Latent Lollygagger: Good Enough

I’ve been back home for about 36 hours, still solidly in re-entry mode (as evidenced by the accidental alarm shut-off this morning, leaving me now with only about 15 minutes to blog).

The thing about vacation is: it tends to be structured as an escape from life, a way to take out all of the bad stuff and leave only the good, the play, the worry-free.

But this trip didn’t feel like an escape as much as a spotlight, allowing me to step out of the usual pressure I put on myself, silence the many people in my professional life who rely on me or who need to give me something, tone down my tendency to always strive for something new/next/better, and just… be.

I had many realizations throughout the week because of this, the first being, that in that state of always striving for new/next/better, I don’t look around to notice what’s working, what’s good, what maybe doesn’t need fixing.

Yes, that’s easier to do on an island paradise when I’m not trying to chip away at a to-do list or need to be somewhere at a certain time. (Another blog post – bottling that feeling up!)

I’ve had a lot of success always wanting new/next/better, looking around and seeing room for improvement or growth, setting goals and working hard to achieve them through a mix of determination, stubbornness, and fear.

If I’m constantly scanning for things around me that need to be fixed, that can be improved, then – when is anything ever enough?

When we say “good enough,” we often mean it as a kind of settling, an admission that it’s not great, not perfect, maybe not even done, but whatever, it’s fine, it’ll work, or maybe not, but that’s all I have to give right now.

But what if “good enough” could mean, slow down? What if it could mean, remember?

Remember that you’re living steps to the ocean and you have flowers and herbs growing in your backyard.

Remember that you’ve cultivated a loving relationship for more than seven years.

Remember that you’re good at your job and it’s gotten you to the point of being able to think about other options.

Remember that your body is healthy and strong.

Remember that you’re using your words.

Yes, there may be things to change, to improve about any one or all of those things. But that doesn’t mean they need fixing. They’re enough.

You’re enough.