(“Perfection  would be a hole in one.”)

Perfectionism is the voice of the oppressor, the enemy of the people. It will keep you cramped and insane your whole life, and it is the main obstacle between you and a sh*#y first draft. I think perfectionism is based on the obsessive belief that if you run carefully enough, hitting each stepping-stone just right, you won’t have to die. The truth is that you will die anyway and that a lot of people who aren’t even looking at their feet are going to do a whole lot better than you, and have a lot more fun while they’re doing it.

Anne Lamott wrote that. Generally it’s good advice because it references a trap I’ve spoken of before—remember the woman who was such a perfectionist that while taking piano lessons, she never played a piece through in its entirety. Whenever she made an (inevitable) mistake, she’d start over. It was a recipe for never getting anywhere.

So how to reconcile these words with a sport (ours) whose goal is perfection? Are you signing up for a lifetime of ulcers and heartache? I don’t think so.

Acknowledging that our ultimate goals are, in practical terms, unattainable doesn’t make them less worthy. Standing on the tee on a par 3 hole, perfection would be a hole in one. Want to know how many of those I’ve made? Let’s just say “fewer than the number of 10s I’ve earned in the dressage ring.” Exactly ZERO. Regardless, every time I tee off, I’m optimistic. Even a part of perfection, even a fleeting moment can be the reward worth pursuing. It’s on the green! It’s near the pin! It didn’t splash into the water!

Or . . . He stretched down without hurrying . . . He didn’t jig . . . He came through in the transition. Partly perfect beats plainly putrid every time. And close DOES count in dressage.