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By Emily Snedecor at Reasonably So

I learned a new word today: ”A polymath (Greek polymathēs, πολυμαθής, “having learned much”) is a person whose expertise spans a significant number of subject areas” (Wikipedia). In other words, a Renaissance Woman, or Jill of All Trades. I am not a polymath, but I have spent my life trying to be. It hasn’t gotten me very far. Here are some examples:

Instrumental Lessons Taken (as a child): Piano, Flute, Recorder, Saxaphone, Guitar.
Instruments I can play now: NONE.

Dream Jobs (as a child): Writer/Poet, Actress, Photographer, Fashion Designer, Chef
Current Job: Preschool Teacher

Majors in college: Anthropology, Theater
Grad School interests: Journalism, Education, ?????

After all these years of trying so hard to be so good at so many things, I have realized that I’m only kind of ok at most things. It’s no surprise that I have a hard time focusing my energy these days.

My newly developed goal, rather than spreading myself thin over a number of activities, is to excel at one. For I have discovered a bright side to this whole conundrum: I have enormous respect and admiration for gifted people. Last weekend, I saw a musical performance by cellist Ben Sollee and his band-the positive energy in the whole venue was buzzing with their Bluegrass/Indie/Folk melodies. This past fall, I had the good fortune to meet Clare Vivier, whose luxurious handbags could stop traffic (and have caused a leak in my bank account). Even the children in my class dumbfound me with their capabilities- imagine a four year old who can read and write, all on her own.

While I try to sort out my piles of hobbies, daydreams, and future plans, I find inspiration in these kinds of people. Some of them are naturals, some of them are working hard to make a dream come true, and others are just living and growing. They are, however, a beautiful reminder to do what you love the most.

Now, I just have to figure out what that is…

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