A Perfect Thing

It seems we are always pursuing perfection. I have found in every moment of my life I am looking at the facts of the situation and wondering how I could have made them better; more perfect. There seems to have been an underlying sense of dissatisfaction in most every aspect of my life. I have always striven for the all important perfect. But what is perfect? What does it mean?

In most every life question, I can always refer back to Dorothy in THE WIZARD OF OZ when she says, "If I ever go looking for my heart's desire again, I won't go looking any farther than my own back yard. Because if it isn't there, I never lost it to begin with." I believe these words are the most profound ever uttered. And the funny thing is that we head them as children, and it has taken decades to understand what they mean: PERFECTION IS ALREADY HERE. YOU ALREADY HAVE IT. IT IS NOT OUT OF REACH, IT IS IN THE PALM OF YOUR HAND.

I had this epiphany this morning in the Provincetown Garden. Walter and I were letting Partner have a few more peaceful moments in bed while we took care of business. It was dawn, and the birds were in full voice. An amazing chorus with one soloist who was overjoyed to be alive and see the sun come up again. This was perfecion.

We went for a walk and saw a crowd of three hundred crocus tucked into a sunny corner. This was perfection.

I spent some time clearing away the old battered foliage of the Lenten roses (hellebores) to reveal the new leaves and buds unfurling. They are the color of ruby and leather and are just waiting for this warm sunny morning to reach up and show their perfection.

Last night we saw the stars as clear as diamonds, and again, located Orion's Belt. This is perfection.

It is amazing how much perfection is all around us, and yet I feel a frustration of "not quite" in my daily routine. I am the most critical and judgmental of myself, but yet I am not really paying attention. I am not "looking in my own back yard." Perfection is here, now.

Struggle and frustration and dissatisfaction lead to dis-ease in one's life. I spend so much time wondering why I feel tired or exhausted and unwell because I have been struggling all day ---- then, "BINGO" it hits me -------- IT IS ALL OK. EVERYTHING IS AS IT SHOULD BE RIGHT NOW. EVERYTHING IS IN DIVINE RIGHT ORDER. EVERYTHING IS PERFECT AS IT IS, RIGHT NOW.

So, my frustration of not cleaning up all the dead perennials in good time lead to protection for our song birds this morning. The music we heard was coming from the brush I had not cleared away. Everything is in perfect order. Everything is as it should be, right now.