In preparing for a next workshop, a friend “in the biz” of helping others noted all the courses she takes continuously and has for a decade or so. Every day in her work she helps others rid themselves of blocks in energy and the ill-health caused by the holdings we all carry. She is ever present, ever helpful and nurturing. Indeed, she is ever on purpose, being her best self with her clients, so insightful and supportive, clearly living the reason for her being here — and yet, in her alone times, her conversation reveals, she is ever searching for being ‘better’ at the courses she attends … but ‘better’ at what I don’t know, for she is perfect in the expression of who she is, right at this very moment.
It really struck me how much we seek being perfect — whether in body, mind, shape, or soul — rather than seek being, well, ourselves in all our naked beauty.
Of course that beauty includes the scars, the bulges, perhaps even the ugly toes or toenails. It includes the moments of Fear and soul-searching, and wanting to be ‘enough’ and each of these come day after day, shadow and light, shadow and light, as we live our days. Because the beauty and the perfection is shining out from within of course. I’ve long told my daughters the most beautiful diamonds on earth are those that are ‘near’ perfect —not totally perfect —and carry the small flaws within for that is how they sparkle and give off the fire from within. I don’t know that it’s true, but it helps to dry a lot of ‘not enough’ tears and thus it is a truth any of us can live:
We must shine with and despite our flaws, believing they, too, can capture our internal fire and reflect the light passing through us.
A hundred plus a little years ago, here in the West where I live, my grandmother’s family struggled to get enough water for each day’s ‘being’. There were moral conquests as we struggle with, of course, but they entailed following God’s footsteps, not Being Perfect as God.The Work of getting the daily basics — water, food grown with it, roof strong enough for summer tornadoes and winter winds — was honorable and worthy work of Being and with grace and shine they met the day. Gratitude for the smallest boon, such as an icicle hanging on the roof just out the door so breaking the water in the well unnecessary for another day in January, or a pot full of hail in May to ease the loss of another gallon of water that had to be fetched from the creek a mile away and by foot, filled the house with grace and joy and a moment of Being feeling successful, content and purpose-filled.
As our society here today enjoys luxuries unimaginable to my grandmother’s family (and to much of the world today) it seems we’ve focused our moral attention and struggles on that which we feel we do not have, and thus we might too often seek being Perfect rather than simply Being and greatly Shining with gratitude and on purpose.
A sense of ‘enough’ — and being enough — is what’s missing, no?
So as you consider today’s ‘being’ and what ‘being enough’ might include,
do take ‘being perfect’ out of the equation.
As I say in my journal guide …
You are not perfect at anything . . . except at being you.
You are perfectly made for the life and work you are here to do in your Life-time.
You are perfectly able to create — in fact you must — your own Work.
As you consider what your Work might be, here’s a question to ponder from my Work:
See a child standing before you. See many!
Look at each face carefully and note for a moment
how beautiful each is.
What one thing does this and every child you see need?
_____________________________________
How can you give it to one of them? Two of them?
Each and all?
_____________________________________
That which you wish to give every other child might be just the thing you yourself need or needed as a child,
whether a hug, a sense of enough, a moment of freedom from life-sustaining chores, or being seen,
or the feeling that comes with feeling
worth the care someone else offers,
like you giving to that child you hold in your vision.
Take a moment and see you giving it to yourself as a child.
Now plan and plot how you can give that to the child
you see standing before you,
whether in your vision or in your reality!
May the rest of your day be joyous in your Being You, shining forth your best and most certainly without being perfect!
Here you Begin!
Blessings,
Elizabeth Darby
Here You Begin . . . 