Good enough

Aviva and I love to dance.

She grew up a competitive dancer and loved ballet. I grew up an awful dancer and kind of picked it up through college.

When planning our June 2023 wedding, there wasn't a whole lot we cared about except having a fun band and a hopping dance floor. We thought it would be especially fun to kick off the night with a well-choreographed first dance.

About 9 months before the wedding we decided to start taking dance lessons at a professional studio and we got pretty into it, going to classes twice a week. If you've ever taken dance lessons before you know this becomes crazy expensive (it probably cost us $2500?).

That kinda sucks, right? Dancing brings so much fun into people's lives, why should it be so expensive? Also – the first few months of lessons were so focused on very minute technique: hand placement, elbow position – which isn't super important for us amateurs just looking for a good time.

Anyway, we did the lessons and became decent dancers. We got married and put on a hell of a show – as my grandma said: "You set a great tone for the entire night!"

So, fast-forward to June 2024 as we're hiking in Bergen, Norway...

It's crazy the lessons are so expensive, more people should be able to do that – Mitch

We could probably teach decent lessons – Aviva

What do you mean? Where? How? – Mitch

At our house – Aviva

Are you nuts? – Mitch

What if we remodeled our basement into a dance studio and taught lessons for cheaper? – Aviva

Okay – Mitch

Fast-forward again to December 2024 and we now have a small but functional dance studio in our basement and teach cheap, weekly lessons – we call it the Good Enough Dance Company.

We're not pros, and you kinda get what you pay for, so we think the phrase "good enough" is spot on. We don't focus much on technique, but come through and you'll get really good at a few spins and a dip. Good enough to impress your friends on the dance floor.

Now, I know this has been a long backstory, but the real point of this article is to ask your opinion on the phrase "good enough". Since naming the dance studio, this phrase has really permeated our lives.

• We repainted an area of our wall, but the color didn't match exactly. Good enough.
• We set up some string lights in our yard, but 2 of 20 bulbs are burned out. Good enough.
• Our gallery wall isn't exactly centered and spaced evenly, but looks okay. Good enough.
• A presentation isn't done perfectly at work. Good enough.
• We forgot the bay leaf in the soup. Good enough.

Both Aviva and I grew up perfectionists to the point where it was hard to sleep if we couldn't figure out a problem on our math homework. Good enough has help give us freedom to make mistakes and accept imperfection.

Dance aside, what do you think about the concept of good enough? Does society place too much emphasis on perfection? Are we just using good enough as an excuse to skimp? Asking for a friend.

Talk soon, Mitch