There were a dozen reasons to say no. The family asking for help with their bill was well-known around town. They didn’t make wise use of money, often asked for handouts, and were generally looked upon with suspicion. People didn’t trust them, and for good reason. Besides, it’s not good to enable people, right? Let them learn from the consequences of their actions. You don’t want to risk them coming back to you again and again. It’s best not to get involved at all.
My five-year-old can crack an egg like a pro. Whenever I need an egg or two cracked, I call her and she happily comes running to comply, proud that she can help her mommy. But it wasn’t always like this. You see, I’m a perfectionist in many ways. You’d never be able to tell that given the state of my house, mind you, but in those areas where I can be in complete control, I’m all about perfection. And frankly, allowing a preschooler to crack an egg is far from perfect. It’s messy. There were a lot of egg shells that ended up in the bowl and lots of gummy egg white dripping down the side of the bowl and onto the counter while she was still learning. It galled me to no end. But each time she tried, she got a step closer in learning how to crack an egg properly, and now she loves to show off that skill every time I need her help. Although I have a long way to go, I remind myself of a saying my brother likes: Don’t let perfect get in the way of better.
TruthNotes 