The Perfect LifeWhat constitues the perfect life? The obvious answer is it’s different for everyone, a relative experience that only we can define. That said, I think there are some things that can be generally said about the topic, but I’m not going to talk about the positive things that make up a perfect life. Rather, I’m going to focus the opposite. What isn’t a perfect life?
When we have people in our lives, those who hurt us emotionally or physically it can be devastating. Tonight I had the opportunity to hear someone talk about how someone they love time and again says and does things that hurt them. They’ll go through times where life seems perfect, or it’s reaching a state of perfection and then out of nowhere it’s like a dagger in the back. Suddenly everything feels like it’s spiraling out of control and that semblance of perfection is shattered, again, like it’s always shattered.
Sometimes our perfect lives are upset by people we have no relationship, those we are in casual contact with. Someone cuts us off when we’re talking, someone makes a side comment that irritates us for the rest of the day, the barista isn’t moving fast enough for us when we’re late for an appointment – there are all sorts of scenarios. Those events stick with us for the day, or maybe set off a series of irritating scenarios that darken, ruin our perfect week.
For those in our lives who are close to us, sometimes it’s as easy or as hard as setting boundaries with those relationships, owning our part of the relationship. Sometimes it’s not expecting perfection when we have been taught time and time again in the past that perfection is unattainable. With strangers it can be easier – the barista at the coffee shop who’s really into steaming the milk that day has no idea we’re late. We are the ones setting the stage for that exchange, not the froth happy barista – she may be perfectly steaming the milk for all we know.
We are all in control of how perfect or imperfect our lives are at any given moment A perfect life, in my humble opinion, is one where we learn something new about ourselves, our limits, our emotions, or reactions each day. A life where we strive for something better and we fail in the process, but we don’t stop trying. There is a perfection that exists within our imperfect moments, it’s not easy to find, but with a bit of introspection we can all eventually find it.