Imperfect

I just got home from Riverdance. It was an incredible show. The dancing was out of this world. I fell head-over-heels in love with the fiddler. And I will be lucky if I manage to sleep at all tonight as I can't seem to keep my legs still. There are a lot of things that I thought I would take away from the Riverdance performance that I did. The music. The beat. The incredible rhythm that those dancers have in their feet. The infectious energy...

One thing I did not expect to take away from it was a lesson in following your heart no matter what. At one point in the performance I noticed that one of the male dancers only had one hand. He was a spectacular dancer, and it was so unnoticeable that I am sure nobody else saw it, but having noticed it, I found my eyes drawn back to him again and again throughout the performance, thinking to myself: "wow. That man has what many would consider to be a physical disability yet he is up there dancing with some of the most accomplished dancers in the world. Wait --he IS one of the most accomplished dancers in the world."

There are so many things that keep us from accomplishing our goals in life. Our fears. Our self-criticism or judgment. And yet people do incredible things every day despite their handicaps. For some people, like the dancer tonight, it is a physical limitation that can (if we let it) prevent us from pursuing our dreams. For others, like me, it is a mental limitation that we impose upon ourselves. Ultimately it is all the same thing, though. Letting things get in the way. Allowing life's little challenges to prevent us from accomplishing something really big. Something that might bring us joy.

What's up with that, friends? Why do we think that our own human imperfections are an impediment to happiness or success? Is it because the media is telling us that to be happy or successful, we have to be perfect? Is it messages we are imposing upon ourselves and our own lives? A combination of the two? I do not have the answer here. I'm just saying that the dancer up there on that stage spinning his partner and stomping to the beat IS ON TO SOMETHING. Thinking that we deserve any less happiness or success than anyone else simply because we are not perfect really makes no sense. I mean, what beauty is there is perfection? And if others are succeeding with their imperfections, why are some of us still holding happiness or success at bay until we have acquired enough perfection to achieve our goals? I'm telling you, friends, this is something that bears some looking at, wouldn't you say?