Tuesday, March 22, 2011

off the hook

perhaps the reason why I sometimes start sentences or lines off with a lower case letter is because I can, and I like to. Your not supposed to, it’s not the rules. It’s not perfect, but still gets what I want to say across.  I am trying to let go of perfection. I have become aware that I stress myself out about so many things because I want to do it perfect, and I want all to sit back in awww and proclaim....PERFECT! Dumb. I have not done so many things I wanted to because I wouldn’t do them until I could do them perfect. I would not have people over to my house...because it was not perfect. I recently baked bread (I don’t bake, so I don’t know why I did this) and realized I don’t like to cook because I am always so stressed about getting it perfect. So I just enjoyed making the bread and said to myself if the dough is not all mixed in fuck it. If it comes out tasting a little off, fuck it. I loved baking that bread and just enjoying the moment, pretending I was an Irish peasant woman.

I have to remind myself many times, “stop trying to do it perfect, the important thing is that it gets done in the first place.” there is beauty and vunerability in imperfection.  There is grace and heroism in actions.  There is a thrill in just living your life.  Here are some great quotes:

Striving for excellence motivates you; striving for perfection is demoralizing.  ~Harriet Braiker

Certain flaws are necessary for the whole.  It would seem strange if old friends lacked certain quirks.  ~Goethe

No one is perfect... that's why pencils have erasers.  ~Author Unknown

A man would do nothing if he waited until he could do it so well that no one could find fault.  ~John Henry Newman

Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering.
There is a crack in everything,
That's how the light gets in.
~Leonard Cohen

Sometimes... when you hold out for everything, you walk away with nothing.  ~From the television show Ally McBeal

Use what talents you possess; the woods would be very silent if no birds sang except those that sang best.  ~Henry van Dyke

Ideals are like stars; you will not succeed in touching them with your hands.  But like the seafaring man on the desert of waters, you choose them as your guides, and following them you will reach your destiny.  ~Carl Schurz, address, Faneuil Hall, Boston, 1859

The most difficult part of attaining perfection is finding something to do for an encore.  ~Author Unknown

When you aim for perfection, you discover it's a moving target.  ~George Fisher

Once you accept the fact that you're not perfect, then you develop some confidence.  ~Rosalynn Carter

When you aim for perfection, you discover it's a moving target.  ~George Fisher

Always live up to your standards - by lowering them, if necessary.  ~Mignon McLaughlin, The Second Neurotic's Notebook, 1966

Striving to better, oft we mar what's well.  ~William Shakespeare, King Lear, 1605

Have no fear of perfection - you'll never reach it.  ~Salvador Dali

Congratulations!  You're not perfect!  It's ridiculous to want to be perfect anyway.  But then, everybody's ridiculous sometimes, except perfect people.  You know what perfect is?  Perfect is not eating or drinking or talking or moving a muscle or making even the teensiest mistake.  Perfect is never doing anything wrong - which means never doing anything at all.  Perfect is boring!  So you're not perfect!  Wonderful!  Have fun!  Eat things that give you bad breath!  Trip over your own shoelaces!  Laugh!  Let somebody else laugh at you!  Perfect people never do any of those things.  All they do is sit around and sip weak tea and think about how perfect they are.  But they're really not one-hundred-percent perfect anyway.  You should see them when they get the hiccups!  Phooey!  Who needs 'em?  You can drink pickle juice and imitate gorillas and do silly dances and sing stupid songs and wear funny hats and be as imperfect as you please and still be a good person.  Good people are hard to find nowadays.  And they're a lot more fun than perfect people any day of the week.  ~Stephen Manes, Be a Perfect Person in Just Three Days!

You see, when weaving a blanket, an Indian woman leaves a flaw in the weaving of that blanket to let the soul out.  ~Martha Graham

When nobody around you seems to measure up, it's time to check your yardstick.  ~Bill Lemley

2 comments:

christopherdossantos3@gmail.com said...

namaste my sister, I immediately noticed this quirk in your writing. I always sensed this choice was a representation of exactly what you describe in the blog.

It made me smile to see your choice, I think my first comment included reference to this. Seeing the skill with which you handle language, it is rather obvious a choice to rebel against decorum is being reflected and not grammatical inadequacies. It is such simple statements which often resound, in a very good way, through our life choices.

In Lak' ech, my sister, noticing you tug on the beasts chains...

Jennifer said...

thank you Christopher. You are one of the first people to have noticed this trait in my writing. I have seen other writer's use it and there is something so appealing about it. Thank you for your kind words. And yes, the beast is well secured for now.