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Wednesday, April 1, 2009

April: What does perfect mean to you?

Our April Feature

In Impulse, Conner's parents push him to be perfect. What does "perfect" mean to you?



22 comments:

Little Willow said...

Complete. Arranged. Tidy. As it should be. As I want it to be.

Liyana said...

Perfect would mean being the best everything, so to me... Perfect would be being the best me without even trying. But I'm not so sure what's perfect to me now is going to be perfect to me later.

We humans are such fickle creatures.

Erin said...

When I think of "perfect" I think of God.

Unknown said...

Perfect means added stress and worries about doing everything absolutely right and making no mistakes.

Though I often say that we are perfect with our imperfections.

Marie said...

When I think of “perfect” I generally think of things fitting into place as they should be. If to accomplish a goal I have to wade through some high waters it doesn’t matter because in the end I know everything will be perfect.

ashley rice said...

I'm against it! I mean: the general sense of the word which usually involves one or another person's labeling. "Perfect," to me, though, means allowing for some of the unique flaws that make things beautiful just like real individuals and so make our goals seem and then actually become attainable.

Susan Taylor Brown said...

My first absolutely instant thought was, "everything I'm not."

But then I have a lot of hang-ups from a lifetime of trying to be perfect and realizing of course that I wasn't.

susan said...

Well, by definition and connotation, it is one word I purposely try not to trip about because we've made it something that it isn't. Perfection isn't everything is in order and flawless. Perfection is the state of being before we try to fix ourselves.

Melissa Walker said...

susan, i love this: "Perfection is the state of being before we try to fix ourselves." YES!

Diana Dang said...

Perfect as in a person? I say the best of the best in every aspect possible where it is impossible to hate the person.

Shelf Elf said...

Perfect. If we're talking about people, I'd say that perfection used to mean for me that everyone thought I was right in every way. It was about other people's perception of me, more than my own awareness of my identity. Good, kind, smart, attractive, creative. Being at the height of all of those things used to be what perfection meant to me. Now, I don't know, but I know that I'm trying to move away from that definition. It only makes a person miserable, I think.

live&learn said...

I don't know if I believe in perfect.
Who are we kidding no one will ever be perfect to everyone, you wouldn't be you if you were "perfect" to others. If we try to live up to others thoughts of what we should be we'll never be ourselves..

Alex said...

I use to believe that perfection was a list of qualities. If I do this, this, and this, I'll be closer to perfect. However, as time passes I I grow older, I've begun to believe that perfection is just being content with yourself and who you are. Besides, everyone's idea of perfection is different. I'd rather measure up to my own standards. Its less nerve racking and I have more fun.

Ellen Hopkins said...

Perfection, to me, connotes what others want us to be. I think someone here already alluded to that. What makes us unique is our imperfections. I have a bump in my nose (as you can plainly see in many photographs). If it interfered with my ability to breathe, or if it was the size of a baseball, I'd have it fixed. But as it is, it gives me a unique appearance, so I've never worried about changing it.

Lorie Ann Grover said...

Thanks for weighing in, everyone, and what an honor to have Ellen join us! How perfect! :~)

Perfect for me is being content with providence.

holly cupala said...

Perfect brings to mind the downward spiral of perfectionism - maximizing the positive and minimizing the negative, never happy. I'd much rather strive for excellence, setting goals, developing skills, and using what I have been given to the best of my ability. Perfectionism has been a dead end for me; excellence an opportunity for growth.

Claire Mysko said...

Striving for "perfection" is about trying to live up to others expectations. So many people get caught up in the pressure to please everyone else, but I think we are our most amazing selves when we can turn down all that outside static and pay attention to what we truly care about.

As a recovering perfectionist, I try to focus on being passionate about what I do instead of wasting time trying to be "perfect" at it.

Dia Calhoun said...

I strive to make my writing perfect, but in the end, know this is not achievable, not even desireable. As Ellen said, it is our imperfections that make us unique.

Reyna Meinhardt said...

I think that perfect is defined by every person, it is no set way. If everyone was "perfect" then everyone would be the same and it would be boring! To me, perfect is knowing that you are beautiful, loving your family and friends, and having a bright, happy life!

Anonymous said...

That feeling of weightlessness, the feeling that you might float away if it weren't for gravity keeping you down. Feeling as if you were on top of the world, without a care.

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