Vices

My sister posted a quote by Elizabeth Taylor on her Facebook wall the other day.

"The problem with people who have no vices is that generally you can be pretty sure they're going to have some pretty annoying virtues."

I had to reread it a couple of times to get the full meaning (sleep-deprived, much?), but once I'd immersed the idea into my brain cells, I was intrigued.

I have many vices. You wouldn't think it to look at me, but who really does wear their vices on their sleeve...? Oh, wait, a lot of people. But I hide them fairly well. Or at least I did until I started this blog a few years ago. In fact, in the face of that quote, you could say my vices didn't even exist until I started this blog. Instead, I was just a very virtuous and, simultaneously, a very annoying individual.

I guess the key is admission. I admit that I have a few vices. I am addicted to coffee, I complain about stupid stuff. I yell at my kids. I tend to shop emotionally. I have to take medication so I don't become a depressed blob. I also talk a lot about exercising and buy workout DVD's, but rarely execute.

What is even the point of saying this out loud? I guess the point is that whether I say it or not, all (and more) is still true. It will either come out as something I'm not proud of and am aiming to change; or I can deny the destructiveness of it all, and allow it to weaken the structure of my marriage, friendships, and parenting.

So lets claim our vices. Let's say them out loud. The point of the quote is that EVERYONE has vices. Big or small, they need to be categorized accordingly. It's only when I admit I'm wrong to yell at my child, that I will apologize for it; or that I drink too much coffee (wine), that I will cut back; or that I shop carelessly, that I will seek to set boundaries.

Or I can just stay the (annoyingly) perfect person that I am. Either way, I have a family that accepts me and loves me. And that doesn't make me perfect, just very blessed.