On being a jack-of-all-trades with multiple sclerosis

I never could afford to be a one-trick pony. That’s mostly because I wasn’t good enough at any single thing. Also, it benefited me, and those around me, if I was skilled at a variety of things.

I’m not saying there’s no place for people who are masters of one specific thing. I actually knew people like that. I called them skunks. They might know only one trick, but it works for them because it’s a really good trick.

I couldn’t be a skunk before I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS), and I certainly can’t be one now, because MS won’t let me. As unpleasant as it is at times, MS isn’t a skunk kind of disease because it has entirely too many tricks. So living with it requires me to know more than one trick, too. I’ve always been a jack-of-all-trades, but now I’ve become a very specific kind of one. I don’t like being forced to be one by MS, but it turns out that it’s the best way to deal with all the various tricks.

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Taking on new roles

As with many sayings, most people know only the first part of “Jack-of-all-trades, master of none.” The second part says, “But oftentimes better than a master of one.” That omission changes the phrase’s meaning. If you know only the first half of it, you might think that being a jack-of-all-trades is a bad thing. But according to the site Tech Duffer, it’s a strength, not a weakness, and often more valuable than specialization.

Being skilled in multiple areas “promotes versatility, adaptability, and the ability to navigate various situations,” the site says. For those of us with MS, those traits are indispensable when dealing with our symptoms.

The article makes several good points, but I’d like to emphasize a few that apply to life with MS. The first is that developing a diverse skill set enhances my ability to take on new roles. I can’t think of any other time in my life when I’ve had to take on so many new roles. In addition to being a husband and father, I am a patient, advocate, and researcher, and someone dependent on others, to name a few. When MS adds other things to that list, having diverse skills means I’ll be better prepared.

The second point I took from the article is that having a variety of skills can enhance one’s ability to handle different tasks without relying on others. As I become increasingly disabled by my primary progressive MS, maintaining independence becomes increasingly important to me. Continually adapting and developing new skills helps me preserve every bit of abilities that I can. That makes me more accepting and grateful as a dependent person, because by handling various tasks, I discover the things I can’t handle on my own.

The last point I want to make is that having multiple skills makes me want to learn new ones. Being my own advocate means constantly trying to learn more about MS. Fortunately, with all the information that’s available in today’s digital world, this isn’t a daunting task.

I’m not alone in having to be a jack-of-all-trades, as my wife has had to adapt to my MS for over a decade. I call her a “jill-of-all-trades.” Tomorrow is our 16th wedding anniversary, and I’m so grateful she was willing to adapt to something that neither of us saw coming.

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