The Art of Imperfection

It was one of those days. You know the kind, where you feel no matter how hard you try things just feel annoying, off balance. The sky in its moodiness seemed to feel the same way. One minute it was bright blue, an hour later it was windy and over cast, another hour later it was warm and sunny. The changing sky was in perfect harmony with my chameleon like mood, and it seemed to go hand in hand with my eyes finding all sorts of visuals to be irritated by. The leftover winter clutter in the yard, the leaky faucet, that even when I could not hear it, annoyed me with its drips, the windowpane in the bedroom that needed replacing, the old kitchen cabinets. It was a good thing we decided to take our dog for a walk, the wind in my face, even the rain, would do me a world of good. I needed to lose that irritable mood,and it would help with the 20 pounds of extra weight I had gained over the winter. Walking every day was one step in the right direction, I decided. I was right, within minutes of walking along side my son with our dog, I found myself breathing deeply, releasing the tension, and making jokes to cheer up my son who was preoccupied with a creative writing assignment. The sky started looking brighter as my mood lightened. Somehow the idea came to me of imperfection as an art. Art is a way of looking at the world. And I was looking at the world and saw it as askew. I needed to change my perspective. Imperfection is a fact of life. In ourselves, in those around us, in our daily challenges, in our aspirations and even in our hopes and dreams. But, in that imperfection can be found the seeds of great courage and love. To know the imperfection of our lives, and yet to move forward any way, determined to see beauty in that imperfection, the beauty of kindness and tolerance, both for others and ourselves, can help us time and again to turn the corner on those days where we otherwise might surrender to negativity and bitterness. My husband was fighting a miserable cold. He insisted he was starting to feel better, and he proceeded to water the new flowers he had planted last weekend in the window boxes of our kitchen and bedroom. He also made fresh sugar water for the two humming bird feeders. I knew he was not feeling good, but he found the will to do something he knew mattered to our garden. If you are going to live well, you have to master the art of imperfection. We are all flawed, no matter how much we would like to think we are pretty special and unique some days. The truth paints a far different picture. But through the eyes of humility and kindness, quite a number of seemingly unlovable people become very acceptable, including ourselves. Imperfection. In a world that would have you believe perfection is where it is at, the delicate art of imperfection is quite misunderstood except by those with warm and wise hearts.