Eating broccoli

Sometimes I think I'm too much of a perfectionist. I cross all my t's and my i's all have dots; if I miss one it bugs me. Sometimes I think I waste so much time focusing on little details. If my sentences run on or my logic feels weak I just can't bring myself to move on without fixing it.

Is that a bad thing?

I have always been one of those few stragglers who finish their tests 15 minutes after the rest of the class. I have to make sure I have all the answers just right. Even in elementary school Ben Miller would give me a hard time for taking too long on my homework. Until it was done, I couldn't join in on the afternoon's street ball or roller-hockey game. Any normal boy would scribble down his answers and be out the door. I would scribble down my answers, double and triple check them, and then be out the door.

Am I not a normal boy?

Well, I do enjoy studying accounting. And studying accounting is like eating broccoli or getting teeth pulled. Normal boys don't enjoy those things. But I guess there's nothing wrong with them. If some people like getting their teeth pulled, who am I to judge them? I like accounting.

I know what you're thinking: "I'd prefer having my molars removed."

I understand. Both are painful, but for most people an hour at the dentist with pliers in your mouth is still more enjoyable than 3 1/2 hours at the testing center with an accounting exam on your desk. Not for me. I was shocked when I first checked the time during my Acc 210 test. Somehow two hours had already slipped by, and I was just getting to the good part! It was like a fascinating story* I couldn't put down.

Call me a weirdo, a nerd - hit me with all you've got. Tease me about liking accounting and not being able to sleep until all my numbers balance, because it's true. Is it bad that I spend so much time contemplating every detail that may affect my answer? I don't think so. So what if I triple check all my work? I guess I'm not a normal boy. Maybe I am too much of a perfectionist. But I got an A on my test. I should celebrate by eating broccoli.




*It was a dark and stormy statement of cash flows, and something was not right. The scene was set by financial statements and the story was propelled forward by elusive journal entries. Can detective Powell catch the culprit keeping the credits and debits out of balance? Yes! Suspect #14 was nabbed, convicted, and locked up in cell D. Will #15 soon join him? Sam the sleuth is on the job...