29 draft blog posts
Started. Stopped. Disappointed. Reviewed.
Lost my thread. Where to next?
A gift of a single, solo mug eschewed.
How and where can this fit in my cupboards?
I need a pair or 3 or 4.
A neat, ordered Christmas table seating… 29.
Funny that!
29 drafts, 29 seats.
But bums on seats were less.
Last minute cancellations, missed family and guests.
Messy, but normal.
Imperfect, but ideal.
What is the price of perfection, then?
Never finishing, or (never say never), rarely completing tasks and projects for fear of – ‘not good enough’.
For fear of disappointment. Falling short.
The uncomfortable.
Come to my house.
But take off your shoes before you step through the door.
Don’t breathe on anything. DON’T TOUCH A THING.
Don’t move the cushions. They’re decorative, not functional.
Don’t don’t don’t.
The price of perfection is restriction.
The price is discomfort – for others.
And discomfort for you, too I guess, as you worry about what’s been touched, displaced, untidied, crumpled (towels).
When you live in a restricted, comfortable, familiar, ‘perfect’ place, others do not.
They miss out on your brilliance.
All your ideas, projects, work, tasks – left unsaid. Left incomplete. Left on draft.
Un-draft. Edit. Schedule. Publish. Release things done into the world.
Release your restrictions.
Make room for the solo mug.
Embrace the discomfort; remember the mug reflects a friendship.
Throw the cushions on the floor.
Make space, get comfortable, sit back and snuggle deep into the sofa.
Put your feet up.
Come in. Take your shoes off here.
“I can use the hoover later!”
I think to myself, rather than say out loud.
Crumbs. Drink spills.
That’s what a cloth is for.
That’s what ‘Vanish’ is for. (It really works!)
It’s not easy, but knowing perfect is fleeting, singular and returnable works for me.
Choosing laughter, comfort and loving moments ahead of ‘perfect’ makes me happier.
But please leave so I can tidy my home now!
I think to myself, rather than say out loud.
Please give me an hour or two so I can edit this draft to ‘perfection’.
Do all the links work?
How does this look on desktop? Good.
Tablet? Good.
Phone. Yikes.
Edit.
Perfect.
How about you? Can you relate? Do you have other tips to quiet the anxiety of perfectionism?
P.s. I love having my friends and family around. I love my home – one of the best things about it being my ability to host family and friends when they stay in Manchester or host afternoon tea, brunch, lunch, dinner or just a quick coffee/tea/hot chocolate catch up. That’s why I’m thankful that I am learning to let go of the desire for ‘perfect’ more naturally now. Whoop 🙂
P.p.s. Have you ever read a blog post with an accompanying soundtrack, movie and book? Well, here’s a first –
https://genius.com/Katherine-lynn-rose-price-of-perfection-lyrics
The movie – The Price of Perfection IMDB Description & Watch on Amazon/Lifetime Movie Club.
The book – The Price of Perfection: Individualism and Society in the Era of Biomedical Enhancement (Bioethics) Hardcover – 9 Sept. 2009 by Maxwell J. Mehlman
