What is perfection?

I often wonder what perfection is. The usually answer I give myself is "a state of mind." If you think everything is as it should be then, it is. If you think everything is not, then it isn't. Real logical I know. When I think of perfection, I usually don't associate it with myself, but with my surroundings. Is the house perfectly in order? This is a question that haunts me. Before Lauren I would spend the better part of a weekend cleaning the house. I would keep everything as clean as it could be without going insane (and believe me I was close to insanity a few times). Once she was born, cleaning was a bonus to my day and if it got done- woohoo for me. Now that I'm home and she's a little older, I find myself seeking the household perfection once more.

I often tell myself it's my parents that made me this way. My mom is pretty chill, things were clean, but cluttered. When we were growing up and she was working full time with two kids, messy was to be expected. My dad and step mom on the other hand were the complete opposite. They were clean and orderly with minimal clutter (they were only picking up after us four days a month, so this was more attainable). But really- it is of my own doing and not them. I feel better when things are clean. It brings a peace to me, like a good night's sleep or a run would. I find joy in cleaning and I use it as stress relief.

So you might be asking yourself (if you've kept reading this long) why I'm blogging about perfection and cleaning- well I had an epiphany that the only thing perfect this world has ever seen is Jesus. I'm not Jesus so I need to relax and expect that things in life are going to get a little messy. The world isn't perfect and I shouldn't try to attain perfection in it. I'm just going to keep disappointing myself if I'm constantly seeing that things aren't "as they should be."

Now I don't plan on letting the house go to the dogs, but it's my goal to relax and enjoy the imperfections of my day. I'm hoping that with my new mindset I won't get so cranky when the world doesn't go as planned or I don't get everything done that I wanted to. This will be hard for me, no doubt. But I need to remember "The righteous man may have many troubles, but the LORD delivers him from the all." Psalm 34:19

So here's to my fall resolution- to embrace the day and let the house get a little dirty!