A Life Lesson

.I talk to people, so I know I am not alone in this... you learn a few lessons as you work your way through a lifetime, and one of those is to take it a little easier on yourself once in a while.

One of my cousins and I have had conversation more than once about how appalled our Mom's might be if they knew that we occasionally use paper plates -- even at holiday time... that sometimes we don't even clean every visible and not so visible place in the entire house before the family comes for a big gathering... that we, as the hostess, can relax and enjoy the party too -- the entire party.  We are not sure that our wonderful Moms always did -- enjoy the entire party that is. For one thing, they had to have been exhausted with all the advance cleaning, and making every single dish from scratch -- no shortcuts back in that day.  Think of it  -- no gravy in a jar in case of unexpected clumping, no microwave potatoes, no stuffing in a box for leftovers, no store bought much of anything  -- not to mention other "things" like --- --- no disposable diapers. I shutter to even remember ironing Oxford cloth shirts. Life was more difficult then for sure...all the way around -- especially if everything had to be perfect -- which it did - often.

Just the other day, my sister was working on a book of photographs on Shutterfly.  She was memorializing a recent family get-together. The end product is wonderful!  I love it and told her so.  She replied that it wasn't perfect, but it was going to work.  I think her words were, "Perfect is the enemy of done".  It took me a minute to get my brain around what she was saying, but she is, once again, so on the mark.  I think this is one of those life lessons.  Do the best that you have time to do. Enjoy the process, the doing.  Perfect is impossible anyway.  Yep....  

I think it may be especially important to keep this life lesson in mind - especially as we approach the holidays.  Enjoy the process.  Everything is not going to be perfect and that's okay.

Thanksgiving is two weeks from today.  Two weeks...and for those of you who create the holiday for others... Breathe.... Enjoy....