The Beauty of Imperfection

I was at a dance recital for my kids this past weekend. All forms of dance, from ballet, tap, contemporary, lyrical, jazz, hip-hop, and the like. It was a festive performance, with dancers of all ages and skill levels.

You know by now that I have a deep passion in working with kids, particularly in the area of fitness. It's my lifelong dream to build a camp for kids, and something that I will pursue with vigor in the near future. The one thing I really love about kids is their freedom, and imperfection.

The first part of the dance recital were the tiniest and beginner students in ballet. They were dressed adorably in white, performed the most basic routines, following their older "teachers" while trying to remain calm and poised amongst all of the laughter and joy of the audience. I found myself in utter amazement watching it all, like I did before when watching kids playing basketball, just for the fun of it. One little girl, had the wrong foot moving each time, while another girl looked at her "teacher" the whole time and was behind by a count or two. And you know what, it was perfect, and beautiful. And as the program progressed and all of the "advanced" dancers performed, now fully synchronized, tight movements, perfect smiles, etc., I couldn't help but recall the beauty and innocence of the first groups. I smiled more, and felt more watching them ... than anyone else that day.

I pray that you find beauty in imperfection, as of course, we have much of it in our lives. I pray that we all learn to appreciate it for what it is, and take joy from it's presence.