Perfection..

Perfectionism is the voice of the oppressor, the enemy of the people. It will keep you cramped and insane your whole life. -Anne Lamott

The road to hell is paved by perfectionists working with grains of sand. And believe me when I tell you...they are missing some spots. Like all the other 'isms' in life...aspiring to be Miss Perfect is an addiction. One fueled by low self worth. When we were young, nothing we did was ever good enough. So we just kept on doing until doing was all we could do. When doing more and more didn't seem to make a difference, we thought that doing more perfectly would get us there. When it finally did...suddenly we heard voices (other than the ones in our heads) singing our praises. Nothing compares to the sound of genuine compliments. And because we are sensitive creatures who live by our emotions..we want to repeat the complimentary experience over and over. So we commit to doing everything perfectly...setting in motion a cycle of self-destruction that most of the time is as comfortable as a straight jacket. And still we pursue perfection.
I could tell you to stop reading the magazines, watching the videos, and going to the movies that continuously reinforce our skewed belief that perfection is possible. That it's even out there. But you aren't going to listen to me. Hell, I don't even listen to me. Instead...the next time you see a woman posed beautifully (read photoshopped) on the cover of a magazine, or a room decorated so wonderfully (read clean) that you know children and husbands are no where in the vicinity, or a meal prepared so deliciously (read fattening) that gourmet chefs would cry...begin to chant "You're not real. You're not real. You. Are. Not. Real. I refuse to grant you the power to make me miserable." (This mojo is even more effective when chanted out loud in the grocery check out line. Bonus points if it's Walmart.) The woman, the room, and the meal that are depicted to inspire us (but that actually diminish us) are illusions conjured up by professionals paid generously to manipulate reality and confuse consumers.
Once a close friend gave me a precious gift. She taught me that my sanity is much more important than the subtle little perfections that I covet. The 'subtle littles' are the essence of perfection. The 'subtle littles' trigger the content response. But a life spent chasing the 'subtle littles' leaves no time to enjoy the perfection I already have. So as a recovering perfectionist...I am bestowing the same gift to all of you. Your sanity is much more important than the subtle little perfections.
Find your grains of sand. Live with them. Pave with them.
A point worth pondering...Upon completing the Universe, God pronounced it "very good." Not perfect.

XOX