My PERFECT Friend

There is a woman I know, who is amazing. We are good friends but she has no idea there are times she drives my crazy.  Why?  Because she always seems so perfect.

Perfectly dressed, in her perfectly slim size 4 designer jeans.

Her hair is always lovely, her makeup always done.

Perfectly behaved children

Perfect looking husband

Picture perfect family

Everyone loves her including me, and we look on her in awe.

She seems to have it all. I have never seen her fail, or fall or break down. It drives me crazy because I am so very, very far from perfect.  I look at her in awe and wonder what her secret is.  Sometimes, usually when I've had a tough day, I compare myself to Miss Perfect, and I feel like I am not doing enough. I let out a sigh, knowing I'll never be that perfect.  

And then it happened...

I have known her for a while now but until today, I had never been in her kitchen. I was mentally preparing myself.

I imagined rounding the corner to find an immaculate kitchen, with designer accents, dinner already cooking, home made bread, an after school snack already on the table next to little home made notes telling each child how awesome they are and all this while hymns play lovingly through out the perfect home.

I was going to enter the inner sanctum and I braced for impact. I was not prepared for what I saw. 

There was not one spot of clear counter space.  Trash can over flowing. Something smelled weird.  Grocery bags still full from shopping on the kitchen table.  Half eaten plates of food from last nights dinner in the sink.  Pens, scissors and colored papers were strewn out from what looked like some sort of school project.  Shoes, socks, coats and underwear littered the floor.  Chairs were tipped over, cushions off the sofa in the small TV area off to the right of the dinner table. 

It was a huge, chaotic, disorganized, beautifully, NORMAL mess.I couldn't believe it.  I had seen behind that mysterious curtain called APPEARANCES, and seen with my own eyes what I have of course, always known.  No one is perfect.  No need to feel inferior to anyone else because we all have something hidden away, someplace that smells a bit off. 

My friend is pretty amazing, I just started to forget she was human as well.  When I got home and walked into my normal home, with it's dishes in the sink, carpets that need to be vacuumed and chores needing to be done, I didn't feel like a failure.  Thanks to my friend, I just felt normal. 

When my husband asked me how my day was, I just smiled and answered,

"It was Perfect".

 

 http://simplyjunehaskell.blogspot.com/