this is one of my very favorite quotes to live by these days. [and a happy one to remember annette funicello by, as she passed away just this week. may she rest in peace!] on the inside, i would say i am something of a “recovering perfectionist,” and there have been so many times in my life where i realize that the need for perfection [which is obviously not even possible to achieve] and the fear of failure have held me back. that little thing inside my head is still such a battle for me, but i think it took getting to a certain place of frustration and defeat in my life that made me finally throw up my hands and realize that constantly trying to capture the unattainable, by my standards or anyone else’s, is, well, exhausting, but also just not living life! hello! nothing will ever be perfect by definition, as in without any flaws, and i think in my recent years, it’s become so clear to me that if i have to choose between chasing joy or chasing the illusion of perfection, well, i choose joy. i want to be happy! but happiness is so often a choice. and now, as i sit here and look at the complete mess on my floor, it’s making me smile thinking of the fun that was had and the happiness that was created when that mess was made. we have a lot of happy messes around here these days! and i don’t want letting go of “perfect” to be confused with a lower standard of living, so i try so hard to keep up with order and organization… but gosh darnit if i don’t feel like i’m running a circus sometimes in a little house of five creatures! i wash the dishes and they’re dirty again. i finish all the laundry and there’s a new mountain. i do the cat litter and man, that cat can just make some terrible smells. i plant the perfect rose bush and the bugs eat it… but we are young and life is for living and it’s only gonna get crazier from here! so, i really love the reminder that life does not have to be perfect to be wonderful. amen to that.
and on a similar note, as i’ve been thinking on this topic, i saw that the lovely and wise sarah had written a beautiful post on aspiring to be like the biblical proverbs woman, which can be so tough because the woman in proverbs appears to be the perfect wife and lady… but as sarah put it, “she knows who she is in Christ and that alone gives her peace.” yes! that’s what we want to strive for, so amen to that, too! [thanks, sarah!]
Love this quote and the reminder to slow down and enjoy things as they are!
beautiful words. So inspiring to remember to slow down and soak in the good even in the imperfect. Thank-you for this post!
🙂 i love this and when you go deep!!! amen to all the above!!
As a not-quite-so-recovering perfectionist, I can completely relate to this post – thank you! 🙂
I love this. Yesterday someone posted a picture on instagram with the caption "I've learned that when you invite people to your table, it doesn't need to be perfect. It needs to be from the heart". And even though it doesn't relate exactly to what you're saying, it's all about the same thing – learning to enjoy life as it is and not worrying too much!
Thanks for this!
i love this post! so beautifully written. it is so easy to get caught up in striving for perfection and in that we totally get held back. thank you for this reminder that life is wonderful. wonderfully imperfect. happy friday sweet friend! xox
beautifully, dare i say, PERFECTLY written. an excellent reminder.
xo
"she knows who she is in Christ and that alone gives her peace." — so, so perfect and so important to remember! thank you for sharing! 🙂
Beautiful post!! I feel like this is a struggle for so many women. I'll definitely be sharing this with my friends! Thanks for writing!