A Missed Countdown
A Missed Countdown We talk often about the dangers of pursuing perfection. How chasing it usually leads to disappointment. How it sets us up to feel like we are always falling short. I say this to others regularly. I believe it. And yet, I rarely practice it. Why? Because perfection is bred into many of us. It is reinforced quietly and consistently. Through expectations. Through praise. Through what gets noticed and what does not. So even when we know better, we still reach for it. Almost instinctively. This year, New Year’s Eve was small. Just me, my wife, my mother-in-law, and my sister-in-law. We were watching the final episode of Stranger Things , and I realized it would run past midnight. In typical fashion, I prepared. I set a timer for ten minutes before the new year so I could get ready. When the timer went off, I grabbed the champagne and glasses and came back to the room. All that was left was turning on Channel 7 so we could count down with the rest of Chicago. Simple enough...