Life in a Perfect World

I’ve been reflecting lately on the concept of perfection. It seems our society is obsessed with it: finding the perfect job, the perfect home, the perfect man or woman, having a perfect body, and if you’re a woman; perfect hair, nails, complexion…. I could go on forever. We as a culture, have been conditioned to seek out “perfection” in all things. We have been brainwashed into believing that we shouldn’t settle for less than we deserve - and we deserve no less than perfection!

The problem is in our continual search for perfection we create a perpetual state of insatiability. And the more we look for perfection, the more we require it, and unfortunately, the less we are apt to find it (actually see it, that is). Perfection, like many things is subjective. It’s all in how we perceive things. The problem is, we most often see things according to society’s dictates rather than our own needs or preferences. We see a need for a new car when our neighbor gets one. We see a need for a face-lift or tummy tuck, after our best friend has had one. We see a need for a promotion or a more perfect job when a colleague lands one. Perhaps worst of all is when our growing need for perfection permeates all areas of our life until we are chronically malcontent. Everywhere we look we see imperfection.

What we don’t see is the bigger picture. We don’t see (or even think about) the master plan. It’s time to realize that there is something (regardless of the name we give It) bigger than us. There is a higher power. There is also a purpose to our lives and it’s not about acquiring things and keeping up with the Jones. It is about learning and sharing and spiritual growth. And frankly, those things don’t come from attaining society’s idea of perfection. They come from adversity and change and (sometimes uncomfortable) stretching of our boundaries. They come when we least expect it; when we help a neighbor, answer a need in another, when we find ourselves in need of comfort or assistance.

When we let go of society’s idea of perfection and let go of our pursuit of it, we are able to see perfection all around us. We see that holding on to our perfectly good car (instead of buying a new one every year) allowed us the financial freedom to take care of an ailing parent when the time came. The minor inconvenience of a traffic jam allowed us an extra few minutes to unwind before returning home and taking our frustrations out on our loved ones. Who knows, our delay might even have saved us from getting hit by a train (a little far-fetched, I’ll admit - but who knows?) Clearly, we don’t. But our Higher Power does. It’s time we trust that Higher Power and realize that everything does have a purpose. Every moment, every thought, every interaction - is exactly as it should be. That less-than- perfect job you have is teaching you everything you need to know to move on to a better one (when the time is right). That slightly less than perfect husband of yours is exactly who you need to learn your life lessons from. And that ever so nasty co-worker of yours teaches you exactly what not to do and who not to become. You see, it’s all exactly as it should be.