Perfection - Not

I am in Florida on vacation. By that I mean that I am not here for any specific reason, therefore I can do whatever I wish without having to be somewhere. So I decided to use the time to do a few projects. My category for family Christmas this year is "make it" which means my gifts to everyone have to have some element that I made myself. This week has given me the time to start several of these presents. However, things have not turned out as well as I had hoped.

While two projects are about 60% complete, there have been a few bubbles, mainly due to my lack of planning before proceeding full steam ahead. Because of my lack of planning, I have arrived at the end of a task, only to find that either I can't complete it as planned, or the end result is not what I had hoped. At that point, I am faced with a dilemma - do I start over, make do, or abandon? Most of the time, I make do. While I am not 100% satisfied, I push on.

I then face a new dilemma - is this really something I want to give someone else? Is my less-than-perfect attempt really worth giving to someone as a gift? If I were really serious about the quality of these handmade items, wouldn't I try harder or take more time or be more meticulous about the details?

The answer to the last question is no. While I would like for the projects to be perfect, if I went that route, I would surely throw them all in the trash, because then the journey becomes more about perfection than anything else. I am trying to give an idea that is manifested in a tangible way, albeit imperfect. While the fruition of that idea may not exactly turn out as I would like, the idea will still be there. And hopefully, the idea will recognized as the gift, in spite of the uneven borders and slipped stitches and flimsy attempts at repair.

I will end up giving these projects as gifts. They may not be perfect, but neither am I. Most of the receivers of these gifts know that. But hopefully they also know the messages behinds those gifts - messages of love, cheer, thanks, and joy, which will always come out perfectly, no matter how they present themselves.

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Today's blessings: Super grunge project day; Steve picking up pictures, Redbox, and Red Lobster for dinner; "Grownups" movie (even though it could be the worst movie ever); Maribeth's arrival back in Nashville