This morning Arlo and I made scones together. With all ingredients mixed in a bowl, we took turns scooping the sticky concoction onto a pan for baking. My efforts were precise and clean - neat piles directly from bowl to pan, not a drip to clean up later. Arlo had a different plan. He would messily scoop the wooden spoon into the bowl and plop each misshapen mound onto the pan, with small droppings here and there. At one point he smeared the mixture around a little, in what seemed to my eyes to be random places on the pan.
My first reaction was the desire to step in and guide him in making a more "perfect" scone. But I stopped myself and decided to go with it. So what if our scones didn't turn out like the neat and tidy perfect little wedges that you buy at the bakery? Isn't the road travelled just as important as getting where you are going?
In so much I do, I strive for perfection. A perfectly clean and tidy house (I fail miserably), perfect mothering (there is so much to learn and I have so much to improve upon), the perfect scheduling of my day to allow for maximum use (time for me, for husband, for exercise, for one-on-one time with each child, to answer all emails and Facebook messages, to prepare healthy meals, to eat five fruits and veggies and to drink the right amount of water). The eternal, endless quest for perfection is exhausting and elusive and just plain sucks.
So I'm deciding to embrace imperfection. Maybe I've gone zen, but I think it's time for me to do what I can while letting go of some of my unachievable expectations. There is only so much I can do in a 24 hour period and there are things I absolutely MUST do during each day, like laugh with my children and smile at my husband. It's time to prioritize the truly juicy aspects of life.
Now excuse me while I go eat the last of our beautiful, imperfect scones.
My first reaction was the desire to step in and guide him in making a more "perfect" scone. But I stopped myself and decided to go with it. So what if our scones didn't turn out like the neat and tidy perfect little wedges that you buy at the bakery? Isn't the road travelled just as important as getting where you are going?
In so much I do, I strive for perfection. A perfectly clean and tidy house (I fail miserably), perfect mothering (there is so much to learn and I have so much to improve upon), the perfect scheduling of my day to allow for maximum use (time for me, for husband, for exercise, for one-on-one time with each child, to answer all emails and Facebook messages, to prepare healthy meals, to eat five fruits and veggies and to drink the right amount of water). The eternal, endless quest for perfection is exhausting and elusive and just plain sucks.
So I'm deciding to embrace imperfection. Maybe I've gone zen, but I think it's time for me to do what I can while letting go of some of my unachievable expectations. There is only so much I can do in a 24 hour period and there are things I absolutely MUST do during each day, like laugh with my children and smile at my husband. It's time to prioritize the truly juicy aspects of life.
Now excuse me while I go eat the last of our beautiful, imperfect scones.
No comments:
Post a Comment