“I don’t know – maybe I should call my flute teacher, the one who teaches me,” said my flute teacher to my mother. “It could be that she’s taking a little longer to get the knack of the tone because she hasn’t got the right shaped mouth. Some people don’t.” I stood in my […]
Tag Archives | perfectionism
Anyway: or Confessions of a recovering perfectionist
6th February, 2013 60
If something’s worth doing, it’s worth doing badly. Sitting on a leather sofa, sipping water and wiping tears, I presented her with my angsty questions. I looked at her proper grown-up mantel piece and knew that I was supposed to be grown up by now, in my mid-twenties. She pulled her fingers through her hair, […]
The weight of fear {guest post}
18th December, 2012 19
I heard Emily Wierenga’s voice for the first time a while ago, on a youtube video, and I smiled, because it so perfectly matches her blog. She speaks softly and gently so you need to lean in close; it is full of sweetness and sparkles with the kind of joy that has been hard-won. I […]
The day that changed my life
4th September, 2012 54
I was seventeen, and alone, crying uncontrollably in the corridor. And I went to my French lesson anyway. ******* It was the end of form period and the bell had just rung for the final lesson of the day. “Tanya, could you stay behind for a moment?” my form tutor asked. I nodded, surprised. I […]
A New Name: When it’s bad to be the ‘good girl’
22nd August, 2012 13
What kind of label did you have as you were growing up? There are many ways that we’re labelled to differentiate ourselves from others. Amongst our family or friends we become known as ‘the pretty one’, ‘the funny one’, ‘the smart one’, ‘the rebel’, ‘the loud one’. These labels form part of our identity, […]
