empowerment & inspiration ... all for you
april 29, 2016

inspiration station

what is perfect?

What is perfect? Define perfection. And what actually in life IS perfect? I challenge you to come up with an answer. Nothing is perfect. And when we label something or someone as perfect, it is our perspective - or illusion - or opinion.

Same with imperfect: our perspective, our illusion, our opinion.

I am having substantial difficulty letting go of this book manuscript sitting on my desk: Married to Baseball. I have been working on it for months. Two professional editors have edited it and I commissioned an artist to produce the cover. I had finished writing it months ago - that isn't the issue. I have edited it and re-edited - and edited some more. I have formatted it and reformatted - and formatted it further ... until it is literally making me cry. (Ask my hubby, I'm making him bananas.)

I almost can't look at this 200-page manuscript anymore - I'm too close. There is a physical book proof sitting right here on my desk and I have found 16 mistakes already by reading through it once more - and I am not done reading.

At some point, I have to let the book go to print and yet the perfectionist in me can't seem to do it. I could read through the manuscript over and over and over (and I have!) and STILL, I will find an error, a typo, a grammatical mistake, or a photo caption not quite positioned correctly. I could sit here until now and age 99 and still not distribute a perfect book. Because ... what is perfect?

I challenge you to let something go ... not only the notion of perfection, but something in your life that you are editing over and over and over because you think it is not perfect enough.

Is it your body? Is it your hair? Is it a character trait? Your business? Your artwork? A story? Yourself in general? Are you waiting for the perfect man or woman? Perfect marriage? Perfect house? Perfect behavior in your children or pets? A project at work or home? Are you looking in someone's direction and wishing you were as perfect as they seem?

What notion of perfection are you holding onto, hoping to get it perfectly perfect?

There is no perfect. Let it go. I will if you will.

What do you think?

share your thoughts about it here

(please remember to include your first name and state, or indicate 'name withheld.' It's challenging to remember whose email address belongs to who if there is no name. Thanks.)

good to giggle

'waiting for the perfect man'

snippeteer backtalk

thoughts on last issue:
understanding of the heart

"This week's column hit me right in the heart as I read it on the day I returned from a mission partnership trip to Cuba. I do not speak Spanish. Didn't matter. I felt the entire experience and, somehow, managed to converse with people without a shared language. Happens every time. We get together and hug, hold each others' faces and just feel our shared love. Would happen more often in this hustle-bustle world if we'd just stop, take a breath and feel. As always, thanks."

~ Melanie in Marriottsville, MD

"I am so happy to see that you have so eloquently put into words exactly how I, too, feel when I am at Sunday Mass in our little town of Maiori on the Amalfi Coast, Italy. It is so comforting to know that others share the same feeling! Dio ti benedice."

~ Mary Ann in Little Italy, MD

"That was so beautifully written. I could actually feel your spirit! That is what you call FAITH!"

~ Cynthia

"I completely agree with you. I used to be fluent in Italian but now with non-use, I have forgotten a lot. However, certain words are still in my brain and come out when I least expect it. Even if I don't know word for word what people are saying, I can get the gist by looking at their expressions while they speak."

~ Phyllis in MD

"Thank you for including Joel in your prayer flares, made me cry. Your Italian Mass story today was exquisite!!"

~ Barbie in Fallston, MD

"[Recently] Barry and I were in Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. We sat down on the chairs close to the altar to say a little prayer when the priest and the bishop walked out to begin the noon Mass. Of course, everything was in French. We understood very little but we certainly responded with the Amens; at the Our Father, we said it together in English. At the Kiss of Peace, people shook our hands and smiled at us. Tourists walked up the side aisles taking photos. In that vast, beautiful cathedral, there was a certain intimacy among us - it didn't matter what language we spoke. Thank you for sharing your thoughts."

~ Kathy in Baltimore, MD

prayer flares

FOR Patrice's torn retina that it may heal well and without surgery

ciao ...

until you snippet again

suzanne molino singleton

creator of SNIPPETS

Celebrating 10 years! created 2006

email SNIPPETS here

Not yet a snippeteer? Receive inspiration in each FREE issue every Friday in your inbox simply by entering your email address on SNIPPETS website or replying to this issue.

BOOKS by SUZANNE

cover design by the very talented Linda Ports, friend and snippeteer

coming soon -
perfect or not!

Mrs. Singy's stories of baseball life that have nothing - and everything - to do with the game

This collection of heartfelt and entertaining stories is an insider's perspective of being "married" to baseball and to Ken Singleton, former Baltimore Oriole and current New York Yankees TV broadcaster. Stories were first published on Mrs. Singy: Married to Baseball, an official baseball blog 2009-2013 on MLB.com and YESnetwork.com.

click cover to order $7.99/paperback $2.99/Kindle

An assortment of inspirational snippets to encourage, empower, validate and motivate, inspired by Suzanne's countless bike rides through scenic Baltimore County, Maryland and along Florida's Gulf beaches. Whether you're a cyclist or not, you'll latch onto these wise words of inspiration to guide you while pedaling up and down life's hills.

paperwork, 121 pp, 2015

self-published on Create Space,

an Amazon company

click cover to order autographed copy; proceeds benefit the nonprofit Promotion Center for Little Italy, Baltimore

Before outdoor films, mouth watering cuisine and the spectacle of bocce brought thousands of visitors to its streets, Baltimore's Little Italy was a haven for generations of immigrants. With Saint Leo's Church at its heart, The Neighborhood is a place where lifelong friendships are forged and nicknames are serious business. Featured are beloved locals as we walk thru a spirited history of this enduring Italian community.

paperback, 160 pp, 2015
The History Press, SC

SNIPPETS website