Turn It Into a Feature

In a world that worships beauty and perfection, both of which live on a pedestal, it is amazing to see beauty in things that are not quite perfect. This flower’s petals opened perfectly except for one, and it was that petal one petal that drew me in and begged me to take a picture. I was astonished by how much mor interesting I found the flower to be, as if it was showing off it’s imperfection.

In calligraphy we have a saying, if you make a mistake turn it into a feature. This flower seems to personify that mantra. The only reason I stopped was to get a closer look at the bent petal. It was dramatic and unique, it made this flower different than every other flower in the place. The lack of perfection made this flower more interesting than all the others.

Unfortunately in a world that worships perfection we are rarely reminded that less than perfect is wonderful. We are bombarded with ways to tone down or deemphasize our flaws. There are products and processes, treatments and tools to help us reach our perfect self….which of course is all a lie because no one is perfect, no one can be perfect, nothing in nature is perfect. Actually perfect is quite boring.

Today I encourage you to take a long look in the mirror and see the imperfection in yourself and celebrate it. Who cares what the world tells you, be proud to be you and celebrate what makes you different than everyone else. Make what you might think is a flaw into a feature. Let it shine bright and celebrate being the unique person you were born to be. Remember it was the imperfection that made me stop to smell this flower I walked past rows and rows of perfect ones.