The Enemy

"The better is the enemy of the good." Francois de Voltaire


We've all been given talents. Lately, however, I've been feeling like "a jack of all trades and a master of none." (Okay, a jack of only a few trades.) So when a new, possibly upshot soprano joined my chamber choir recently, of course I felt intimidated, my talent wasn't very good, how dare she have an amazing voice, I wasn't needed anymore, and why was I even trying when there would always be someone better? etc.

Ahhh. Confessing always makes me feel better.

Anyhoo, I want to embrace the fact that being so-so, mediocre, or average at a skill isn't bad. It's fine. It's better to be average at something than to just bury your head in the ground entirely. (At least, that's what I'm trying to convince myself.) There must be a balance between improving yourself and being content with who you are.

This issue bleeds into other areas--there are so many things that moms can do or be involved in nowadays . . . and not just involved in; they have to be amazing at it, too. It's not just about the washing and the ironing and the cooking and the cleaning and the slaughtering anymore. No, now it's replaced with what the modern mommy should be doing:

keeping an organized home
staying fit and skinny (preferably through running 10Ks and/or marathons)
maintaining beautiful hair
(I know you envy me)
blogging
sewing
quilting
canning
building a year's supply
photography
gardening
music
studying scriptures
magnifying her calling
sharing the gospel
doing family history
baking whole wheat bread
cutting coupons
reading intelligent books

Oh, and need I add, raising beautiful, intelligent, sociable, polite, exceedingly precocious children?

(She may not be all of the above, but I wouldn't trade her for any other child on the whole planet.)


I want to empower myself to let go of the things I feel I ought to do (but don't want to) and give myself time for the things I want to do but don't. Why do I sometimes feel like I should do what everyone else is doing? Do I actually even enjoy that particular activity?

I recently made a list entitled "My Life Priorities." And you know what?

None of the above were listed on it.


Okay, I jest. But like Voltaire said, those who are merely good at a particular skill can feel intimidated or even disheartened by those who excel. Not that it's bad to excel, mind you. But it's okay to just be good at something. Or merely okay. Or downright terrible.

I like what James of the New Testament had to say: "If any many offend not in word, the same is a perfect man."

Now that's a goal I can wrap my mind around--instead of worrying about all the STUFF I feel like I should be doing or focusing on skills I'm not good at, how about I try to perfect myself by controlling this waggling tongue of mine?

How about I try to excel at things that matter?


Actually, I've decided to pare my life priority list down to one thing that I can be really good at:

eating

Oh, that wasn't on the list? Dang.


How about complaining?