Hi,
It's nice to connect with you today.
My car's maintenance reminder lit up this morning right after talking with an accountability partner about taking imperfect action.
So, maintenance and (im)perfection are rolling around in my mind today.
I can get caught in the traps of thinking that maintenance is both never-ending and must be perfect. Those traps often keep me from taking action on maintenance. I'm wondering if there are other ways of approaching maintenance?
The maintenance I'm talking about is all the tending each of us is asked to give to all the different realms of our lives.
What maintenance does your back ask for? What maintenance does your financial life ask for? What maintenance does your belly ask for? Your bicycle? Your heart?
Your work? Your feet? Your home? Your friendships? The laundry machine? Your neighbors? Your child's education? The dog's training? Your garden? And yes – your car?
Maintenance is sometimes asked for, sometimes requested, and sometimes required – whether asked for or a must, it's a part of the every day.
The trap of the never-ending-ness of maintenance
Seeing maintenance as never-ending sucks all the joy out of it. I could feel incredible satisfaction in caring for whatever needs caring for. It makes sense that it can feel never-ending but I wonder if it's more accurate to say that it's an integral element of the cycles in which we live. Maintenance is a given. But it doesn't need to be a never-ending downer. I wonder if it could actually be a comforting familiar?
The trap of seeking perfection
Attempting perfect maintenance seems to be an easy out. "Oh, if I can't do it perfectly then I might as well not do it." But the maintenance request doesn't disappear. It will instead shift from an ask, to a request, to a requirement. It won't disappear on my car's dashboard. It'll keep showing up until I do something about it.
Welcoming reframes
I'm heading into a time in my life that certainly seems to be inviting me to dive into imperfect maintenance. That might sound vague though I'll be ready to share more candidly about it in the coming weeks.
What reframes would help you in approaching the maintenance of your life? Does imperfecting maintenance feel more roomy than attempting perfection?
Or are you not in need of any reframes? Maybe you're able to offer a reframe to me and to others that you experience as your every day reality? I'm open to learning!
Til next time,
Cassandra