Frequently I find myself in inevitable comparison to my peers. Most of the people around me, and in my age group, are so ordinary. And I don’t mean that in a derogatory sense, nor do I mean that they are boring. I mean, I guess, that they are quantifiable in some way.

One friend is a wonderful artist – she’s quirky (always wearing a cute cat-eared hat), beautiful (in her defies-conventional-beauty kind of way), super funny to talk to, and she’s into recreational drugs.  Another friend is a nurse – she’s a mother, caring and steady, and she loves her photography hobby. She’s dependable and practical.  Even my husband fits the bill – exceptionally smart, with a geeky sense of humor. He loves role-playing games and computer games and reading. He’s my anchor, and he’s an amazing web developer and computer programmer.

What do these people have in common? They know what they want to do with their lives and they have some sort of plan on how to get there. They have hobbies and activities in which they like to participate, but in general they know what to expect from their lives and their careers 5 years from now (barring something extreme happening between now and then – knock on wood).

I can’t even decide what I want for lunch, most days.

Not that I’m complaining – being eclectic means never having to say “I’m bored”. It means that tomorrow if I want to pick up balsa wood carving, no one will really bat an eyelash at me. If I’m trying to paint a seascape down at the marina, I won’t get many odd looks. I can pick up the collection of gemstone beads I put down 3 years ago and make a new necklace and people are interested in what I’m doing. Not too many people think I’m crazy for going from a good technical career in computers to going to school for photography.

My interests change, and that’s ok. I can’t pin down one path I want to follow, so I’m doing my best to pursue as many as I can when the fancy strikes.

I hope you’ll join me on the journey.

I’m KellyEclectic, and this is my story.