Chasing Perfect

The other day my friends and I got together for a little backyard BBQ. I was late to the party because my husband and I are working on a home remodel and it took us a bit to wrap up for the day. It was 70+ degrees and sunny and beautiful out. I couldn't wait to get out and enjoy it, so I didn’t take the time to shower or shave my legs or wash my hair. I put my shorts on, grabbed some chips and salsa, and away I went. 

We were sitting around visiting and I looked down at my pasty white, hairy legs, and I giggled to myself. Here I was at a social gathering, dusty, dirty, and unshaved. There was a time in my life, that never would have been okay. I would have sacrificed the time with my friends to wash my hair and clean the dust off. I would have taken the extra time to shave my legs and put on a self-tanner. I would have put fresh makeup on and made sure my hair was done. I would have felt the need to be “perfect” before I showed up. But not anymore. 

You know why?

Because I have decided that it’s time to be done missing out on things because somewhere in my head, I’m not perfect. It’s time to be done not doing the things my heart craves and my soul desires because one thing isn’t what society has said is “perfect.” Who really decides what perfect looks like anyway?

So now I ask you this? What are you missing out on? Are you not swimming with your kids because you don’t want to be seen in a swimsuit? Are you not acting silly in the yard because, “what if someone drives by?” Are you not trying that new workout because it’s embarrassing to not be good? What are you not doing, because somewhere along the line you began to believe the story that you have to be good before you participate? Because you have forgotten that everyone starts as a beginner. 

I don’t want you to look back in your 60’s and wish that you’d have done these things when you were 40. I don’t want you to look back in your final years thinking of all the things you could have been doing if you wouldn’t have been so caught up on what’s perfect. I don’t want you to not make memories because you fear how society will judge you. It’s not about society, it’s about you and the legacy you want to leave behind. Are you leaving a legacy of a confident, fun-loving, caring woman? Or one of chasing perfection? 

You can say chasing perfection, but it’s not really something that exists. It’s so relative. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, right? Don’t waste your life waiting on “perfect.” The perfect date, the perfect weather, the perfect outfit, the perfect hair, the perfect abs/legs/butt/arms, the perfect timing, the perfect budget… stop waiting on it. 

Make your life perfect because you choose to enjoy it, despite your imperfections.