Sundays are Spirituality Day here at Taking it to the Streets
Did you see the article about a study in the Netherlands showing that people make better decisions when they have to pee? The article was interesting (about how impulse control over motor/physical impulses also gates impulsive decision-making) but the gist of it – something seemingly bad and awkward (“I gotta pee!”) can lead to something good (“I didn’t quit my job and fly to Paris”).
That brought to mind the title of a book I read in 2004 (yes, I track my books!) called “The Spirituality of Imperfection”. Because when I’m rushing in the house, dropping my coat and trying to get my wet boots off so I can quickly get to the bathroom – well, those are NOT elegant, composed or spiritual seeming moments.
My life has had a lot of inelegant, “I don’t know how to do this” moments the last five months. But then – all of us have that, all the time – just in varying degrees, I think. When I was in my 30s and 40s I actually thought I could “get it together” and “get it right” – in terms of seeking perfection. A theme song of mine then – and I thought of it that way – was one by Emmylou Harris that said:
“I was born to run
Stay ahead of the rest
And all that I’ve wanted
was to be the best….”
Feels good to be the best, ya know?
So all this musing led me to pick up “The Spirituality of Imperfection” by Ernest Kurtz and Katherine Ketchum once again. I’m remembering how much I LOVED reading this book back in 2004 and thinking it may be time for a re-read. It’s rich, deep and full of both wisdom and “sound bites”. Bringing together wisdom teachings from several world religions as well as from my primary spiritual path of the 12 steps, it reminds us over and over again that it is in our common humanity – our dropping our coats on the floor so we can rush off to pee; our inadvertently offending our friends; that stupid remark we made to a stranger – our brokenness, in short, that connects us – we are ALL imperfect creatures. We’re trying to do our best. Stumbling into grace and hopefully into growth.
Like watching a toddler learn to eat. One minute they are eating like true little barbarians (for those of us of the tidy persuasion eating with toddlers is a true growth experience!) and the next minute doing some awkward dance with those weird little utensils children get – and then, voila! eating with Big Girl/Boy forks at the table just like you and me. It’s a process.
And our movement from asshole to saint is pretty similar I think.
This book might be a good one for me right now. I struggle not only with my own VAST imperfections but with those of people I love. During this Dark.Journey.Into.Grief in which I had 5 deaths in 14 weeks one of my closest friends told me I was “too intense” and a “drama queen” as I grieved. I’ve had such a hard time forgiving her for that and for saying she “couldn’t” (I say “Wouldn’t”) be around me (what? like death is catching?). So that brings up the rich, fertile spiritual turf of acceptance. And the emotional work of “forgiving people, but not having to pet the rattlesnake”.
We’re all, every one of us, doing the best we can at the time we’re doing it. But we all also get to pick (at least to some degree) our fellow travelers on the journey. Though I do know that one of the popular teaching modalities here in Earth School is learning through adversity.
Yesterday I spent the day at home alone, sick (flu-ish) and sad (grieving the death of my 46-year-old friend a month ago). It wasn’t very much fun. But it seems to have done a bit of a reset. And that, like making good decisions when you need to pee, is one of those oxymorons in life that would be enormously helpful to remember whilst in the midst of it – that what SEEMS so, well, “sucky”, can be just the fertile compost out of which we can be reborn. Now I’ll go reread Lazarus Kisses the Stars (a poem I wrote last year about just such rebirth) and greet the new day – in all my glorious imperfection.
I remember enjoying that book too when I read it. Thanks for the reminder.
I’m sorry to hear you were sick yesterday.
Hoping you are on the mend! I get that whole “imperfect thing” – but for me that becomes fas a mom… and wanting/needing to be good at it -if not perfect at it. I try so hard – make resolutions -you name it – I’ve tried it. And in the end… who knows?
But ultimately I am only as good as I am in the moment and both Andrew and I have learned to apologize to the kids for mistakes and learned to relax a little in our attitudes. Anyway – it’s the most important thing in the world to me to be a good mom- involved, caring, understanding etc…for me it’s my primary job. And sometimes my mistakes are so glaringly obvious I thank God the kids don’t take me too seriously!
It’s all a process – and we are only human.
Hey Michele – Ya, as Firesign Theatre used to say “We’re all bozos on this bus” – that is, our human-ness is what unites us. I think there is so much pressure on parents, particularly moms – like if you “screw up” you are ruining your child’s life. I think that’s both wrong and incorrect. And one of my own beliefs is that a soul level we have each chosen the parents we have to help us learn particular lessons. Some lessons are harder than others, but if that is why we’re in Earth School this time around, well then it’s the lesson to be learned. Go easy on yourself – I’m sure your children do!
Whoa – just saw my post – meant “that comes from being a mom” not whatever the hell that line was! Sorry!
Sounds like a book I should put on my list. Bless your imperfections Diane. Just think, now I’ll sit through more meetings with my legs crossed tightly!
[...] 26, 2012 by dianescholten I am a fan of the book The Spirituality of Imperfection. I was leafing it through last night, for some inspiration after a particularly thought [...]