Perfecting Perfection

Came across an article in the Catholic News (Jan 29, 2012) written by Karen Osborne titled:"Forget about wanting things perfect in 2012 - That ain't gonna happen..." The title in bold printed letters caught my attention and I read on. You may refer to the online version here. I guess the 'perfectionist' in me reacted to the title with, "what do you mean?? nooo.. things have to be PERFECT!" After reading the article, it had pointed out alot of things which you and I already know, but often tend to forget easily.

"We have to remember that every single human being ever born on this earth has character flaws. Maybe you know someone who has shoplifted. You definitely know people who have lied. You know people who have cheated. Every single human being has passed on gossip... When our friends fail us, we can sometimes get so caught up in how awful we feel that we forget we’re just like them — that that we are not perfect either, and that we’ve all disappointed someone else..."

So how do we move on and make the best of things when we are faced with disappointments by people and events? The only real way?

"The only real way to strive for a perfection that lasts is to forgive others - and to forgive ourselves...Forgiveness paves the way for both you and the person who wronged you, to make something beautiful and new out of your relationship."

And my favourite liner of the article is, "This, ultimately, is the "perfect" solution."