Greasy Eggs and Burned Toast

Perfectionist (n): somebody who demands or seeks to achieve nothing less than perfection (something that reaches the highest attainable standard). Synonyms: stickler, purist, pedant, obsessive, quibbler, hairsplitter, fusspot. Encarta World English Dictionary

I've been told I'm a perfectionist. Based on the following observations, I guess that's probably true...

1. The clothes in our closet are organized by color and sleeve length, and all hung on identical matching hangers.
2. I recently purchased a set of tupperware based entirely on the fact that its red lids match our cereal bowls. Which match our knife set. Which match our measuring cups, spoons, and spatulas. Which coordinate with the dish towels, plates, hot chocolate mugs, KitchenAid, and toaster oven. Which all coincidentally coordinate with the pillows on the couches.
3. The CD case in our car is organized alphabetically by genre; meaning every time I have ever acquired a new CD, I have moved every single one of the 100+ old CDs from one little tiny plastic sleeve to the next, in order to make room for the addition. The fact that we use iPods and these CD's are practically obsolete doesn't seem to affect my need for them to be in order.
   
4. Whiteout just doesn't cut it. If I mess up, I need a new sheet of paper. Even for grocery shopping lists.
   
5. This post has been sitting in my drafts folder for over a week, because I wanted it to be just right before I published it.
   

I could go on, really.

So it's official! I'm an obsessive, hairsplitting, perfectionist fusspot. As a result, I often get discouraged and feel inadequate. Which is why I appreciated so much President Dieter F. Uchtdorf's message to the women of the LDS Church during our annual worldwide meeting last Saturday:

"When [my wife] prepares a meal, it’s a masterpiece...But sure enough, no matter how perfect everything is, looks, and tastes, Harriet will apologize for something she thinks is imperfect. “I’m afraid I used a touch too much ginger,” she will say, or, “Next time, I think it would be better if I used a little more curry and one additional bay leaf.”

"Let me contrast that with the way I cook. For the purpose of this talk, I asked Harriet to tell me what I cook best. Her answer: fried eggs. Sunny-side up. ...Between fried eggs, even when they are greasy, and [toast], even when they are burned, when I cook, I feel pretty heroic.

"To me it appears that our splendid sisters sometimes undervalue their abilities—they focus on what is lacking or imperfect rather than what has been accomplished and who they really are.

"If that is how you feel, think again, and remember that you are spirit daughters of the most creative Being in the universe. Isn’t it remarkable to think that your very spirits are fashioned by an endlessly creative and eternally compassionate God?"
Read the transcript of the whole talk here.

It's uncanny how well President Uchtdorf seems to understand women. :) How grateful I am for the reminder that I'm not expected to be perfect, only to do my best. In fact, letting myself get caught up in unnecessary details and projects can distract me from reaching out to others and focusing on what matters most.

So I'm going to try to not expect so much of myself, and laugh instead of cry when I burn the toast. Every single morning... (I really do burn it every day- ask Micah!)