Imperfection

Our common denominator

Journal: 7 July, 2024, morning.

Seven years ago we took a family photo and there are two shots: one where we are woefully unprepared and one where we have pulled ourselves together and look quite composed and I laugh every time I see them, these two photographs. Are they not the perfect capture of our real life versus our shiny pretty one? You know, the one we package up for public consumption? 😁 Because no one wants to see the unpolished one, right?

I think there is great comfort in the realization that we are all more alike than we imagine, which is to say we are all less than perfect. So much less than perfect. Can we forgive ourselves our imperfection?

We walk amongst each other, holding out our hearts, hoping for acceptance and love, for gentle treatment, for belonging. Please don’t hurt me, we say. Please like me. Please love me.

How tender we are. How easily crushed.

Being kind to each other, warmly and compassionately kind… is there a larger grace than that?

I think about this a lot these days.

#journalingalife