Saturday, March 3, 2012

Almost Perfect


Perfection is desirable during brain surgery and synchronized swimming.  Other than that it is the flaws that make life interesting.  Sure,  it would be great not have cellulite or to be able to sing on key.   My nose is bent and I have a distracting mole above my eye.  There is a tooth that snags my lip when I smile.  I truly dislike all of these things but for better or worse, they are a part of me.   Not much is actually perfect in life, and that is actually a good thing, because perfection is boring.  There are no surprises in perfection.  

I used to know someone whose whole life was chasing perfection, and even with considerable talents and advantages he was never happy.  He was an accomplished violinist but would only let me hear him play with his orchestra, not alone where I could actually hear his individual sound.  His house was gorgeous on first glance, but the facades were artificial.   He kept his girlfriends at arms length and after their inevitable break up he would write beautiful and poignant romanticized accounts of their relationship.  The idea of everything more perfect than the reality.  I'm concerned that in this quest for the perfect relationship, he's missed out on authentically wonderful ones.

I'm paying an exorbitant amount of money for braces for my son, so I do believe some things are worth trying to "fix."  But it's important to know when to enjoy what you have while still striving for improvement, not perfection.  Except if you are a brain surgeon or a synchronized swimmer.  

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