Early on in my brother’s career at UW-Madison I realized he embodied something I greatly admired… and it wasn’t that he works at his dream job in the Athletic department of a Big Ten university, though that certainly is cool! Rather I admire that he has been recognized for excelling at a skill. In this case it is receiving an award from COSIDA for his talent. (He has since earned many others!) I have long been a “Jack (Jill?) of all trades, master of none.” That saying encompasses the idea that a person has dabbled in many areas but has not become an expert in any. It is true I have dabbled in many fields: cooking, soccer, volleyball, mountain biking, guitar, ice hockey, inline skating, gardening, paddleboarding, kayaking, camping, web site design, writing, baking, blogging, teaching, composting, cake decorating, Spanish language, piano, mentoring, technology consulting, traveling, etc. And yet I am not an expert in any of them. (And even still I am looking into other hobbies to amass: improv, yoga and pottery to name a few.) I have so many interests I can scarcely find time to pursue them all. And I realize that therein lies the reason why I am not an expert. Time simply doesn’t exist on earth to become experts at all these. Why is there a drive to become an expert? Known for something? There are groups of friends and colleagues I particularly like hanging out with because they recognize me for the traits I most enjoy about myself: cooking, work, quirkiness.