Perfect is the Enemy of Good.

It was evening time and Thanksgiving was winding down. My once very perfectionistic nine year old niece was lying on the carpet and I was rubbing her back. I looked at her and felt compelled to say: 
 
“Ariana, you are a good person. “
 
There was a pause and then she replied: “Really? “
 
And I said: “Yes, really. You are a very good person. “
 
She paused again and then said: “That is nice to hear.”
 
There was another pause and I could feel her wheels turning. I then added: 
 
“You are not a perfect person. No one is a perfect. But you are a good person.”
 
Again, there was a pause and she replied: 
“My mom always says no one is perfect.”
 
That’s right I replied:
“ No one is perfect. But you still can be good.”
 
And then the conversation drifted and turned and it was time to brush teeth and one more snack and please go to bed already, etc…etc..
 
The next day came and we found ourselves in the living room, various conversations happening at once and my 9 year old niece was writing an essay about our family (she is learning to write essays in school.). There was a paragraph for her mom, a paragraph for me and a paragraph for her grandmother (otherwise known as Bubby.). And then there was her conclusion. 
 
I thought I’d share here conclusion here:
 
“All in all, I have a great family and everyone is smart, kind and talented. They are good people. You can’t be perfect, but you can be good.”
 
I guess she was listening. I thought to myself as I read her essay.
 
They say that the only person we are ever talking to is ourself. So I guess this was one of my Thanksgiving messages as well: 
 
You can’t be perfect, but you can be good.
 
And lest you think I had the perfect Thanksgiving with interesting conversation and well written essays, it wasn’t perfect. There was even a moment where I dug a cake cover out of the trash to everyone’s horror and dismay.
 
Thanksgiving wasn’t perfect. But it was good.
 
Have a nice week everyone!

Sincerely,

Hayley Mermelstein