Perfect Imperfection

"Some beautiful things are more impressive when left imperfect than when too highly finished." ~Francois de La Rochefoucauld

I was thinking of this quote in regards to people. It seems that being imperfect in our culture is a bad thing. All the stories about plastic surgery and "fixing myself" are common place. What's wrong with a little imperfection? So we all don't look like a Barbie or Ken doll, but isn't that a good thing? Flipping through the fashion and men's magazines certainly doesn't help. We all know by now that those photos are photoshopped and airbrushed. Many models and celebrities admitted it themselves. You can't compare yourself to those images. It is just too depressing. Soon, we will try to photoshop and airbrush our physical bodies, or have we already started?

People in our country spend millions of dollars on botox, facelifts, and tighter skin. What if we redirected all that money towards education, health care or feeding the hungry? I know...I know...wishful thinking. I am saddened by the efforts of many to get rid of their laugh lines. My favorite part of a person's face are the laugh lines. Some call them crow's feet, but I'm not a big fan of that description. Laugh lines add character. Laugh lines reflect joy. They are the proof of a life well-lived. I'd be a little suspicious of someone who didn't have laugh lines. What's up with that? A life with no laughter scares me to death.

Your face tells the story of your life's journey...the good, the sad, the strength, the pain. Why would anyone want to erase their story? I recently heard an inspiring phrase, "embrace your grace." I encourage all of us, men and women, to embrace our grace and all our impefections that make us who we are. And remember our laugh lines are the perfect imperfection.

Enjoy your journey...

Crossing the Stream

"Don't cross the stream to look for water." ~Swedish Proverb

Have you ever searched tirelessly for something only to realize that what you were looking for was right there with you all along? Some people spend their entire lives searching for happiness, love, purpose, or (fill in the blank) but never finding it, because they are focusing all their energy externally. They rarely turn their search and focus inward.

Our culture equates happiness, fullfillment with material objects. The more we have the happier we should be. This philosophy seems to be more prevalent in the global north. While our neighbors living in the global south, appear to find joy in simplicity and the present. Perhaps they do this out of necessity, but is there a lesson here for all of us? Could it be that the more we have the more we want? Because we live in the "land of the plenty," do we fear scarcity? When is enough...enough?

We continually hear stories from our family and friends about how they would be happy only if...only if...what? What if we woke up every morning and took a "gratitude inventory" of our life? Took a moment to appreciate our family, our friends, our health, our food, our home, etc. If we fill our lives with the abundance we already have, then we would never need to "cross the stream" for anything other than a good fishing hole.

Enjoy your journey...