If it's Perfect it's Close Enough

Casey Childs is one of my favorite teachers (and an amazing painter). I've learned a lot from him... and his Uncle. Which Uncle? Don't know, I never asked. But this quote is his... "If it's perfect it's good enough"

I'm a selective perfectionist. Really there are only a few things in my life that I just really refuse to be mediocre at. Dishes, laundry... anything Betty Crocker, Martha Stewart or Mr. Clean are definitely in the mediocre (if we are being generous) category. Actually most responsible adulting activities fall short of responsible adulting on my part.

Two of the categories that are really dominating my perfection list (outside of keeping children alive and hopefully thriving) are... painting (old news) and Pickleball (newer news). I can't even tell you why I want to be so good at pickleball. It's fun whether you are good or not. I'm still kinda a newbie, and I'm a good newbie. But I want to be great. I want to make ALL the shots, score ALL the points and hit ALL of my opponents (feet, I'm not a monster) with that silly green ball. So I've watched youtube videos, and I've enlisted an army of seniors in my town to teach me everything they know. I now know about dinks and drops and to mostly stay out of the kitchen (Which is perfect for me- see paragraph 2). As I get better and better new things are now important, like spin, reading my opponent, when to drive and when to drop. Every time I miss a shot I feel a loss at the opportunity. In that one little moment on that one silly little court playing a silly little game which seriously..... has the worst name ever, missing or making the shot is everything, my one job. I may as well be center court at Wimbledon for that one ridiculously unimportant second.

No one will ever care that I played pickleball. (Other than my senior besties and my family who I have also driven to addiction. )

But maybe people will care that I painted.

I care that I paint. I care enough to be driven by something I can never catch. Perfection.

Driven enough to send out to the world all of my missed shots, my not-there-yets, my work-in-progress self. Every time I paint I fall short. I just do.

So how is that okay? How am I ever be good enough if I'm not perfect?

I think the answer is that I am.

AND that I am not. (mind blown emoji)

Maybe the best I can do is "If it's good enough its perfect"

Maybe giving it all I've got, though what I have now isn't all that I will someday have, is all the perfection I need in any given moment.

On the other hand, it's the "it will be good enough when it is perfect" that drives me to greatness if it doesn't drive me to insanity first.

Best to hold both - one in each hand. One for drive, one for grace.

(They don't have many pickleball gif's yet... but you get the idea.)