Wednesday, June 25, 2008

The Pursuit of Perfection

I'm getting a little too comfortable with this three-posts-a-week routine. Tonight I headed out the door with hubby for a night out on the town and totally forgot that I had a post due in the morning. I tensed up for a second, but then decided to just let it go and enjoy the evening. Because there's more to life than just being eco-friendly.

Shocked by my attitude? Don't be. Because if there's one HUGE lesson this uptight, suburbanite, self-proclaimed obsessive-compulsive perfectionist has learned over the past year is that life ain't perfect and neither am I.

Despite the images that come pouring into our televisions and onto the big screen, life is not a constant parade of beautiful, witty people in sparkling mansions. And that's ok. Because if everyone in the world lived the lifestyle of those fake people on tv, our planet would already be destroyed.

So before you begin the green journey, stop wishing you were even remotely like those carefully-crafted characters. They are living the impossible - and unsustainable - dream. For most, it is simply not attainable and it is definitely not good for our planet. Stop trying to live the lifestyle you think you should be living and just be happy with the things in life that bring you joy. Because once you let go of your need to meet the unrealistic expectations the media force down our collective throat, you will eliminate an assload of stress from your life. And you'll be glad when it's gone because in the coming year you'll learn a lot about real life...

There will be bugs in your compost. Your shirts will be crunchy. And might not be stain-free. Your child will be dirty. Your dishes will not sparkle. Your hair may be greasy. And your pits might be stinky. Your laundry basket might be broken. Your clothes might not be this year's fashion. You might not get to drive where ever you want, whenever you want. You might not get to have it all.

I could go on, but I don't want to ruin all the fun surprises.

Een if you don't start "going green", at least stop the constant pursuit of Hollywood's idea of perfection. Because if you're chasing a dream, you're missing out on life. And that would be a shame.

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10 comments:

Joyce said...

Great post!!

Unknown said...

Amen! Nicely put! This quote is my family to a tee:
"There will be bugs in your compost. Your shirts will be crunchy. And might not be stain-free. Your child will be dirty. Your dishes will not sparkle. Your hair may be greasy. And your pits might be stinky. Your laundry basket might be broken. Your clothes might not be this year's fashion."
I couldn't have said it better myself!

Vera said...

Good reminder...it's tough to keep that in mind though.

Anonymous said...

I wasn't looking for Hollywood perfection but it would be nice if a day would just go smoothly from beginning to end.

Green Bean said...

Hear hear. If we just lower some of our expectations some, we can live happier, healthier AND greener lives. Thanks for the reminder.

hmd said...

You are so right! I'm used to having things "just so" and more for energy level than anything, I've had to relax and just accept that the dishes might just not get done right away, and it's ok if my yard looks more like the prairie (I'm guessing the neighbors think otherwise, - but that's ok too).

Anonymous said...

Your laundry basket's broken???
tsk tsk tsk

nemo said...

I would agree. The pursuit of perfection is a big contributor to environmental damage. It is an insecurity that marketers play upon daily to make you buy more of their goodies.

Great post !

Anonymous said...

Glad to know another mother has a broken laundry basket. Unfortunately all my duct tape dried up in the garage or else it would have the Macgyver fix. :-) Hmm, are duct tape repairs environmentally friendly? Should I just use the jute twine from the VBS name tags? ...

Yesterday, I passed on afternoon housework to play fruit dominos and bake mini cherry cobblers with a toddler and a preschooler.

--Ave

Burbanmom said...

mmmmmm.... cherry cobbler....