JUST JACK

Growing up you hear the phrase, "If you are a Jack of all trades, you are a master of none" which is intimidating don't you think? I mean, cool, if you are super good at one thing, obviously you should do that thing. High school would lead you to believe that if you are really good at operating on dead frogs in science class, perhaps you should be a surgeon or if you are amazing at Home Ec, become a baker or if you are a mathlete it should be obvious that engineering is your chosen path... But what if you like doing lots of things? What if you would rather not be pigeon holed as just a surgeon... what if you want to be a surgeon and an inventor, who just so happens to be the most kick ass baker west of the mississippi?! WHAT THEN!?

Ok... that is a tad dramatic. However, the question is still on the table like a heavy hand in black jack, where we sit, waiting to know what the dealer holds, our hearts pounding in our chests... so, let's flip the card and find out.

The more I pursue various paths, the more I become ok with the fact that I am indeed a Jack of all trades, but there is a catch- I am a Jack of many, but a master of few. I am a really great cook, I love food and experimenting with recipes, but I am not a michelin star chef. I am good writer, I am great on paper and can make mundane things seem relatively interesting (like this post you are reading now), though it is not in the stars for me to be the next Geoffrey Chaucer, and that is perfectly fine in my book. I am crafty, I am good with photos (on instagram), I view the world in a unique way and I love helping people see things differently... But where I truly excel is as a hairstylist. It is a trade I will continually learn to master for the rest of my life. Try as I may to leave it in the past, it calls to me like the Sirens on the shore.

The hard part comes in accepting the fact that I am not the "kid with a calling" who knew exactly what they were destined for only moments after exiting the womb. I am a mess of indecision wrapped in washi tape, covered in run-on sentences, tied baking twine, and coated in hairspray. I am not always sure of how to unpack the layers that seem to bind my personality... but then again, I'm not entirely sure that I need to.

Perhaps this discombobulated mess of seemingly disconnected pieces makes for a whole person that the world needs...maybe then, I should change my name to Jack... Just Jack; it is a pleasure to meet you.

xx