Only God makes perfect things . . . .

Art by L

(This was drafted about a month ago but left as a draft.  I'm including it now. . . just because.) 


For the past while, I've been reading The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin and really enjoying it.  My friend QV had it on her top ten books for 2010, so I requested it from the library.  I am nearing the end and I really think, in a perfect world, I would read it again.  That is high praise because I am not a "re-reader."  


Ms. Rubin writes in such a concentrated way that every chapter could be re-read to discover new thoughts.  My reading time is usually just before bedtime to help me wind down and, frankly, I am not 100% alert at that hour so I would, no doubt, find new thoughts on a re-read for that reason alone. 


I would also like to try some of her happiness experiments.  I already remind myself regularly, "Be Gretchen" which was a reminder she gave herself to be herself and to be true to herself rather than trying to be something she thinks someone else wants her to be or something she thinks she "should want" to be.  I have said "Be Gretchen" to myself (instead of my own name) quite a few times since reading the book. Ha! 

I have also utilized the idea to do something if it only takes one minute.  If I normally throw my jacket over a chair rather than taking the minute to walk to the closet to hang the jacket up, then I will make a change and "take one minute" to hang up the jacket.


Ms. Rubin states that she always takes notes when she reads.  Boy, don't I wish I'd done that because I wanted to quote one of her statements but I've looked through the whole book and I cannot find the quote I'm looking for.  The idea was that the members of some religious group (maybe the Shakers) intentionally put a flaw in their work to remind them that only God makes perfect things.  So then I Googled that concept hoping to find some Internet reference to the correct group.  Although I found many references to this idea, there were hundreds attributed to other cultures and groups.  

When telling people about our recent New Beginnings, I say what a success it was (because I felt that was true albeit self-congratulatory) but then I always have to throw in the observation that it was only about twenty minutes long (which I consider to be a flaw).  Why can't I just leave it at "success"?  

I was talking about this with L last night.  I told her to notice an acquaintance of ours who is ALWAYS able to give a completely positive self report of her own works and efforts.  What a great trait!  How much better she must sleep at night than I do! How much easier to wake up and take on something new, knowing you'd be completely pleased with the outcome!  


This wholehearted endorsement of my efforts is something that I cannot seem to do.  Perhaps I am trying for a balanced approach ("Well, it was good but not completely")?  Perhaps I don't want to, as my parents would say, "break my arm patting myself on the back."  Perhaps I am just too straight-forward.  I don't know.

When I happened across the "intentional flaw" concept in the book, I decided that perhaps I need to reframe my perceptions of all things. (Ms. Rubin discusses "reframing" something negative or something troubling into something positive.)  The thought occurred to me that when I am noticing the flaw in my efforts, I should just view it as a reminder that even an unintentional flaw is a reminder of our humanness and not of our flawed efforts and that humans should not expect perfection because only God makes perfect things.