Wise Women Friday: Emily Dickenson

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Words of wisdom from the American poet Emily Dickenson (1830-1886):

The pedigree of honey

Does not concern the bee;

A clover, anytime to him

Is aristocracy.

Sometimes, pedigrees matter, but it is also true that a determined commitment to high standards is the road to depression. You can insist on Godiva chocolate, for example, but that will really only stop you from sampling a whole lot of chocolate in life. Is it really worth the price? I don't think so. Likewise, you can insist on having a vacuumed house, but then you'll miss the natural beauty of dustbunnies as they take on dizzyingly complex and expressionistic forms. Less is sometimes more. Half-assed is not always half-cocked. A well-lived life need not be lived in Manolos, it need only a table on which to rest one's feet.

Which is all a long way of saying that you absolutely have my permission to put off until tomorrow what can be done today. Slacking off can be an art form. Go. Make art.