All

Over the years, I have been able to temper my perfectionism. Once I saw it for what it was, which for me was false pride and a feeling of not being good enough in and of myself. On purpose, I began to stop and say, "Okay. This will do." I eased off the pressure, and found to my surprise, that I did things even better when I relaxed. I wrote about the difference between perfectionism and excellence here.

That all being said, I do throw myself wholeheartedly into everything I do. I have a lot of enthusiasm. Yesterday at work, I was depending on someone who seems to do just enough to get by. There were a couple of places that she could have picked up the pace just a little, you know rise to the occasion and all that, but she didn't. I had to check my judgmental attitude toward her, because that isn't helpful.

She's just not an all or nothing kind of gal. Now sometimes I have wished that I could be a little more lukewarm about things, but it's not who I am. And really, being excited and enthusiastic and throwing my whole being into something makes me really happy.

Susan

"All or Nothing" written by Oscar Hammerstein II and Richard Rodgers

The Sound of Music

It's my day off. As I puttered in the kitchen this morning, I listened to the soundtrack from "The Sound of Music." What amazing songwriters Oscar Hammerstein II and Richard Rodgers were. The movie starring Julie Andrews is a favorite of mine. I've seen it countless times.

One of the reasons I think it resonates with me is that I came upon motherhood by marrying a man with two small sons. Those two guys, now adult men, are the best things that ever happened to me. So I get that about Maria, about how even though she didn't carry them in her body or give birth to them, she loves those children. And they love her back.

The romance is sweet, too. Remember that moment in the movie when Captain von Trapp and Fraulein Maria look at each other, and you think "somebody's never gonna become a nun"? You just have to love it.

Christopher Plummer, who plays the Captain in the film, was one handsome man back then, and even today is still quite good looking. But the character he plays in the movie? I don't know, but I have a hard time getting all warm and gooey over an ill tempered narcissist who uses his wife's death as an excuse to ignore his children. Am I being too harsh?

But Maria transforms him, with her love. She brings out the really nice guy he is deep inside. That resonates with me, because there is a part of me that likes to think my love is so special that it can make everything all better. Now don't get me wrong. Love is a wonderful thing, with certain undeniable magical powers. But love doesn't make unhealthy relationships healthy, or unhappy people happy. And some people are really exactly who they appear to be on the outside, and we should be careful to not attribute wonderful qualities to not-so-wonderful people. Am I being too cynical?

But I know many women who have crushed on Captain von Trapp, and I mean them no disrespect. That kind of guy just isn't my cup of tea. I want someone who is easy to love. Someone whose outside matches his inside. I guess I have finally figured out I'm really not all that powerful.

"The Lonely Goat Herd" is the best song from the movie.

Susan