"Perfection is the enemy of the good." (Gustave Flaubert)
Alas, as much as God has done to heal me of my perfectionist tendencies, they still hover around me here and there. One area in which I find them quite present is in my writing. I have been writing for myself - poetry, prose, fiction - since I was 10. I was 30 before I let anyone read anything that was close to my heart. I am far more comfortable sharing what I write now, thanks in great part to email and the internet. Nevertheless, I find it hard to start sometimes because I want it to be "just so".
In my mid twenties I worked for a woman who became aware of my perfectionism as I wrestled with setting up a display case in her shop. I agonized and fretted and arranged and rearranged, and really didn't accomplish much. Through gritted teeth she pointed out, "Done is better than perfect." That phrase has stayed with me lo these many years.
In the interest of exercising my "done is better than perfect" muscle, I've decided to make a New Year's resolution (I rarely do this because, yes, you guessed it, I am a recovering perfectionist and I dread that I might fail).
Ten minutes a day of writing. Most of it will probably be posted here.
You've been warned!
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