Blog 622 – 05.04.2017

Find The Mistake

It is a game like looking for Waldo that we have been taught to play so well and many of us are experts at it with one possible drawback – we look the longest and hardest outwardly. Nevertheless what we see most often there are only our own flaws reflected back at us. We are here not to be critics, proof readers, or problems solvers but to learn to love. Perfectionism no matter how popular or wide spread it may be is a psychological disorder. There was a loveable character in a television series some years back called Monk. He was a real mess, actually more of a neat nut, everything had to be just so, he had so many ticks that his clock was always half passed crazy. Most of us suffer from that sort of thing to one degree or another. Often those who live by themselves become so set in their own routines and preferences that they become almost if not entirely impossible to live with. There is only one cure for this and it is love. Love’s name was Trudy in the Monk series and when Trudy died Monk almost was completely lost in his phobias and manic excessive compulsive behaviors but for love of Trudy he came out of them enough to be of use.

I am a writer and for the past two years I have been posting this daily blog and I read over each blog several times honing and correcting trying to make sure that I get across whatever it is that I am trying to say that day as clearly as possible. Often it is only after I press the “Post” button that I see the misspelled word or the incoherent sentence. Some time ago I figured our how to go back into a published blog to edit, and update the blog. Sometimes the system does not immediately make the corrections but I trust that eventually the very best version of my blogs will be out there to view. As I saw one of these typos the other day it hit me that the mistake was not a big one and that it was just the word “that” mistyped “thst”. The “a” and “s” keys are right next to one another and my fat fingers are always missing, messing, and mixing those up. Don’t you just love alliteration? My favorite was the society known as The SPPPPP (The Society for the Prevention of Placing Parsley on Paper Plates) as noble and meaningful as many group activities I am sure. I kid.

But back to this business of perfectionism or finding the mistake. If that for you is a habit that you just cannot break I offer two suggestions. Look inward and try to correct anything you can there but be kind for you are picking on one of my dear friends whom I happen to believe is just “perfectly in process” as they are. And if you cannot do that then if you just have to point out the mistakes you see outside yourself please aim your critical eyes at my blogs for in them I am only trying to say how much I wish all my fellow travelers all the highest and best along the way in this most wonderful and excellent adventure. I can pretty much guarantee there will be at least one mistake in every blog. That ought to keep you busy and give everyone else a break. As the ole joke says, “At least if they are picking on me they are giving someone else a break.” And your finding fault with me will not hurt my feelings as I will be so glad that are reading my blog that I won’t even notice. Go ahead and look for the mistake but I warn you that you might just find an encouraging word while you are at it.

Your friend and fellow traveler,
David White