I AM A GOOF, THANK GOD

I make mistakes sometimes, but no one is the perfect anything in this world. There is not a human on the Earth who can honestly make the claim to be perfect. You can not be the perfect spouse, friend, or candidate. We are all intentionally made with flaws. I do not like my weaknesses to be broadcast, nor pointed out. I know of most of them, and have tried to learn to be better, in spite of them.

We have no perfect talents or qualities, and just when we think we do, we are humbled by crazy ass irony. It knocks us down a peg or two, and we should learn from our mistakes. It may keep us striving for the elusive perfection, though we are never to be flawless.

Delicate surgery on an tiny baby, is an event where we pray for the perfect technique and knowledge of the surgeon. A quintessential presidential candidate does not exist today, nor have we ever had one in the past 200 plus years. It shall never be, nor has any other nation had one, nor ever will have one. The perfect parent, spouse or friend is nonexistent, as we all have had our lapse in judgment or have been selfish at times.

We may have thought we had the "perfect" meal with incredible wine, wonderful conversation on a beautiful night. Yet we know we've enjoyed the same in the past. Which time was perfect? Can it get any better? Which is the perfect singing voice - soprano, tenor, alto, bass? Or the perfect musical instrument? What is the best book written, or the finest piece of artwork ever seen? What is the perfect color, sound or attitude? The answer will vary from person to person, as none of us can ever possibly agree on perfection.

To be perfect is to be "without equal" or "second to none". There is not the perfect scheme, perfect health, perfect family, perfect crime nor perfect life. We are all on the same playing field, and the only way to be happy, would be to strive for better, and be more accepting of each others' faults. Some people have unrealistic ideals, and have expectations of perfection. A daily grind of trying to attain the unattainable is fruitless. It is egocentric and useless, and I find myself veering away from people who constantly demand unrealistic perfection.

I am intrigued with the quirk in the crowd and admire the person who easily laughs at themselves. The freaks, nutcases and odd people, even if severe, are what makes this world much more interesting and fun. It's time to get off the pedestal, shed the angel wings and be a part of the wacky world.

"Sometimes I lie awake at night, and I ask, 'Where have I gone wrong?' Then a voice says to me, 'This is going to take more than one night." -- Charles Schultz

HIGH PAIN TOLERANCE

When we get wounded or hurt, first there's pain. Then, if we react quickly enough, we nurture and stop the wound from bleeding and getting worse. We patch ourselves up and, hopefully, learn from our error that hurt us in the first place. Everyone has scars. Sometimes they are seen on our skin; sometimes they are deep within, never to be shown to the outside world.

Some speak of their battle wounds in life, as if to compete on who has suffered more. Some hide their scars, never to disclose the injuries. Yet others speak of them, in matter of fact tones, and find no good or bad in their pains, not caring how they were inflicted, or how it was cared for.

Children learning to walk find out about pain very easily. As wobbly legs adjust to an upright position, one awkward step after another, the tumble down to the ground ends in a thump on their ass. Some will cry, but all of them get up again. As we get older, we get more wary of getting up and our next steps. We become insecure of who will help us up and who will knock us down. Sometimes it may be better to just stay down for awhile and let people pass us by, then try again on our own.

Nothing has come easily, if we were once hurt. The scars, whether we show them or not, exist. Close family and friends may know some of them. The extent of the pain, accompanying these old wounds, is only known to God and us. If we reveal them to other people, it may make us more susceptible to being hurt again. We may hide them, hoping no one notices the sorrow or anxiety. We smile and ignore, until the subject changes.

When we "step into another's shoes", we can catch a fleeting glimpse of people's feelings, whether good or bad. In our fast paced world, the allotted time to do this diminishes more each day. Some do not want to take the time to allow themselves to think of another person.

The barrage of media – television, internet, 24 hour news channels, faxes, hand held devices – have made it easy to be selfish of our own goals, and only think only of ourselves – not the person driving, walking or standing next to us. Each of us has a life, filled with challenges, emotions and past scars, yet there is only enough time to think of our independent lives. Words of sincerity and kindness are becoming items of the past. We do not take the time to speak to the people we meet each day or to be personal with most everyone around us.

Our scars will remain, and when we remind ourselves of our past injuries, the burning sensation may still linger. It may not be as sharp as when the affliction was new, but still, the stinging exists. We've learned from past troubles, and perhaps have become a bit more cynical. The only way to keep going is with a mended and forgiving heart and to take the risk to extend love. Dare to be the person who takes a few seconds for a kind word. Learn to be more empathetic to your fellow humans who have scars. Be gracious when learning of someone's loss. Pray to never become an insensitive person without a heart to feel the hurt in others. The best way I've heard it said is "To love is to risk not being loved in return. To hope is to risk pain. To try is to risk failure, but risk must be taken because the greatest hazard in life is to risk nothing."

Like snowflakes, no family member, no lover, no friend, no candidate, no human has the same scars as any of us. No one can simply be perfectly understood with everything we feel or have experienced. We are all different, but sometimes people lack true sensitivity and mercy for the differences of each other. We search all of our lives, but not to find people who are like us. We look to find people who are compassionate to who we are and who we've become. Our quest is to find spouses and friends who will love us with our scars – hidden or obvious – past and future. We can only begin to find these people when we keep trying to be kinder and more compassionate to others.