Do not be concerned by my messy house and weedy gardens. There has been a paradigm shift in my mode of operandi. Perfection is no longer considered an option. I will gladly hand off my crown to the nearest over-achiever.

This handy term ‘It’ll Do’ came to us during the worst trip we have ever taken. On our way to our destination in Tennessee we spied a tiny motel by the side of the highway with the sign ‘It’ll Do Motel’ out front. Of course we thought this was hysterical…until we saw the place where we had reservations. It wouldn’t do, but it had to.  We arrived in the late evening with no time to look elsewhere.

This hotel was mentioned in a famous book about AIDS. It was infamous for being a hub for spreading HIV all over America as reported in My Own Country by Abraham Verghese. This was no surprise to us.  The snitchy furnishings, nasty bathroom, small hole in the wall above the bed and all-night comings and goings were clues.We all slept in our clothes and socks, except for the debutante. She got food poisoning at supper and slept fitfully in her lovely white nightgown between bouts of vomiting.

So the It’ll Do Motel looked pretty good as we passed it on our way home. Our family has used this nickname ever since when we complete a task using minimum standards. Sometimes we add ‘Bittle Boo’ to the end because mama loves rhymes.

So my new mode is ‘Completed As Needed’ i.e. ‘It’ll Do.’  No struggling for perfection from this wise old bird. Those high standards were nothing but barriers that kept me from trying new things. I am learning to kick my insecurities to the curb.

I hope my children are noticing this change,  along with the increased mess and decreased profanity. I have waited a long time for this wisdom. Wonder what else I have been doing so right that it’s wrong?

We shall see.

BITTLE BOO