On Not Being Perfect

I've been stewing on this for a while. It's like a bit of sand in my eye, a pebble in my shoe, it's a truth that needs saying. I'm pretty sick of trying, failing, and then pretending to be perfect.

         There seems to be this gross epidemic amongst lifestyle bloggers, you see it on the Facebook feeds, in thousands and thousands of flawless, brilliantly lighted, beautifully staged photos on instagram, which compliment a steady stream of twitter selfies in which the taker is thin as a rail, immaculately dressed, and on her way off to some fancy expensive, exclusive outing. Geez louise.

        Can we all please stop being brands and start being real people again? PLEASE??? And by we, I mean me. I'm exhausted. Cards on the table, I've been trying desperately to keep up, to show only singular perfect moments, as if my life is just a series of miracles strung together, all ready to be photographed, all ready to inspire, and, because let's be honest I think there's another motivation here, to make you jealous. I'm not sure what secret magic these other blogger gals have-teams of house elves held captive in their cellars, or perhaps bottomless financial resources and a gardener, a personal chef, a fitness instructor, and a house cleaner? I have none of those things. If the dishes have just been done, it likely means that the laundry got skipped. If I've finished three or four great pieces of furniture this week, my house is in a state of utter shambles, all but on fire, possibly on fire, actually sometimes fire would be an improvement to the level of mess my house can achieve. I have a wish list seventy two miles long that I would just love to tackle to make my home better, perfect, instagramable, but I lack the time and money. Progress is made, but it's slow going, and for every two steps forward there's at least one step back. It's the house renovation cha-cha!
     
          And so, I'm going to embrace the not perfect. I can't be what I'm not, and honestly I'm not sure perfect is good anyway, seems a bit tightly wound and unpleasant, really. There can be so much beauty in imperfect moments. Maybe I won't be photographing my stacks of unwashed laundry, but I will stop feeling guilty about the paint splattered floor in the part of the workshop where I photograph new inventory, and the fact that my little cottage lacks the crown molding and natural lighting it takes to make it to the pages of Country Living.  I'm going to try to accept a bit more that my house is here to be lived in, and that's what makes it a home, that's what makes it real.

            Here are some not perfect moments from the last year. And feel free to follow my instragram @heirandspace, where I will continue to photograph my puppies and the adorable havoc they wreak, and my twitter @tagsalegirl, where I have the habit of getting tipsy and swearing, because I'm not perfect, and I'm through being sorry about that.

Selections from the 2016 Refinishing Haute Couture Collection:

Which is always complimented by a fresh manicure

And I have time for manicures 

because my house is always spotless

                       And so with all my free time,
I like to cook organic artisan meals and drink chai tea.

*Fin*