Reaching for Perfection

By Ned Tuttle

To my Daughters, Grandkids, Brother, Sister, and anyone else:

I want to talk about my happiness. It may work for you, it may make you understand me better, or you may think I’m silly.

I had talks, first with my mother, then my grandmother, about what they called “Perfections”. They tried to explain that a lot of people were whiners, always unhappy, even when they had great opportunity.
They said that there was no way to reach perfection in everything, in your marriage, career, kids … Everybody thought that was the goal! I’ll tell you, after 62 years, it’s an impossible goal.

So what you strived for were achieving “Perfections” in life. Moments when you could say to yourself, “It doesn’t get any better than this!!”.
I’ve had many. And have them more often each year. They’re moments like photographs in your mind.

Moments like:

• an evening with all of you outside on the porch at Lake Travis. As I look around at MY family

• many, many with your mother, and still having them – our marriage, our trips, and just everyday

• so many with each of you, individually, and together – our trips, your sports, our get togethers

• many, many,many with Win. You just can’t have a better brother. Mostly involving a big fish.

• and finally, in the last few years, with my Dad (almost every time I meet him is one)

But they can be little things like:

• Walking with your dog at the bayou, stopping and looking at each other, while listening to owls hooting and coyotes yelping

• Getting a massage with the right song at the right time

• An excellent meal with the right person

• Or just the right comment by an important person - “one of your people”

So what you try to achieve are these moments.

Wake up with that goal in mind. Try smiling, be nice. Little things like bringing someone coffee can change a person’s day. And quit whining. If something is that bad, change it, or shut up. Nobody likes a whiner, a drama queen!

Keep this attitude, especially at the bad times. It is just as easy to be “nice and pleasant” as it is to be an ass. There are times for anger, for being sad, but keep them rare. If they happen, reach for a perfection! Or create one.