2.05.2007

Being a perfectionist


I'm a perfectionist. Yep, it's true and it DRIVES ME NUTS. This quality often prevents me from doing things that I want and should do, since I'm too stubbord to try them if I don't have time to completely, fully and competently execute them. *sigh* One of those things that my perfectionism keeps me from doing is blogging because, being a wanna-be writer and employee of a publishing company, I want every post to be profoundly thought-provoking, beautifully written and superbly entertaining. Yeah, right. So this post is dedicated to imperfection: random thoughts and tidbits hastily thrown together, all revealing the benefits of me bucking my personality and trying to do things even if I know they won't be perfect! Yeah, me! :)

Being a perfectionist often keeps me from praying and reading scripture because I think that I have to have a huge chunk of dedicated time carved out and set aside for my "quiet time." And if I don't (which is all the time :)) I just avoid it all together. But lately I've tried to dedicate a few precious minutes to praying/reading/thinking and as a result, I've had some sweet time with the Lord, time during which he's made himself very real to me:


"Can a woman forget her nursing child And have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, but I will not forget you." Is. 49:15


I've loved this verse for years but now that I'm a mother, it has become even more real to me. And this week the Lord brought it to my mind, reminding me that he loves me more than I love Charlie and that he's not "out to get me" as I so often think during hard times...

Being a perfectionist has also kept me from really getting down and dirty with my sewing machine. I made an envelope pillow cover a few weeks ago and that was fun but I haven't done much since then. But on Saturday, I went to my sewing lesson and learned alot - satin stich, zigzag stich, how to make a buttonhole. It was a blast! So I signed up for 2 more sewing classes, one of which begins next week! I then came home and "made" (read: decorated) 2 burp rags for a friend who just had a baby. Aren't they cute?


And here's a picture of my first pillow!

Letting go of my perfectionist tendencies by using my machine has a ripple effect - it stops me from having my beautifully decorated table because the dining room table is the only place I have to sew...but it's worth it! Tonight I'm going to make a toile tote bag, if all goes well...we'll see! The fabric is barely visible in the bottom left-hand corner of the picture below, at the bottom of the fabric pile.

Finally, one tidbit not related to being a perfectionist: tt's been so cold here that Charlie has been wearing his hat quite often and his hair is really feeling the effects. Check it out!

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

yeah for sewing! i haven't ventured into any classes yet but I have made a quilt or two. I think classes are in order after I make my job shift this summer. Good luck on your tote bag!

ejm said...

austina - hello! welcome to my blog! :) how are ya?

WASPy Girl said...

1. Your post isn't random. It does have a theme 2. It's ok to put up non-thought provoking messages. If you spend most every minute of every day in a thought provoking manner, you need an outlet or some brain rest. That's why I stick to the fluff and the superficial.

Anonymous said...

That picture of Charlie made my day!
And SUPER cute burp rags. Yay for you.