Point to ponder: “A great relationship isn’t when two perfect people come together. It’s when two imperfect people learn to love and treasure each other.” - Unknown
In light of recent discussions with some friends about "perfect" relationships and being happy, this December 2015 reflection is being republished.
Story Line:
At this time of the year, some like to reflect and share their significant memories accumulated over the past twelve months. Some share personal letters, while others are pictures and videos posted in social media. Normally, these memories capture happy moments of people and places. Looking at these letters and warm photos, it would seem that they have perfect families and relationships.
But is that really the case? Is there such a thing as the 'perfect' family or the 'perfect' relationship?
An answer may lie in the understanding of the word 'perfect'. Let me share a story.
During our recent trip to New Zealand we met a young, newly married couple. We got along well and talked about our lives. One day they told us, “You two are the example of a perfect relationship." At that moment, even with a few travelers listening nearby in the bus, I felt compelled to stop them from forming an inaccurate image of us. So I told them, “No, we do have differences, we do argue and many times with an intense voice. When we fight about the dog (no details please), even neighbors come by to inquire if things are OK. We have only a few common but many different interests and we also have opposite styles (Ying Yang)."
While I was talking I also remembered about my inexperience of handling work life balance in my 30s and some major mistakes I had made with our children during that period. And now with them grown up, I do have major clashes when it comes to approach to raising children (they have children of their own), safety, prevention and views about political and social issues.
Just at that moment I realized that despite all those encounters, we still love one other a lot. We are very close with one another while accepting that we have differences and disagreements.
I told the young couple “This must be my perfect, however imperfect it may seem.”
Reflection:
Being happy doesn’t mean everything is perfect. It means you have decided to look beyond imperfections.
*Title is a quote from Charlie Brown
-From Peanuts GUIDE TO LIFE by Charles M Schultz
AND we wish you a very Happy Upcoming Holiday Season.