Two weeks ago I went to this XYZ shop with the purpose of beautifying my house. After about an hour of looking into things, I finally pinned down two of my favourite options. Another half-hour of about a zillion self-remonstrations and pre-purchase analysis later, I noticed that one of my options had a slight dent in the base. Dejected, I went to buy the other option, but before I could I stopped and turned to look as the dented object one last time. I don’t remember what happened – the next thing I knew I’d bought it and taken it home!
Now every time I look at it, it’s sitting peacefully in one of my favourite corners of the house. Not only that, it has given a unique dimension and beauty to that otherwise mundane corner. Somehow that slight dent has brought beauty with it; not only to the house, but to every spirit and life touching it. It’s as if the house was incomplete without that tiny little piece of furniture. This one broken-in-it’s-own-way piece lent its own significance to my life, and how!
This made me think. It made me think hard. That maybe, I am broken too. I am not perfect. I do have cracks here and there. Dents inside and out. Some need to be tended but others are mostly self-made. And some are waiting to be discovered, only to grow bigger and deeper with time. But do these dents really matter to me or those around me ? I was never born to be perfect. My path was carved crooked along the way and that is what shaped me. What exactly is perfection, or what do we mean by being perfect?
I do not mean that I do not work on my imperfections. But, this is a process, not one specific destination. And I for one am enjoying every nook and corner of the journey. Every rise and fall. All of it. Maybe I won’t ever reach my destination but the ‘road to perfection’ will enable me to shine brighter, even through the cracks in my being.
Yes. I am not perfect. Nobody is. We all are walking on that road. Some might have just started, some have reached halfway, but we all are just a tad bit further than when we first stood at the start line. It is imperative that we understand our and others’ walks and choose to respect that. It is ghastly to expect perfection from someone when all of us are trying to shine beyond our cracks and dents.
Life lights up when you have rays of sunlight coming in from unexpected places. And all those rays of light are what make our lives special and worth living.
“She made broken look beautiful
and strong look invincible.
She walked with the Universe
on her shoulders and made it
look like a pair of wings.”
― Ariana Dancu
About the author
Chris Mallika Bhadra is from India and is a Doctoral candidate in Swinburne University, Melbourne, Australia. Besides being a scientist (not a mad one though), she is an avid reader, trained contemporary dancer and now is an active blogger! Her writings mostly serve out her life experiences on a platter for the reading pleasures of all! You can find her on Facebook (Musings of an unsettled soul) and read more of her work here.