I have always said that perfection is over-rated. That if we always strive for perfection, we are bound to be disappointed. It always surprises me when my boss describes me as a ‘perfectionist’ for I feel that it is a description that doesn’t sit well for me. I acknowledge I try to do my best, but don’t identify with the idea of perfection.
Today I baked these biscuits with my grand-children. As you can see they are far from perfect. They are neither uniform in shape nor in colour. They are far from anyone’s concept of perfection. And yet, to me they are the epitome of perfection. They are the product of the love of a Nanna trying to teach her grandchildren to bake. To let go of the ‘ideal’ of what a biscuit should look like and celebrate the fact that Nanna and grand-children produced something together. They may not be the perfect picture of what most would envisage a biscuit should look like, but they are made with the perfect ingredient included which is love.
Just like these biscuits, a life with Parkinson’s cannot be approached – I feel – with an expectation of perfection. Life with Parkinson’s may be far from perfection and far from ideal, but it can still be a good life. I think we need to let go of the ideals we may have held for ourselves and gently go forward with perhaps – like our biscuits – a slightly misshapen and different type of life to that which we might have expected to live. It may still be a good life, despite the ‘shape’ of it being not what we expected.
We can still achieve good things and have a satisfying and enjoyable life, if we strive, not for perfection but gratitude for the life we are able to have.
My journey with Parkinsons 