Renaissance in a modern world...

"Jack of all trades, master of none, though ofttimes better than master of one".

When you read the whole phrase it's a lot more positive than, "Jack of all trades, master of none!"

My dad was a jack of all trades. His official profession was a draftsman, but he was an inventor, engineer, he liked to write, he was a musician, a woodworker, an artist, a mechanic, a renovator, a gardener, sometimes a cook...

He held 14 US and 16 foreign patents. These were for mostly electro-mechnical devices such as a microfiche sorting and card retrieval machine.

I can remember the frequent jokes about how he would start projects and not finish them. Or about how he would get excited about bowling and get a bowling ball because he was going to get really good at it and then lose interest a few months later... or fishing gear... or...

I don't know if it is scientifically proven that innate curiosity and a propensity to become bored with things once you know you can do them is hereditary, but I guess they might be. Right now I have my bathroom torn apart, I am reading the biography of Joseph Smith, "No Man Knows My History,"I have at least 5 other books either started or waiting in line, I am taking a class in Advanced Materials, I work 40 hours a week, I have a girlfriend, I've got my mom around too, plus cats, and fish... the house projects seem endless... set up my shop, put away my stuff, get the upstairs organized and livable, re-do my mom's shower, fix up my bedroom, and little things - put up the smoke alarms, finish touch-ups on the hallway, and so on... Hrrrmmmmpphhh....

Lots of people throughout my life have become frustrated with me because they think I don't care about them. In a way I feel really good about my relationships right now because they aren't heavy - I don't feel heavy about them. I feel like I do have room to move around and be me and do my thing. I don't understand it when people get frustrated with me for being inattentive. When I say that I mean - I really don't understand it. I feel like I am doing my best to maintain balance in my life and to keep the important things important, but maybe my sense of taking care of things and other people's sense of taking care of things is different.

I related the story about my dad because I tend to do the same things. I check things out that interest me - might spend some time studying them intensely - then I'll move on to something new. I used to think that this was a bad thing because of the way people talked about my dad - how he could never stick to one thing. This is why I have a degree in Aviation Technology - I wanted to follow through with something. I was afraid of spending my life hopping from one thing to the next.

More recently I have started to embrace this part of me that has a relatively short attention span. I am looking for ways to take advantage of wanting to learn a little about everything. For example, what kinds of jobs need these kinds of people? And if I am curious about something I let myself be interested in it. I have decided hopping around is great, not bad.

Doing my bathroom - working with my hands - that has been fun. It's like Legos for adults. I loved Legos when I was kid. I think I could build things all the time. It's neat to figure out and cool when the things you put together work.

Anyway, so when you are interested in everything what happens? Your schedule ends up jam packed. My schedule has always been jam-packed. If it's not one thing it's another. It used to be choir, school, and sports. Now it's renovations, school, taking care of mom, friends, and stuff. I stretch out my days and stay up late and do as much as I can with each day. Then I get cranky when I there is no time left and I am tired every day and feel crappy. Then people get mad at me because I seem inattentive and aloof. So, there are downsides to being a Jack of All Trades.

I know I need to prioritize better. I am guessing that if I were less busy and did more quality things I would probably be happier. I just don't know how to let go of tinkering constantly. It makes me late in the morning and pulls at my attention throughout the day. I'm not sure how to balance my life, but I will work on it, because the way I am relating to my life isn't working so well. I am tired all the time and I realize now too that I am giving people the impression that I don't care about them. I am not sure what to do, but I'll post it when I figure it out.