory, which is very helpful when it comes to learning. I have a good ear for music, voices, and languages.
OTOH, I cannot estimate distances longer than 24 inches. Eight feet? Twelve? Fifteen? I dunno. And I’m terrible about guessing age/weight/height on people as well.
I’m nearsighted with an astigmatism, and my teeth aren’t very nice. So far I don’t have any major physical health issues, but I’m only 28. However, depression, anxiety, addiction problems, and ADD have all come down the pipeline for me.
I conceive, carry, deliver, and nurse babies with amazing ease. I am truly grateful for that. I would love to be a surrogate, but with my mental health history and dependence on prescriptions, I would never be allowed to carry for someone else.
And I’ve been told I have a great ass.