Expensive sunset

Implied Perfection
Is a state of strongly expressing that you are flawless, complete, and lacking nothing.

This phrase makes me sad because our American culture breeds it in everything we do and see.  I had a great example of it recently when I met our new neighbors.  I went to introduce myself to them and was excited to see they seemed normal and didn’t show any outwardly signs of being serial killers.  The normal conversation started with the “where, how and why’s of the move here.”  I realized quickly that this young lady assumed that if she put a price tag on all she was telling me, that I would perceive her life as perfect.  I began to understand that she felt I would think more of her if she told me how much her patio furniture and espresso machine were worth.  I tried to take the conversation in a different direction by saying “oh your patio furniture will be great to enjoy the sunsets as your house faces west”.  Her response was, “we’ll have to build a bigger deck for our patio furniture so that we can enjoy the sunsets.”  I felt very sad because she missed what I was saying to her.

The prevailing view is that wealth is good, that it should be pursued, that material possessions and riches enhance our enjoyment in life, and that wealth provides opportunity to find greater fulfillment in life.

Joshua Becker

The cost of money is a lot, this is a crazy phrase but it is true.  The dangers of playing the perfection game costs us more than we could ever know.

Avoiding Implied Perfection

• Be innovative ~ Be creative on how to live with what we have, instead of trying to purchase perfection.
• Community ~ Perfection does not create lasting relationships.  Deeper sense of community comes from being authentic and real.
• Honesty ~ The people who desire to be perceived as perfect, often fall into deceitful ways, as it is a full time job keeping up that appearance.  Integrity, honesty and good character will be a benefit in the long run.
• Selflessness ~ Be concerned with the needs and wishes of others  more than with yourself.  When you pour yourself into to others your idea of perfection changes.
• Contentment ~ Being happy with our circumstances instead of “things” will bring greater joy regardless of our financial status.

It makes me sad that my sweet young neighbor thought she has to have expensive furniture and a big deck to see the beauty in a sunset.  The fact that she could just sit on the hill in her back yard and enjoy the beauty never occurred to her.

Even wild things sit in absolute and total reverence for the fading of  a day.

Tyler Knott Gregson