Cracked Bells

"Ring a bell that still can ring.
Forget your perfect offering.
There is a crack in everything.
That's how the light gets in."

-- Leonard Cohen

I lost interest in perfection along time ago. Around the time I realized that it was on par with other myths, such as Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, and the Honest Politician. Not only are none of us perfect, even trying to be perfect is a waste of our precious time and energy.

Instead of chasing the ideal, you can express the real-- the real, unique you with all your scars, warts, blemishes and imperfections. And I'll do the same. And what we'll offer each other, through cracked bells, will be the sound of lives well lived. Lives full of contradictions, mistakes, broken hearts and shattered dreams, but also lives overflowing with surprising joys, serendipitous experiences, ah ha moments, and shards of light.

One of the biggest mistakes we can make is doing nothing, creating nothing, sharing nothing, because we cannot do, create, or share perfectly. The art work hanging on most refrigerator doors is not of the quality of Monet or Van Gogh, but it is proudly and lovingly displayed nonetheless. And, quite frankly, alot of it does look like Picasso!

So, just for today, offer whatever you can, to whomever you can. The fact that neither the giver nor the receiver is perfect is irrelevant. The light will still get in.