It's a myth, right? Life is life. It happens, it's messy, it does what it does. And yet I can't help but be seduced by the myth of a perfect life. I think that if I had a housekeeper, a scheduler, a decorator, an organizer, a life coach, etc, that things would go really smoothly.
It's a new year, and I'm already looking at the pile of junk mail on my kitchen island and wondering how it got so damn big. And there's the little matter of a technical thing I need to attend to that's worth, oh, a lot of money to the bottom line (by the end of January). There's the laundry, the decorating, the appointments for things I'd rather not think about (dentist, for instance) that need to be made.
There's damn HGTV seducing me with the idea of the perfectly decorated house, the awesome and fascinating party I should host, and the stupid commercials where spraying Febreze makes like ohsoperfect. When does it get perfect in Chez Harris? When does myth meet reality and make it all a snap? I've sprayed the Febreze, rearranged the furniture, and tried the new recipe. Life ain't perfect.
Oh, it ain't bad. I'm very thankful for what I have, thankful I can bitch and moan about Hollywood ideas of perfection, but I still wish they'd give me a break from the idea that my life could be perfect if only.
This, I think, is why I write fiction. My characters' lives aren't perfect, but I control their world. I am the demi-god who makes life or death decisions for them. Maybe that's why my real world seems so chaotic. In the fictional world, I have control. Here, I can barely organize a closet, much less my response to a Febreze-scented nation. Jeez.
What about you? Feeling the pressure of a new year and new expectations? Or have you figured out how to make your own way in this perfection-obsessed world? If you've got the secret, I'd sure like to know…
One word–isolation.
LOL
Cyn
Whatever do you mean? My life is sheer perfection–tidy fresh-smelling house, well-behaved child, husband who irons, well-balanced organic meals…
~snork~
But at least *one* of those things on my list is true…
Good one, Cyn.
Hmm, PC, which one is it? 🙂 If I had to pick what I’d want on that list, I’d go with a well-behaved child or an ironing husband. 🙂 The rest could work itself out.
I’ve just come to the realization that I don’t know anything, and that life is anything but predictable. I just live hour by hour. Anything more than that is too much bother. LOL As far as perfection, I gave up on that years ago. Now I just abide. 🙂
I keep looking for the perfect me, but I know there is no such thing. I still don’t know what I want to do when I grow up, at least you do.
The grass is always greener on the other side and enough is never enough.
Tanya, no kidding. 🙂
Anon, it’s true we always think the grass is greener. There’s a difference between thinking it and knowing the truth, though. 🙂
As far as knowing what you want to do, well, do any of us really? I think we all fall into what we’re doing one way or the other. Writing is an escape from reality, truth be told. And there are no guarantees.
Ultimately, the most important things in our lives are our relationships with family and friends. It’s better to be well-loved, IMO. The rest is just the randomness of getting side-tracked and bitching about being unable to adhere to someone else’s idea of perfection. 🙂 IMO.