Perfection is in the Eye of the Beholder?

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

I am on my high horse this morning again and as often happens when I am up there; I like to make sure everyone knows why I am sitting high. I am sure many of you have read the comments the CEO of a certain clothing retailer had to say about overweight teenage girls and the “not cool” crowd.  Allegedly (see what I learned on Regis and Kelly), this guy does not feel these “uncool people or fat girls.” should be wearing their clothes and the largest pant’s size they carry is a size 10, according to the report I read.  I am not sure who decided anything over a size 10 is fat, but this guy seems to believe it. Luckily, they still offer XL and XLL for men, just in case a big, strong athlete comes through their doors. Evidently, the CEO has not seen a female athlete before and must assume the over size 10 girls are home making desserts and trying to download their application to get on The Biggest Loser.

I am so mad about all this, I was going to write to him and tell him I was taking my business elsewhere and then I remembered I am too large to shop there anyways. Maybe I will just put my Muumuu on and stand outside one of the stores with my hundred pound dog and a sign that reads, “Your CEO is an XL ass!”

 

What does all this have to do with Doodles, you might ask, and I say plenty.  This whole concept of perfection seems to me to be carried over in just about every aspect of life and who gets to decide who or what is perfect and who is not?  I hate to always sound like an old fart, but I can remember our first couch we got when someone died in John’s family and we were able to choose something we wanted from her estate.  I am not going to say there were no other takers, but I will say we didn’t have to fight off one of John’s brothers or sisters for our selection. Up until that time, our couch was a twin bed and when we first laid eyes on that lime green sofa, we just knew what item was going home with us.  I decorated around it for years, was happy to have it, and hung on to it a long time before deeding it to a friend at work.  Not once, did we ever say we wished it had been leather or stylish or any other color but lime green.  We just were thankful to have something to sit on to watch TV.

 

One of my favorite shows to watch is House Hunters, but it never ceases to amaze me these young kids who walk into a house and want it to be perfect, if only it had granite countertops, an En Suite master bathroom, bigger closets, better paint colors, or hardwood floors. I doubt John and I will ever be able to unload our home on one of these kinds of buyers. What were we thinking when we walked into our current home painted every shade of purple imaginable, a loft closet, smallish bedrooms, and medieval lights?  I will say the lighted coffin with a doily and plant on it in the foyer made me think twice, and had it not been for John pushing me to look again, I might have run screaming from the house never to return or at least, not without a priest. 

Boy, I am glad I chose instead to look beyond the imperfections and imagine the possibilities.

 

My dogs are not perfect, either, and if you can find one perfect dog, person, husband, wife, friend, relative, or hero, please let me know, so I can get one, too.  My not perfect husband accidentally forgot to put the leashes and prong collars back in the leash basket and instead took them to work with him the other day.  My not perfect dogs do not understand, “I am going to kill your father when he gets home from work for taking your stuff with him and I think we won’t be able to go for a walk today,” so I had to improvise with what we had around the house.  Luckily, I found a harness for Fudge, but the other one I had purchased optimistically in a size large for Vern would not go around his chest.  I guess he couldn’t shop at that CEO's store, unless I could prove his girth size is due to lifting weights.  For Vern, I found a half buried prong collar, which I did not think to try on before we left the house, and realized once we got to the park, it did not fit and was too small again to go around his XXL neck.  The tightness did not seem to deter Vern, but it bothered me and I was afraid at some point it would knock him out and then I would have to drag him back to the car.  I am in the process of creating a new training collar called the, and don’t try to say it all in one swift breath,  HermanSprengerProngSpornVibratingHaltiheadorbodycollarWalkYourDogwihLoveInsteadof

Threats collar, and I figured when combined with a couple of shots of Nyquil administered before we leave the house, my Doodle Bull Moose and his prey driven sidekick should be walking like perfect companions in no time. 

Who are you calling a Doodle Bull Moose and his prey driven sidekick?

If not, I am going to be really mad, because I thought these dogs were supposed to be perfect. Where do I go for a refund?

 

This need for perfection is one of the reason I think dogs end up homeless, because they often times cannot meet the unrealistic expectations of the people purchasing them.  I have long since adapted my own personal motto of good enough to most aspects of my life and not because I don’t have goals and aspirations, but because striving for the unattainable perfection just makes life harder. Every time I serve my husband a home cooked meal, he gets to see my good enough culinary skills in action and if I ever write a cookbook, I am going with that title.  My dogs are good enough, too.  Neither is ever going to win a “Best in Show” award or even honorable mention in a “Best Listener” contest, but that is my fault, not theirs, because my good enough motto applies to dog training and dog grooming, too.  With my bad attitude, no one has ever called me perfect and in fact, I seem to hear the opposite quite often from people I have given birth to and raised.  This past week, I celebrated a birthday and Mother’s Day and the recent phone conversation with my oldest went something like this:

 

Me:  I pushed you from my loins and you can’t send me a Mother’s Day card?

Daughter:  I combined your Mother’s Day present and your Birthday present and you will be getting it before your birthday!

Me:  Next year, I guess I will combine your birthday with Christmas and mail it all to you in April, since we are now combining celebrations!

Daughter: Mom, you are going to be pretty embarrassed about complaining when you see your great gift.

Me:  It had better not be another homemade Macaroni necklace!

Daughter:  Sometimes, you can be the worst mother. I gotta go, but I love you!

Me:  Love you, too, but your sister is now my favorite!

 

See, no perfection in this family. Not even close.  Not the people or the dogs.

 

In a roundabout way, I guess what I am trying to say is I find it disappointing when we talk about bullying in schools, and being kinder to others, that some CEO gets interviewed and in fact says that there are just some people more worthy than others, because they are more beautiful, more attractive, and thinner, and that’s just life.  That’s a lot of pressure for a teenager who is trying to navigate the waters of life and find their way and self-worth.  This is the next generation of child rearers and dog owners and if these kinds of messages are all they ever hear; nothing is ever going to be “good enough” for them.  Maybe I am making too much of a small thing or pinning too much stuff on one guy, but that’s the good thing about being born in the U.S.A., I can voice my opinion and choose to shop at stores that support the same things I believe in and encourage others to do the same.

[Carol and Banjo]

Laurie.....As usual you nailed it.    I have the same reaction watching those young people walking through houses I would love to live in, finding things just not up to their standards.  For me,  "Good enough" translates to "Be Thankful".      Love Bull Moose and his SideKick!

[Lonnie & Libby Lu]

I started off reading this blog with a calm feeling, knowing everything that comes from Laurie is good!  Whoa, by the time I was finished my blood was boiling.  Who does that CEO think he is and what a first class jerk!  I could use another word, but we are on Doodles.  You did help to lower the BP when I got to part about your cooking and your daughter, that made me laugh and I can so relate!  Oh, and one of my favorite shows is House Hunters too Laurie and you hit the nail on the head about the "young" buyers now days!  That CEO is very self centered and how sad for his company and family:(  Hopefully they are all size 3!

[Bonnie and Kona]

There are many, many reasons to boycott A&F, their ads promote early promiscuity, they use slave labor to manufacture their clothing, and they promote unwholesome body images. The reporting on this CEO's attitude is just the frosting on the cake. His words are truly shocking and appalling. I am just sad that he leads such a narrow life and yet has such a strong influence on the minds and dreams of girls and boys. He is not only demeaning girls; he is leading the boys to believe these lies too. The girls don't feel they can measure up and the guys are sure the girls can't either. It's shameful. 

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

Marnie, LOL...I looked him up after I read his quote and thought he was opening himself up to all kinds of insults. I love your sign. Just about everything irks me nowadays, so I should get one for myself :)

Leslie, I agree about imperfections giving us the most laughs. I also want to say that Vera Bradley originated from my home town and I have been to many of their annual outlet sales. It actually is a lot of fun.  I like your friend's kids and their attitudes. I know the pressure of raising two daughters, so your friend is doing a good job and I am sure hanging around the right people...YOU! LOL I guess you can still gawk at the shirtless male models as long as you don't buy any clothes :) Of course, Vern is all muscle and I have never seen him do a burpee, but he does drop and roll a lot!

Donna, Awwww....thank you!! Counting you and me that is now a grand total of two people who think I am near perfect :) I agree about the photographs...I keep trying, but nothing perfect so far. Love the picture...NOT! Donna, I think you and Quincy are pretty near perfect, too :)

Julie, I love that picture. LOL You are very lucky to have perfect dogs :) Wanna trade??

Stella, Thank you so much!

[Stella]

Laurie, I love your blogs but this one is my favourite!!

[Julie, Boomer, Milo & Casey]

Isn't that the truth!  Totally agree with everything you said (except, my dogs ARE perfect).  LOL!   Your "good enough" reminded me of a picture that I posted on my FB several years ago because I liked it so much!!

[Donna K & Quincy]

Laurie, we all know that you, Fudge and Vern are darn near perfect and that's good enough for me. :>)

I have never strived for perfection with anything( except a photo) and anywhere close to perfect is good enough for me. As a matter of fact I have been know to say on more than one occasion when things are less than perfect, oh well, you won't see that from an airplane, meaning if you see imperfection you are looking much to closely at something.

Really, should this specimen of non-perfection be passing judgement on anyone else?

[Leslie and Halas]

And Vern's bulk is muscle!  It's from all of those burpees that he does!

[Leslie and Halas]

Perfection is overrated.  I think it's the imperfections in life that give us the most laughs and the best stories.  Perfect would be boring.  And I agree that it's this idea of the "perfect" dog that results in a lot of dogs in shelters. One dog that seems perfect to one person/family might be a nightmare for a different person/family.  The important thing is to find a dog that fits in well with your family or lifestyle, and train them to be a dog you can live with.  Like you said, perfection is in the eye of the beholder.

And I think the CEO is the donkey that you portray him to be.  I agree that kids don't need that kind of pressure.  And even if they can fit into those clothes, parents don't need the pressure of having to buy expensive clothes just to help their kids fit in with the "cool kids.".  My friends have 2 daughters, 12 and 10 years old, and they both seem to have the right attitude.  They like what they like, even if some would call it nerdy, and they don't give a da#% about trying to fit in with the in-crowd.  A couple of weeks ago, the 12 year old bought a small Vera Bradley purse with her own money.  I said, "Vera Bradley?  Where did you hear about those purses?"  She said, "At school."  I said, "Oh, from the cool kids?" And she said, "No. MY friends."  It made us all laugh, because we're always talking about the fact that we're all kind of nerdy, but we wouldn't have it any other way.  We're glad they're catching on!

That being said, is it still acceptable to go by the store of the offending CEO and gawk at the shirtless male models standing out front?

[Marnie, Stanlee's Mom]

My kitchen sign......hee hee