Master of None

I admire people who can focus on one thing and do it well. I know a quilter who has perfected the art of making Celtic knots which she then appliques to exquisite wall hangings, table runners and so on. She even advertises that she is "one of the very few quilt artists specializing in zoomorphics the highly stylized animals seen in 8th Century manuscripts."

Another person I know has made textiles her life's work, and more specifically, how to make dyes from lichens: she has even earned a PhD in this specialized field and has recently published a book on the history of dyeing in England.

I could go on: one friend hooks rugs; another does photography. There are those who focus on decorative painting and develop superb technical skill. Me? I'm all over the place. I like many kinds of hobbies: I write, I quilt, I paint, I golf, I start a blog; I am moderately good at most things I get into, but I am master of none.

I'm a participant. And even though I admire the specialists, I think it's OK to be a generalist too!