10:22 p.m. | 2005-11-11 I�d Rather Be Spot On Than Perfect. Both my parents were perfectionists. Had I known that when I was born, I would�ve crawled into the woods and nestled amongst a pack of wolves. Seriously, I�d have been better nurtured and well, better tuned to my wild side. However, I�m not sure I�d be as strong as I am had I run for the trees. It was a bit much though, especially since I�m innately a perfectionist myself. Trust me, life amongst a pack of wolves would�ve been easier. And, much more fun. Fortunately, as a young adult, I had a wonderful mentor. One of the things she said to me, after viewing my first apartment, was this: �A perfectly clean home is a sign of a very boring person.� It took me many, many years to discover how right she was about that. On the other hand, in very short order, I used that idea as an excuse to ease up on the housekeeping. Kinda. My idea of easing up was not so loose. I�ll just say that I was definitely a boring person for a long time. Not that much fun to live with either� just for the record. You could eat off my floors yet no one did. Empty goal there. But those words always resonated. To the point that by inverse thinking, I became a fascinating person. Not boring at all. But, you wouldn�t want to eat off my floors anymore. More importantly, what my mentor taught me � after she pierced my perfectionist veil � was that people and relationships are way more important than a clean floor. Seems simple, but so many folks don�t get it. Turn outward and connect. Be spot on when someone needs another human being to be there, to listen to mourn to hold hands or to rejoice. Just be there. Be present. Be engaged. And please, don�t be unavailable because you�re mopping the floor instead. Cleaning is good, of course � or working or dancing or whatever � but don�t miss out on life because you�re trying to be perfect. Perfect is unattainable and selfish. More importantly, like my mentor taught me, it�s boring. With a capital B. your thoughts? seed flower