Excellence Versus Perfection-

I was walking to the grocery store today--a 20 minute walk from my house--enjoying the cool weather & the different birdsongs echoing around me. I hate exercising, but these jaunts to run a simple errand are pleasurable. I treasure the opportunity to complete a thought without constant interruptions, without having to provide explanations (which constitutes 80% of my young career in parenting).

Anyway, my thoughts quickly turned to our household finances as I had erred in some minor calculations. I've always struggled with numbers--even simple math--& it irked me to no end that I had, once again, botched up the figures. A normal person would just get peeved for a few minutes & then get on with the rest of the day. But for me, Perfectionism becomes that annoying little boy from grade 1, all freckles & mean-spirited "Na-na-na-na-naaaaa!"

I say this knowing that perfectionism can be an asset. When I'm creating a piece of jewelry, I am focused, precise--willing to start from scratch a 3rd time if a bezel doesn't hug the stone exactly along its contours. In graduate school a decade ago, I played piano 4-6hrs/day, tirelessly repeating single passages until every note was flawless.

Parenting however, sets no such requirement, & certainly not household management! Sort the laundry, don't sort the laundry--it all comes out clean. Maybe pink too, but I've never had that happen personally. So why is it so easy to cross the dividing line between excellence & perfection? Anyone?