Is "Good" Enough?

Sure, we should strive to be a great spouse, a great parent, great at our work… I don’t want to just be a good writer, I want to be a great writer! When I played sports, I never dreamed of being a good catcher. I wanted to be the best…and I think that’s ok. I’m not sure it’s worth pouring your heart into something, if you aren’t going to give your all. But, the incessant social demand that seems to be in front of us these days…..

Wake up and be awesome!

Slay the day!

You didn’t get out of bed to be mediocre….go be phenomenal!!

Don’t settle for less than the best!

I could go on, and on, and on. So often, it feels like the carrot dangling in our faces is saying anything less that GREAT isn’t worth showing up for. Ladies and Gents, I’m not buying that as an overall measure when it comes to my life. I think it’s the feeling behind the snow day…..there’s nothing “great” about those days. Sleeping in, pjs all day, movies, hot cocoa, cuddles by the fire...this is a list of very basic, pretty mundane activities, but it incites wonderful feelings for us. Why? Because being with our kids, seeing their joy at the snow (despite the work in bundling it creates for us mommas) is thrilling. Connection and time spent with our kids is joy producing. It’s the good stuff of life, when we slow the rat race, lower our expectations and find contentment.

I can’t speak for everyone, but it seems like days at home is tough for some people. Our daily routines keep us hopping between, work, school, extracurriculars, appointments, church, lessons….. that somehow, just staying home and doing nothing, eludes some. People go to lunch because they ‘need to get out of the house’, or the kids are board so it’s off to Target or the movies to give everyone something to do. Life is always on the move in an effort to “create experiences”, so a legit snow day, where roads are impassable and we are ‘stuck’, we finally relax, sit down and enjoy the good.

Well, I’m here to tell you, the GOOD is all around us, every day. And it can be way better than constantly striving for great. In my end of year post for 2019, I listed a couple books I would be reading in 2020. One of them was When Less Becomes More by Emily Ley. It has been true to her brand, Simplified, in that paring down can bring calm, joy, and peace. In this book she has a chapter called, Parenting: Less Great, More Good, and a line in this chapter that struck me, and inspired this post is, “Sometimes good is beautiful…and great can be a little exhausting.”

Take it back to that snow day example….there’s nothing extra about that day. There’s no rushing, no fancy clothes, no comparison, no competition. It’s simple. Kids use their imaginations as they build a snowman. Cold noses, and rosy cheeks. The thrill of sledding down your biggest backyard slope. A movie under blankets with a mug full of cocoa and mallows. It’s just a good day. And if you’re like us at all, your kids lay their heads down that night and say it was a great day.

This was just one simple example, but think of all the things in which we strive for greatness in our lives….our marriages, our friendships, our wardrobes, our family pictures, our home decor….another list that would go on and on.

I don't think there is anything wrong with an effort to improve our selves, our marriages, or any of these things, but, for me, another line in this book that really rings true…..”Could it be that GOOD things actually add up to a life that is pretty GREAT?”

I have enjoyed this book immensely….it is a calm, slow, easy read and is a great reminder of what’s truly important in the day to day. Slow down. Pare down. Sit in the moment. Stop striving occasionally and just enjoy what’s before you. It feels good.

Have a great Friday, and enjoy your weekend, friends,

~Jules