Imperfections

My whole life I have strived for perfection. 

Perfection in the things that I do and perfection in the image I portray to others. 

Why? 

To avoid rejection, to avoid judgements, to avoid criticism, to avoid being disliked by others, to avoid being punished. 

Want more reasons? 

Because society says I have to be perfect, because media says I have to be perfect, because the "perfect" people cast labels on those of us who are not. 

Thankfully I have let go of that need....somewhat. 

Again, I think that as we age, we lose that anxious gnawing that claws in our stomach and that tells us we're not perfect yet. EFT is also helping me release the rest of the perfectionism that still exists in the deeper levels of me. There was a time when I would not be seen in public without make up or without having my hair just right. 

One only needs to see me now on an average day to bear witness to the fact that I have released that particular desperate need to be perfect! 

Tonight, as I was finishing a book called "My Sister's Keeper" by Jodi Picoult, (an awesome book, by the way), I read a line that made me stop and think for a minute. 

It said, "You don't love someone because they're perfect....you love them in spite of the fact that they're not." 

Whoa...makes a person take a look at the relationships they're in. 

I wish I had understood that years ago. I mean, I've understood that on some level, but tonight it just hit a little closer to home, I think. 

Perfection in the eyes of one certainly is not perfection in the eyes of another. What I perceive to be perfect is not what my children perceive to be perfect. It's not what my spouse perceives to be perfect. It's not what my best friend, my neighbor or society perceives to be perfect. 

After all these years of worrying what others may think about me....it's quite shocking to realize that no matter how hard I try to be perfect...I'd never be that to anyone. 

Makes it all seem so silly, really. 

All that energy wasted...all that time wasted. 

How I might have done things differently. I guess it comes down to doing what feels right to you...what your heart tells you is right for you. 

Truly loving someone else is accepting them in spite of the fact that they snore, or they sing off key, or they hog the blankets. Just because it's not perfect to you...doesn't mean it's wrong for them. 

Truly loving someone and receiving that love back is really a gift. It's a gift from that other person that says, "I love you even if you can't cook or you can't dance or you drool in your sleep." 

And what a gift it is.....M