Finding Beauty in
Imperfection
At
the corner of the living room stood a coffee stool, on it I noticed a rather
attractive blue broken wine glass with its stem and base missing. Why would anyone want to keep a piece of a broken
wine glass anyway? After all it was so obvious that it had lost its aesthetic
appeal and intended functionality.
The
next few minutes marked the beginning of a conversation that would indulge my
curiosity while I continued nonetheless to hold the broken piece in awe,
perhaps to create some meaning out of it.
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| Photo Courtesy; Pixabay |
My friend had bought this wine glass a while back when he visited one of the famous glass art studios in the outskirts of Nairobi City. The glass stood out from the rest and on spotting it from the shelves, he felt a strong liking that prompted his decision to purchase and display it as an art. Unfortunately, when he got home it fell and broke into half before it served its purpose. This however, he says did not deter him from keeping it; he threw away the stem and the base but kept the bowl. As we had this conversation I couldn’t help but notice the sentimental value he attached to this piece of art, one that he valued for its uniqueness; in fact even with an obvious fault, he wouldn’t throw it away if given a replacement.
As
a deep thinker though, I began creating meaning out of a conversation that
would have easily passed as simple and casual. I was stirred by how much this
case is very much relatable to our relationships (be it family, friendships,
marriages); what if we applied a similar concept to our relationships? Every human
relationship has the ability to provide meaning, and joy despite our faults, this
is quite possible only when we learn to truly love.
We
never develop relationships hoping for the worst, just the same way when you
purchase that piece of art, or wine glass, it rarely crosses your mind
that it will break the moment you get home in as much as it is a possibility.
When
it comes to personal relationships, there can be a tangle; personalities can
begin to clash, petty arguments surface too easily, irritations may occur and
so on. On occasion, we tend to display our strengths and positive attributes so
we can stand out from the rest and fit within a particular 'perfect' circle often defined by
the beholder. Rarely do we talk about
the fact that each of us will also come with our weaknesses thoroughly intact.
Yet we seem surprised when weakness surface at a certain point into the
relationship.
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| Photo Courtesy; Mike Buckley |
In
reality, very few things in life (if any) are perfect, including all form of relationships.
Instead of expecting perfection and ending up feeling disappointed, it is
important to learn how to accept and navigate around the faults.
As a result, you’re likely to feel happier in your relationship. Very often we
notice that our greatest weakness is simply our greatest strength out of
balance. The wisdom that’s the Bible implies that in relationships our general
attitude should be one of restoring and loving unconditionally; a joint effort of
finding the holes and mending them.
(1
Corinthians 13:4-8)
The broken wine glass story is a lesson that love is derived from exploring the
simple, embracing each other in totality despite our imperfections and hence
finding the beauty in each other’s imperfections. If we haven’t understood this
yet then probably what we’ve always perceived as love might just have been an
illusion.
However,
love means different things to different people and we are not going to act like and
pretend that it is easy either. One may ask though at what point do you let go?
My take; when the glass is completely shattered and you can’t make sense of the
pieces anymore.
The
moment you make that commitment, then you should be prepared to take on the full
responsibility that comes with it. If it meant so much to you when you first
spotted it, then hold on to it even in its broken state… and make good of it
while it lasts!
