The phrase “Jack of all trades, master of none” describes my life to a T. I spend way too much time learning knew things than I do developing the skills I already have. What can I say; I have a short attention span and way too much energy to try and put myself in a box.
The one down side is that I’m decent at everything but I’m not really good at anything. For example, I can play “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” and “Ode to Joy" on four instruments; the recorder (yes, it counts), clarinet, piano, and violin. But I’m certainly not accomplished and all I really wanted was to be able to play the “Heart and Soul” duet.
I can sew a button, fix a rip, and knit a scarf, but you’ll never catch me making my own clothes. Project Runway makes it look way too stressful.
I can shoot a bow and a gun, pitch a tent, and cast a line, but I’ll never be called an outdoorsy person. I tried camping one time and I woke up with a bug on my face, never again.
If the Odyssey had an employee sports team, I wouldn’t embarrass anyone, but I was never (ever) picked first in gym class. But hey, at least I know who The Great Bambino is!
I can skate (ice and in-line), ski, kneeboard, tube, surf, and rock climb. But you’d never see me trying to do those things competitively. I’ll save that battle for the next Tonya and Nancy. Or better yet...
I can sing loud and proud, I’m a decent actress, and took dance for six years. But I’ll never be on Broadway unless we’re talking about the street, in which case I’m watching a performance or trying to get Idina Menzel’s autograph after “If/Then”.
I can ride a horse, I know some French and ASL, I can craft, and I even know how to re-shingle a roof. But no one has ever looked at me and said, “Hey, you know you’re really good at something.”
Sometimes I feel like everyone but me is known for something. I have a friend who is a huge history buff and is the smartest kid in school. He went on to lead our Academic Team to a bowl win and became Valedictorian. Meanwhile, I was only on the team because I knew a lot of random, meaningless facts. You know your friends: the smart one, the funny one, the nice one, the pretty one, the athletic one, and the one who always blacks out. (I bet you thought of someone)
No one is ever going to think of me as a star athlete, musical protégé, or a scientific genius. But I consider myself “well-rounded.” I’m not perfect; no one is and that’s a part of life. Someone is always going to be better than you at something. Because no one is perfect that person won’t always be the best either; soon enough someone will come along and be better than them. But just because someone might be better than you at something shouldn’t stop you from doing what you love. Just because you can’t hit a high C doesn’t mean you shouldn’t sing “Defying Gravity” in the shower! Just because you don’t have moves like Queen Bee doesn’t mean you shouldn’t shake it to “Crazy in Love”!
Besides, just because I’m not perfect doesn’t mean I still can’t be fabulous as hell.
