The Achiever

A couple of weeks ago someone introduced me to a cool personality system, and since I love anything that remotely resembles a Cosmo quiz I took the online assessment pretty much immediately.

I am very conscious of the image I present to others. Very accurate. I have a strong desire to be accepted by others. Very accurate. If people are coming over I make sure my place is totally clean. Very accurate. According to the results, I am The Achiever. The Motivator. The Performer. The Image Builder. GAH!

I found myself thinking about Erma Bombeck who once said that if she had her life to live over she would invite friends over to dinner more, even if the carpet was stained. And about Gabriella who puts socks on her hands to wipe down the glass on our coffee table and French Doors. And about Oprah who went on television without makeup.

Sure, there’s a lot of good that comes from being an overachiever, experiences I would hate to give up such as marathons and graduate school and a real estate closing. But that thing Erma Bombeck said about inviting friends over even if your house isn’t spotless? I’ve never done it and I know that I should.

Because that little girl and eventually that little boy… they’re watching everything we do and imitating it, now in play and later in life. So I have to finally get it right. The balance between accomplishment and fun. The science of rest. The art of living in the moment.

So here is our house at the end of a long day, on Oprah, without makeup. Toys all over the floor. Dirty bibs and socks on the ground. Food stuck to the table. Laundry in the washing machine, in the dryer and spilling out of the upstairs hampers.

Want to come over?