This week a shelf was put up in my house, to hold a few of my many books that I have amassed over the years. After it was mounted, and the books were neatly and lovingly placed upon said shelf, all noticed it was crooked. Yes, it is VERY crooked... it's not a slight difference on the ends but about a 2-3 inch difference. It is annoying my daughter quite a bit with her OCD tendencies and she wants it fixed but I am enjoying her frustration. She needs to look at it through MY eyes.
I am keeping it crooked, just the way it is.
Why? I want to be reminded that things don't have to be perfect to be beautiful. I want to look at that shelf and smile. That shelf, the one that holds my precious books is symbolic of my life. My life has been far from perfect, having many twists and turns one would not expect, but I still find it beautiful. The fact that it is leaning down further on one side than the other makes me reflect on the times in my life when I needed to lean on someone during my low points. The higher part of the shelf stands for the times when I rose to the occasion on my own, with out aid from anyone.
The fact that this little shelf is holding up about 30 books, plus various items in my collection and bookends tells me how strong it is, just like me. It is far from perfect, but it does it's job perfectly. Things are not tipping over or falling, they are holding their own, just like me.
Friends and neighbors may come by and point and laugh at my crooked little friend, but that is fine by me, for I will laugh with them. We have a lot in common, shelf and I. I saved this shelf from being garbage, for it was not needed in it's former home. What others saw as trash I saw as treasure and it has proved me right. It is serving it's purpose with grace and beauty.
I may do things off-kilter, I may even tilt one way more than another myself, but that is who I am and I am beautiful, strong and resilient.
So, a big thank you to my shelf.... for being so imperfectly gorgeous and teaching me yet another lesson in life.
