An Imperfect Autumn
When we forget life’s lessons, life’s lessons smack us in the face
Alright, Minnesota.
I moved back home last fall and you welcomed me with an AMAZING display of one of the most “perfect” autumns I can remember (see photo evidence above – Schmidt Lake!).
We trudged through winter, as we do, where you taught me to fully embrace the concept of abundant coziness, or “hygge.”
Spring came along and there was that unfortunate blizzard incident that we won’t speak of again.
We had our summer fling, and now – exhausted – we wait with unbridled anticipation for your spectacular display once again!
And it’s raining. Again? And 40-some degrees. AGAIN.
I mean, honestly it’s all a little embarrassing considering the way I talk this season up….
But all this imperfection got me thinking about the concept of perfection once again.
And it got me thinking about the concept of letting go – which happens to be one of fall’s most important lessons for us.
It’s funny how we can forget these lessons until they’re right there in front of our faces, again.
And I promise you that every time you forget or miss one of the big lessons of life, life will put a situation right there in front of your face to help remind you.
It’s just up to us whether we choose to see it that way.
It’s not to make your life miserable; it’s just life’s devilish little way of helping us learn what we came here to learn, and helping us grow in the ways we need to grow.
So let’s talk a little about this idea of perfection and letting go – and see what lessons we can glean from this imperfect season! Plus, learn about my own story with Crohn’s disease and how that very imperfect experience taught me a very valuable lesson.
On Perfection and Letting Go…
Excerpted from Perfection: The Myth & The Magic
by Angela Kittock, Feb 2018 (LINK TO FULL ARTICLE)
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There are two kinds of perfection in this world.
There’s the kind that drives us batty as we strive so hard towards the pursuit of something that doesn’t exist.
It’s the kind that makes us feel like we can’t let go of control and allow the world to flow because we have to make sure we put all the pieces together just perfectly.
But there’s also a second kind of perfection.
This is the kind of perfection we can see after the fact. After we’ve let go of control and allowed the world to flow in its mysterious and magical and confusing ways.
The kind that allows us to look back and go: “wow, funny how that all worked out. That was PERFECT.”
That kind of perfection requires a degree of trust – in ourselves, in the world, in something greater than us perhaps.
It’s the kind of perfection that might not make any sense at all while it’s happening.
But how many times have we gotten through a period of time or a project or a relationship and looked back only to realize it couldn’t have happened any other way, or that the timing just wasn’t right until it was, or that we learned something amazing along the way?
When you start to notice that kind of perfection in your life – smile. Laugh out loud at how confusingly perfect everything is.
That kind of perfection does exist. And it’s truly magical.
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Read the full article here – Perfection: The Myth and the Magic
I used to be the world’s biggest perfectionist. But now when I remember to let go and let life flow, I am constantly delighted by the mysterious perfection that unfolds, the lessons that present themselves, and the inner growth it all fosters.
Start a Practice
Daily Mantra Practice for Peace & Joy
Worried that life isn’t going according to your plan?
Finding it hard to let go and allow things to flow in their mysterious ways?
Are you carrying that heavy weight of perfectionism?
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Instead of letting the stress overwhelm you, try this simple everyday practice that helps to promote a sense of peace instead.
Pause, take three deep breaths, and repeat this mantra: Everything is unfolding perfectly.
Try repeating this throughout your day; the key is to really FEEL it as though it’s already happening:
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My Story: When I wasn’t getting the lesson (the lesson smacked me in the gut) |
The Bad News
I was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease in November 2010 at age 26. In retrospect, the signs of imbalance were there, but at the time it seemed to come out of the blue and was a total shock.
Following this diagnosis, the next five years became an all-encompassing experiment in trying to heal myself naturally with what I thought was everything. I mean, I would try just about anything.
I was striving so hard towards health with mixed success, yet in June of 2015 I found myself with a perforated intestine, an abscess so large it had it’s own medical name, and at a place where surgery and medications were the only option left in that moment.
I was devastated.
A Sense of Relief
The irony is that I felt this incredible sense of relief that first day in the hospital, as I was preparing for the upcoming surgery –
it was a relief that I no longer had to follow this particularly strict “healing diet” that I had been following for the last eight months. I felt I could finally allow myself to admit that it wasn’t working for me.
Prior to that moment, I couldn’t see how stressed out that diet was making me become, flaring up my perfectionist all-or-none tendencies and sucking the joy from my heart.
Funny how stubborn we can become, refusing to see things until they cannot be ignored. But I was holding on to it so tightly, determined that it would finally be the magic cure I was seeking.
Here I was facing surgeries, yet what I was feeling – after getting over the initial soul shaking anguish of the bad news – was relief. (READ THE FULL STORY HERE)
Crohn’s disease is awful and I wouldn’t wish it on anyone. But it was through this very experience that I, too, finally learned to say, “wow, funny how that all worked out. That was PERFECT.”
