“Perfectionism is the voice of the oppressor, the
enemy of the people. It will keep you cramped
and insane your whole life... Perfectionism is a
mean, frozen form of idealism, while messes are
the artist’s true friend. What people somehow
(inadvertently, I’m sure) forgot to mention when
we were children was that we need to make
messes in order to find out who we are and why
we are here...” Anne Lamott, Bird by Bird.
Serenity Moves for Spring
- Keep remembering that perfectionism is the oppressor. As a recovering perfectionist, I avoid perfectionists who are in denial, or at least do my best to not allow that insanity to reinfect me.
- Embrace temporary messes as necessary to progress. And of course, insist other people clean up their own messes and don't be a perfectionist freak about how they do it. As an Art teacher and a mother, this one has taken me quite a few years to embrace.
- Keep the focus on people, not things. One of the best moments with my 9-year-old daughter last Fall was right after she broke one of my favorite (and most expensive) coffee mugs. She looked at me in a panic, terrified. I walked over and didn't even look at the mug, just focused on her. I gave her a hug and said, "You are way more important than a coffee mug." (If only I could always keep my cool like that.)
- Mud is a necessary part of Spring. Embrace it. We live in a new home with a moat of mud all around. Mud means that Summer is coming. Mess = Progress.
- The surest path to serenity is gratitude.
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| Serenity Deer is looking out for us. My oil pastel demo to students this week. |
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