Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2024
Today’s Gift from Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is:
This laboring through what is still undone, as though, legs bound, we hobbled along the way, is like the awkward walking of the swan.
— Rainer Maria Rilke
How close to perfection will we have to come before we’re satisfied with our relationships, work, and creative efforts? Some see every ragged edge, unsolved problem, or obstacle as evidence of failure. We may criticize ourselves even more harshly than we do others. We forget that we are works in progress, that our defects don’t keep others from loving us.
None of us has reached perfection. Our journeys — including bumps and ruts in the road, including failures that have been our teachers — have made us more human, more compassionate toward others. We must view ourselves realistically and tenderly. To make mistakes is a part of our lives as they unfold and blossom. We can let go of the myth of perfection and begin to live with greater spontaneity and pleasure.
Today, I accept what’s good, even though it may not be perfect.
Hazelden Foundation
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