Monday, October 31, 2011

Pursuing Perfection And Missing The Point






So this year we had a tiny robot for Halloween. For about 6 weeks anytime someone asked him, he said he was going to be a robot for Halloween. We don't know what precipitated this, but there was no wavering from the robot course.

So we thought about costumes, and together it became a family project to make the costume. So then we started to think and plan--sometimes obsessively(--what do you mean Target doesn't carry a 3T silver sweatsuits?!) We were going to get dryer venting for arms. The adults wanted to go all out, but the small boy just wanted to have "knobs" on the robot. It was the only thing that mattered.

When the moment arrived to prepare for trick-or-treating, he wasn't even going to put it on--after trying to protect parts of the costume all week, he wasn't even going to wear it! What's a mom to do at a moment like that? I smiled! I laughed to myself! I was glad I didn't invest time, money, or energy to get just the perfect sweatsuit--he ended up with mismatched attire anyway!

He did put it on once he saw other trick-or-treaters. He had fun--for 15 minutes. And then he headed home to pass out treats.

So what is the point?
Life and relationships and jobs and dreams rarely turn out the way we expect. Perfection is elusive, and it always will be. If that is what it is all about then everything is going to be disappointing. If we just go with what we have where we are, we will get to see lots of great people and enjoy sharing the treats of life. That seems like a pretty important point! We might get to enjoy some treats along the way, too!

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