Way to Be.

Naturally, I was always a B student. 80%. Not great, but good. Not the best, but good enough. I am not so proud of this status, but it's who I was, and honestly, who I still am. It comes easy, so why try harder? But lately, I've been aiming for a B in my life…and it's not as effortless as it used to be.

First, there's my plumbing. I had to replace my main plumbing line. My plumber did a great job and this line surely gets an A! But there is fall out....the water pressure in my shower now runs at a trickle rate...the previous owners had kept their water pressure way above code...and now my pressure is legal but my shower is unbearable. And so I thought, if we could somehow get the pressure back to 80% of what it was, that would meet my almost high standards. My plumber adjusted some levels, cleaned up some "Crud" and thankfully, my showers are back to my old standby - a solid B.

Next is my foot. I had foot surgery. It has not turned out. My foot is worse than before surgery and sometimes I lay awake thinking it will never get better. I sound like a stock analyst waiting for the market to return to pre-bunionectomy levels. But just like the housing market, I am going to have to sit on my investment and walk before I run.

And finally, my mother. She has had chronic pain for 2 years which has obviously been very debilitating emotionally and physically. I said to her with supportive optimism that our goal was to have her back at "80%" - 80% feeling good, 80% of her weight and normal functioning level - wouldn't that be wonderful? If someone told me that a B was a sufficient grade with my health, I think I'd probably slap them...and yet I was promoting good enough when great would have been the thing to go for.

I had a music teacher in 7th grade who was all about positive thinking. He had a poster on his wall that said a "C is the best of the worst and the worst of the best." This has always stuck with me. I also know that this same teacher become an insurance agent shortly after I left junior high, so I guess he left the scholastic grading business for another kind of rating system - risk factors and fear. Did he get sick of giving C's? What did he think of B's?

For the 80% to work effectively, there are some criteria. You must give 80% 100% of the time....or 100% 80% of the time....for If you give just 80% 80% of the time then that surely boils down to a C. And we know what that means.

Old habits are hard to break. I must push myself to be a better student, worker and person. My mind may be slightly sharper than in 10th grade, but my 'good enough' will remains deeply intact. And what's wrong with a B anyway? Sometimes a B is the best you can achieve, sometimes it is all you can hope for, and sometimes it is simply Good.