Mary Poppins can fly. Can you fly? I’m pretty sure you can’t. The woman is abnormally gifted… almost as if she weren’t human. She can clean a room with the snap of her fingers, pull anything she needs out of a handbag on a whim, and can even teleport herself and her friends into a magical, animated world at a moment’s notice.

She is always proper, and she’s friends with everyone. She can sing. She can dance. She’s great with kids. You could probably bottle her sweat and trade it for diamonds.

It’s unrealistic that anyone, even George Bush, could ever live up to fit her perfect stereotype. Why then, do so many people try?

It seems to me that those with the Mary Poppins Syndrome – people who attempt to be “pleasantly perfect in every way” – tend to be single girls fresh out of high school… or their parents sheltered protection. These are the girls who are used to getting straight A’s, eating three squares a day and shudder at the mere mention of a bodily function. They are always prim and proper and have a hard time laughing in public settings. Want a hug? Then prepare yourself for the infamous awkward sidearm… or even a rejection in exchange for a handshake, because heaven forbid your body touch another person’s body especially if it’s someone of the opposite sex… oops, I mean gender.

Seriously people, there is more to life than homework, reading classic novels and driving to your parent’s house every weekend to eat mom’s meatloaf. Let down your guard a bit.  We won’t judge you if you can’t burp the alphabet, or quote Zoolander… but at least try to have some fun. Otherwise, you will turn into the scary, old, bitter girl who is feared by both men and women of all ages.

Mary Poppins may have been pleasantly perfect in every way, but she still knew how to have a good time. So, take a spoon full of sugar with your homework, laugh a little and let down your hair. You might find out that perfection is overrated. Being normal can be satisfying if you give it a chance.