Progress Over Perfection

Sometimes I walk around my house and, without thinking about it too much, the narrative in my head is “imperfect, imperfect, imperfect.” I see the spot in the bathroom that hasn’t been cleaned in too long. I see the coloring on the walls of a child exploring the boundaries of a pencil. I see out of date decor, worn down furniture. 

Then today I walked into the bathroom and I saw a box of dirty rocks. I told Ethan (3 years old) he couldn’t take them any further than the kitchen until they could be cleaned. So he took those rocks and sprayed them with water, using the spray bottle we use when combing out bed head hairdo’s, and announced proudly that he had cleaned his rocks, just as he had been told. And then he took those still dirty rocks, so precious to him, into his places throughout the house. 

And suddenly, I didn’t see a box of dirty rocks anymore. I saw learning. I saw effort. I saw a child trying to listen to his mother in the best way he knew how, but also advocating for and taking control of what he cared about. I saw exploration and creativity in the pencil drawings on the wall. I saw comfort, familiarity and safety in the worn out furniture and decor. I saw the playful laughter as two harried parents were trying to get everyone where they needed to be, hopefully on time. I saw a family of 5 humans working hard to forge a life together, a life built on a foundation of love, courage, effort, creativity, learning, growth. Effort, growth, learning and progression over perfection.