Tangled: Embracing Imperfection

A trip to Disneyland a few months ago got me thinking about princesses.

Yes, I realize that this is an odd subject for me, as the sole female resident of our house. The subject of princesses comes up, well, never... and I had to twist some major arms to get my boys to even STAND next to the princesses for a picture. So, I admit I am not an expert on the subject, but had some thoughts about princesses today.

Work with me here. Ever since I was little, I have wanted to be a princess. There, I said it. Even now as I get to watch a rare "Princess and the Frog" or "Tangled", the child inside of me can't help but envy a little bit how beautiful they are -- all the time. Not a flaw on their faces or a hair out of place. They are always well pressed and have a smile. Everything is happy and magical and all is well in the world with their ball gowns and beautiful voices.

I imagine these princess' homes... immaculate, decorated beautifully, not an item out of place. And their cars? I'm sure it's more of the same... there are no goldfish crackers on the floor, last week's Target bags still in the back, school papers scattered and definitely no missing sippy cups hidden under the seats. That would not be acceptable princess behavior.

Let's compare this to my day to day. There are days that I look in the mirror and cannot BELIEVE that I'd been cruising around town looking like I just rolled out of bed. In fact, I'll never forget when I was pregnant with my middle boy, running to my doctor's office desperately seeking anti-nausea medication because I was so sick. I remember coming back out from the office, getting in the car and looking in the rear-view mirror, only to see mascara that had run down my face on both sides...slightly resembling a raccoon. A princess would have never let that happen. Never.

And let's not forget my less than patient interaction with my oldest son getting ready for school this morning. Not even close to sounding like a princess. Note to self: work on princess tone.

Have you ever seen "The Bachelor"? (Don't judge... guilty pleasure). It's train-wreck TV. But I am entertained (and saddened) by these woman who are looking for the "fairy tale." The "Knight in Shining Armor." If they could just find him, they could live happily ever after. Ahhhhh...how I have chased the fairy tale at times in my life. And, I self-admittedly still do from time to time. It is against logic and common sense. It is against everything I know I believe. Aren't we programmed though as little girls? We are inundated with visions of "the fairytale" everywhere we look...from Disney movies to Vogue, from Shape to Cooking Light...from Style Magazine to the Pottery Barn Catalog.

I guess in reality, as a 30-something mom with 3 kids, I'm not just talking about "the fairytale" being to find the perfect man (I already did honey), I am talking about finding perfection.

Now, I wonder why we do this to ourselves? It is a race with no finish line, it is sitting in front of a piece of Beethoven without having had even one lesson, or being single handedly responsible for solving the National Debt Crisis (insert sarcastic laugh here). Impossible. But we still keep running, plunking away at the keys, and punching at our calculators, hopeful for the results we desire. Exhausting. So, I sit here, imperfect. As women, I wish we would all just let down our guards a little bit...I know that I need to. I wish that we could wear our imperfections like a badge. I truly believe, that the imperfection is where the beauty is (and where the fun is).

So, with that said, I wanted to share a quote that a dear friend blurted out last week: "My house is clean enough to be healthy and dirty enough to be fun." That's my new motto. Let's go and play in the dirt.