Catching up from the weekend? Check out these posts:

• Hard Core Spin Class + Old School Memories
• My Fantastic Run + FFF Features of the Week
• Self-Love Reflection of the Week – Desiring Perfection

Back to Monday already? Boo hiss on you Monday!Sorry. I’m a little cranky because baby B woke up FIVE times last night to eat. FIVE. Nursing cuddle time a time or two at night is cute…but 5 is plain exhausting. Add in a coughing little girl (who is also potty training) and a still fussy B…I have a long day ahead. I love them dearly, but sometimes mommyhood is hard and lends itself to a little griping. Enough of all that – let’s talk the weekend.

This weekend was great because it was one of those rare weekends without any set plans. Saturday, after my great workout and getting some groceries, we headed out as a family for a few errands. We had to make a return, pick up some baby stuff, and finally get me some new shoes to wear for non-running workouts. Then, we took a pit stop at Peter’s parents’ for a quick visit.

I love that we live close to both our families. It’s nice to see the kids interact regularly with their grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. We only got to spend a little time there though because we wanted to head out for dinner. Peter has been eyeing this new BBQ place that opened up close by for weeks now. I’m not one to turn down BBQ either so we gave it a shot last night.

We visited ‘cue – a more upscale BBQ joint with live music and homemade eats.

I. Am. In. Love. This BBQ was phenomenal!!

I ordered a pulled pork sandwich on their fresh, homemade roll. The meal came with two sides so I ordered coleslaw to add to the sandwich and their special Bourbon sweet potato casserole for my other side.

The sweet potato had amazing flavor. The BBQ sauce had a perfect amount of twang. The roll. Ohhh…the roll. It made the sandwich. Basically…when can I go back?

Of course we had to finish out the night with something sweet. That’s how we do things. I had an un-pictured small butterfinger Blizzard. So, just another typical Saturday for us. Which reminds me – in my post from Friday where I discussed “cheat days” – I was in no way trying to condone having the mentality of limiting treats to one day a week. I simply hear too many people feel frustrated for having more lax eating on the weekend and wanted to share a reminder that many of us do so and it can still fit into balanced eating overall. Sorry for any confusion!

Question of the Day – How close do you prefer to live to your family? 30 minutes is perfect for us. We can easily get to each other but not be close enough for tons of random drop-ins.

Did you know that something in this world seeks to torture us with its allure because it knows we can never reach it? That this monster tries to overtake our lives and bring us down because it can always allude us? That evil little monster hides in the ideal of perfection. Say it with acid on your tongue. Perfection.*shudder* Perfection.*hisssss* What a tricky little devil.

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Perfection somehow seems like a reality possible of achieving, yet the exact opposite is true. Perfection acts as a mirage in the desert…you think  you can get to it and then revel in contentment, until it disappears before your eyes and leaves you stranded in frustration. Then, sadly, moments later we will seek it again. Search high and low in this world and I guarantee you that you will never find perfection.

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Sadly, I believe all of us know perfection does not exist, but still continue to search it out like some sort of Holy Grail. We focus on what lacks in our bodies, our wallets, our lives, our families, our relationships, etc In the process of emphasizing the missing pieces, we create bigger and bigger holes in our own self worth and happiness. Our simple act of desiring perfection ends up leaving us with even less of what could be called a “perfect” life because we miss out on life. How’s that for irony?

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The quest for perfection acts as a drug. We want more, more, more to go higher, higher, higher but in reality we simply crash and burn with less and less. Less hope. Less strength. Less love for ourselves and others. Less energy. Less perspective. Less…until eventually we scramble for any scrap that can signify purpose or joy in our lives. The quest for perfection kills souls.

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To break free from the chains perfection binds us in, we must not only recognize that perfection does not exist but also that we don’t even want it.Imagine the vibrancy life would lack in a world of perfection. Our pains make our joys brighter. Our weaknesses make our triumphs over them greater. Our unique physical attributes make us all the more beautiful. The areas of our lives that we may wish to improve on make the areas we take joy in all the more sweet. The absence of perfection gives us a meaning to live. With perfectly sculpted and manicured lives, the passion and purpose for going out and experiencing life would diminish. What’s so perfect about that?

Quotes to Reflect On
A man would do nothing if he waited until he could do it so well that no one could find fault.  ~John Henry Newman
Once you accept the fact that you're not perfect, then you develop some confidence.  ~Rosalynn Carter 
Unless I accept my faults I will most certainly doubt my virtues.  ~Hugh Prather

In what things do you try to seek perfection? Why do you even want it? How does desiring perfection actually hurt that area of your life? What would letting go of the hope for perfection do for you?