The essence of perfection

The essence of perfection

I know a lot of people who call themselves perfectionists. Yet they try to perfect things that don’t matter.

I’ve worked in advertising, sales and marketing for a while now. One of the things we have to do quite often are presentations. I can’t tell you how many weekends, evenings and special occasions have been ruined, when I’m at a party or a social gathering of some kind, because I end up listening to some boor tell me at length about a work-related presentation . . . either one they heard, developed, stole, are still working on. They’re trying to get it perfect. I admit, I’ve been the boor myself on occasion, but I can’t imagine why it might have ever been that important; that I spent that much time on it.

Because truly, when you’re looking for perfection, you spend a lot of time doing it. Hunting it down seems to encompass large blocks of time, entire days or weeks or even years. But it doesn’t have to. Perfection has to have the perfect environment in which to happen. Much of the time it eludes us because it can’t be created. It just IS.

Perfection is just being with your friends and not having a time limit on hanging out together. For example, when I’m going out for the evening with some girlfriends. While we’re getting ready, we’re talking about the best moisturizer, the perfect outfit, the greatest shoes etc. But none of that is what the evening is about; we don’t talk about what the evening is really for. Even the process of getting ready is what the point is -- we’re spending time together. If anyone asked what we were doing Friday night, we’d say “We’re going out to have a few drinks and get loose. We’re going to have girl time, go dancing, eat food that normally we would shun during the week, check out some men.” But what we’re really doing is pursuing perfection. Perfection in that environment is having something funny happen or said that night that we remember always and retell the story of, for many years.

Perfection is a smile or laughter shared with a stranger and the uplifting feeling you get from it the rest of the day.

Perfection is entwining yourself in your lover’s arms, finding that exact place to lay and utterly relaxing into sleep without the benefit of alcohol, drugs, or any limbs going numb.

Perfection is music that gives you chills every single time you hear it, even if it’s a song you’ve heard for years.

Perfection is finding something unexpected – the leaf that falls on your car’s window when you’re parked nowhere near a tree.

Perfection is an innocent question from a child. Or an astute observation from them.

Perfection is that inner feeling of “yes, all is right with the world.” Meaning the world you live in; not the entire earth. It’s all fitting into place, it’s all happening the way it should. It’s the disappearance of that gut-wrenching “this isn’t right” in the stomach feeling, replaced with the feeling of excited butterflies, because good things are coming

Perfection is a great first date – conversation flows, you feel sexy, you look good, laughter flows without being forced, there’s mental and physical attraction, but you don’t feel any pressure to make any move. And you don’t want to go home, you just want to spend more time together.

Perfection is waking up in the morning and actually feeling rested and refreshed.

Perfection is finally removing something toxic from your life and having that first-time-in-a-long-time clean feeling. From the soul out.

Perfection is checking in with your friends and hearing that nothing out of the ordinary is happening to them.

Perfection is spending an entire day without working at anything at all. Just doing what you like, being who you are. Without any justification to anyone.

Perfection is hearing from a customer or a friend or a salesperson: “Your timing couldn’t be better.”

Perfection is giving something to someone as a surprise, and seeing the grateful look on their face before they say the words, “Thank you.”

Merry Christmas.