Imperfection and ritual; you might think these two would go together like peas and carrots.  In wabi-sabi that is correct.  Think of the tea ceremony and the chipped cups the masters are drinking from.  In practice, I find it a bit more challenging. 

Why? The challenge stems from developing one muscle (ritual) and  loosening up another (perfection).  You can do a google search for each of these  and find plenty of material. It is no secret that we all want to be productive and we all want to accept ourselves. But this business of doing the work AND letting go of the need to make it better is tough stuff.  For me.

For example, I write in the morning, first thing.  I  bribe myself with tea to get started.  I’m one week in to writing every morning and so far the bribe is working.  BUT, it is now mid-morning and everything I wrote an hour ago is now in the trash.

Getting it done and liking what you have put on the page is another matter.  I’m giving up after this paragraph, I’ve run out of time but if nothing else the words are there.  I guess this is an example of imperfection at its finest.

Here’s hoping that I’ll show up and be back at it on Monday.  Wish me luck.

 

“Understanding the difference between healthy striving and perfectionism is critical to laying down the shield and picking up your life. Research shows that perfectionism hampers success. In fact, it’s often the path to depression, anxiety, addiction, and life paralysis.”
~ Brenee Brown