Wonderful – inspiring delight, pleasure, or admiration; extremely good; marvelous.
I was in my shop last week, noticing a multitude of flaws in the construction of my wonderful new doors. None of the flaws compromises their functionality, and few can be seen at any distance. The doors are part of a post and beam building made in the 1800s, a simple building that is lovely to look at. The doors join delightfully into the façade.
Nature is a vast harmony of imperfections, the bones of dead trees and curves of crooked trunks as much a part of the beauty of the forest as the members who stand straight. Within every image that takes your breath away there are a myriad of the imperfect blending into something wonderful. It is this celebration of diversity that makes wild places beautiful in a way that man cannot match.
Perfectionism – refusing to accept any standard short of perfection.
Perfectionism robs us of wonderful. Perfectionism demands we search for flaws and dwell on details out of context of the whole. It tells us only perfect is of value, misassigning importance and misaligning our efforts. Perfectionism distracts from deciding what matters to us and finding balance in our lives. It can mar relationships with friends, family, coworkers, animal partners, and ourselves.
I’ve gotten better at these decisions. Not so much better at deciding to let imperfections remain. Time has often intervened on my behalf there. I’m getting better at letting the flaws blend into the wonderful whole. I know they are there, but they don’t bother me as they once did.
May the varied details of your life blend together in a wonderful way. May you maintain perspective on what brings you joy and celebrate your efforts to those ends. Peace.
©2021 Maria Amodei
