Thanks Tigger. I don't know if I know exactly what your friend meant about being a "romantic idealist" but I do know I used to be an idealist. I used to have a standard for pretty much everything that I came into contact with, from the way my socks had to be folded, to the way my house had to look, to what another person should or should not have said to me or to a friend, to the way things should operate at work. I could go on forever. I ALWAYS had an opinion about EVERYTHING and how everything SHOULD or HAD TO be.
Addressing that was early Recovery for me and the way I started was with the laundry. I had to train myself to not require the laundry to be folded perfectly each and every time. I would quick fold the things like shirts but if wrinkles didn't really matter on certain kinds of items, like socks, underwear, pjs, or sheets and towels, I'd just throw them in the right drawer and if I got to fold them later, fine, if not, well that was fine too. It took practice but it works and it helps set you on a path away from perfection and more toward PEACE and SERENITY.