Is this you? It’s me sometimes, mostly while I’m writing, but overall not too often these days. You see with age comes wisdom and part of that wisdom is knowing that no matter how hard I or you try, are you ready for this, we will NEVER be perfect. And honestly I’m not sure why you or I would ever want to be. I’ve learned that happiness is far from being found within perfection. It’s the messes in our lives that seem to hold the most meaning and even happiness for us.
As I continue to grow the seeds of thought and word within me (hey that’s pretty good writing right there), I’ve started reading the book ‘Bird by Bird – Some Instructions on Writing and Life’ written by Anne Lamott. It’s a great read for anyone. Funny and thought provoking as she describes her experiences and lessons learned from writing and from life.
In her book, Anne pens; “Perfection is the voice of the oppressor, the enemy of the people. It will keep you cramped and insane your whole life.. Perfectionism means that you try desperately not to leave so much mess to clean up. But clutter and mess show us that life is being lived. Clutter is wonderfully fertile ground – you can still discover new treasures under all those piles, clean things up, edit things out, fix things, get a grip. Tidiness suggests that something is as good as it’s going to get. Tidiness makes me think of held breath, of suspended animation, while writing (and I’ll add living) needs to breathe and move.”
What in your past did you want to be perfect at? What today? Is it really perfection you’re after or more of obtaining a sense of fullness, confidence, or maybe even validation? How much time have you spent on the minuscule details of trying to be perfect that you’ve missed out on the joys found within the infinite inconsistencies of imperfection? Maybe you’ll find what you’re looking for not in the perfect and clean living of your life but in the mud puddles of each day.
It’s a sunny warmer day here in Central Ohio. Sitting in the Terra as I write this, I have the windows open letting the cool 60 degree breeze flow through. It’s not perfect but it’s pretty good. Honestly it’s really good. Starting tomorrow we have four days of wet yet warmer weather. I’m thinking there will be plenty of mud puddles for the Doodle and I to jump into this weekend and you know, in a way, that, in itself, is kind of perfect.
See you down the road….
Posts From Along The Road 