Roses: Good is Good Enough

We have all heard the adages, "It's not the destination, it's the journey." "Attitude is everything." "Stop to smell the roses."

Life seems to be less about circumstance and more about what you make of it. This I understand. You fall off the horse, you get back on. Cause and e/affect. But when do attempts to improve your life overshadow the good life you have? When is a positive attitude debilitating, because although, you stop to smell the rose, all you think about is what kind of compost you could use to make the rose smell even better, and what book you could read to give you a little nugget of useful information that would spring your rose from good to great, or whether you should plant additional roses, so you can have more to smell? When should you appreciate the rose garden you have, when should you use more fertilizer, and when should you plant a whole new garden?

My problem has never been doing. I have been doing all my life. It is the action is better than inaction regardless of what direction you may be moving in theory. This has taken me down some wrong roads, but it has led to a colorful life full of interesting experiences. But sometimes I think I am so concerned about trying to improve my current situation, I don't appreciate all of the good things I have. Where is the fine line between apathy and contentment? When is your good smelling rose good enough? (PS I hate it when people write and just ask a bunch of questions. Sorry.)

This is probably one of those magic questions nobody answers in their life. Like, what happens when you die, or if a tree falls in the woods... But my Type A personality doesn't do well with unanswered questions. I am a control (some might say) freak. I like black and white. So, is it better to be content with an opportunity you may be able to improve or to suffocate an opportunity by trying to squeeze every last drop out of it?

I think I ask too much of people. I think I demand too much of my experiences. I think I am so busy planning the next phase, I do not live in the moment. This is not good. My joie de vivre will always inspire me to get up and do new things. I am blessed not to have to try to be excited about life. I find everything from flavorful carrots to trips to the pyramids exciting. My problem is learning to accept that sometimes, it is good enough. The rose smells fine. Good actually. It doesn't need any fertilizer.

I don't want to lower my expectations. I don't want to stop expecting that life is going to be fabulous. I want to continue surrounding myself with intelligent, fun, kind people. I want to continue experiencing lots of new and exciting things. But I want to learn that sometimes seeking perfection makes your good experiences fair. And when you can't enjoy the rose for what it is, it wilts and dies, and there is nothing left to enjoy.

I am going to try and learn that sometimes good is good enough. Good often becomes excellent, if not stifled by the pursuit of unrealistic perfection.