Good Enough

I’m one of those people who know how to spell. I’m from the old school, before spell-check started creating a generation who has no clue how to spell correctly. Since spelling is one of my few talents, I was disappointed years ago to learn that my natural ability has nothing to do with intelligence. If I’ve spent hours creating a new page for my website only to find out later that I have a typo (there is no spell-check built into web design), I will go back in and correct it, no matter how tired I am of sitting at the computer.

My kids cringe when I find a misspelling because I usually declare out loud, “Ah ha! They can’t even spell ‘necessary’! I should send this back marked up in red pen.” “Mom, please don’t say anything to my teacher. Just let it go," they beg. I especially get irked when I see a business has paid a third party for professional signage or documents, only to have typos glaring out. I have found typos in clothing labels “Machine Wash Seperately” and government forms “The Special Administerator shall file a vertification of assets...” My spelling gift is both a blessing and a curse because I find mistakes very difficult to over look, giving me a Miss Know-It-All edge.

All that being stated, I am much less of a perfectionist with just about every other aspect of my life, where I often choose to take the “it’s good enough” approach. For this reason, you don’t want me in an accounting field where numbers and balancing are important. I can spell ledger, but don’t ask me to keep one and have it make sense.

For instance, I like to do pottery. If my pot isn’t centered on the wheel, that’s okay, it’s good enough.

If my husband is doing carpentry work and the corners are not square, he’ll start over. My answer to most home repairs is duct tape.

If I’m following a new recipe and find I’m missing a couple of ingredients, that’s okay.

If I clean the floor and find a tumble weed of pet hair later, I may let it lie.

Painting a wall; why do I need to prime it first if I'm just going to paint over it?

If a cat has a “hanger-on” after using the litter box and the dog gets to it first… well, that just makes my job easier.

Maybe I’m just lazy, but then again, I have to save my energy for the important things in life; like finding typos.