I know. I feel for my family. I'm a very strange woman to live with.
It seems like every book I pick up lately is discussing perfectionism and how it actually hinders us from exposing our true selves. It got me thinking about how we glamorize being perfect in our culture, and how much importance is placed on a "look" of perfection.
We love to post about our busy lifestyle, and Facebook (and blogs for that matter) allow us to create an image of our clean homes, our overachieving kids and our perfect spouses. Instagram allows us to literally perfect pictures of ourselves and the meal we've just prepared. We are able to give a Norman Rockwell image to every aspect of our lives with just a simple app on our smartphones. Pinterest shows perfect hair, bodies, homes and meals. An edition of Southern Living that is on my desk has a picture of a young couple sitting on a front porch of a perfectly landscaped yard, sipping tea and enjoying their two dogs and young children without a mess in sight..ah, perfectionism at its finest!
I have to admit, I totally buy into the culture of perfectionism. I love it! I post pictures of food and cute kids and gifts from my husband on Facebook and Instagram, and I have to admit, I get a tinge of joy from it. And it kind of makes me gag sometimes...
The truth is, I'm really working on being true to myself, on showing my faults and imperfections to others, and sharing my fears and being vulnerable. This is a practice in our world of perfectionism, and it hits me...we cannot expose our true selves if we are hiding behind the mask of perfectionism. Yuck.
So here goes...an opportunity to show an imperfect side of myself:
My imperfect truths:
Dog hair in my house will always be there. I have three wonderful dogs. They are sloppy and they shed, and I love them dearly.
Teenage girls do not have clean bathrooms and bedrooms. They are nasty and despite the sweet nursery rhymes, are not made of sugar and spice and everything nice.They just don't get it! Why aren't they defined by their need to look perfect, dammit! They laugh at me, shrug at me, roll their eyes. Don't they understand the importance of a clean room and a clean bathroom? Don't they recognize that HGTV will barge in at any given moment to present me with a " home of the year" award?!
Despite of the fact that I am a hairdresser and a makeup artist, I regularly go out with my hair not done and no makeup. This one I actually love and don't mind. Maybe it's the rebel in me, but I love attending school functions among perfectly made up moms in my baseball cap and yoga pants. "Why yes, I am a hairdresser and I own a salon. I would love to give you the latest look while looking like I just rolled out of bed."
In conclusion, I'd like to attempt to download pictures of my "imperfect home" for the first time. See, I'm still learning how to perfect my blog and I've never done this before, so it might be imperfect. I've also had two glasses of wine so this may make everything a little unpolished and imperfect as well...and that's okay! I'm learning to embrace my imperfect life and to recognize that it is perfect enough for me!
My imperfect office:
My attempt to create organization with the girl's backpacks and sports gear. Note the "Laugh" above the awesome organization skills my girls have acquired.
My imperfect kitchen that is left undone after breakfast rush.
This is my favorite! My attempt to create a place to properly hang and reuse towels with my girls. Isn't this awesome!?
And finally, my imperfect bed making skills.
So there it is! I'd love to know some of your imperfections as well.. Then it won't make me feel so imperfect!
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