perfectly opinionated.

"Have no fear of perfection - you'll never reach it."
~Salvador Dali


Well folks, there you have it. The truth, in it's raw, wicked, marvelous form. To the perfectionist, this is quite a grim quote. A slap in the face. I wanted to write about something a little different this week. Something that I've been called before, and frankly, something that really irritates me.


Perfect.

Shocked? Me too. I've been called, funny, handsome, manipulative, awkward, weird, flippant, lousy, and confusing...to name a few. Now maybe it's just me, but you can't just throw perfect in there and have things work out. Perfect is a big deal, and only one gentleman, that i know of, truly deserves and honors this word.

So this week i have been thinking about perfect and what it means to me, and how grossly overused it is in our daily conversations. I've reached a conclusion, as i often do, about this word and how to shed a new light on it's meaning.

At first, i thought that there is no such thing as perfect. It is a state in which only one fantasizes of reaching. Totally out of reach, and utterly ridiculous, isn't it? As the words in my mind mixed and mingled, my thoughts began to change. They took on new shapes and colors, and what i came to realize is that perfect isn't perfect at all.

Perfection, or perfectness, is nothing more than an opinion.

A one sided, bias vote of one's self. Some of you at this point are thinking to yourselves, "duh Christopher, way to FINALLY catch on." Be that as it may, i'd like to shed some liquid perspective on your current opinion. Do you mind? Very well, let's begin.

A perfect score.

Who decided what a perfect score was? A group of people who take handfuls of approaches, to judge certain characteristics of a situation...let's say...oh...diving. Several judges submit their scores after a completion of a dive. They judge rotation, revolution, angle of entry, body position, the height of the dive etc...etc. Now, someone at some point in time, decided how to correctly judge the dive, and what a perfect dive, SHOULD look like. It's sounds to me that perfect is merely in the point of view.


Christopher's Perfect # 1

A tall glass of cold water, Miso soup to start, followed by tempura veggies. Then, the crowning jewel of my meal, a Fujisan sushi roll, all of which accompanied by good conversation and laughter. The perfect meal, from Happy Sumo.

The fish hater, would most certainly not call this perfect, and the vegetarian would cringe at the very thought.


Christopher's Perfect # 2

A sandy shore, blazing sun, a good looking, funny, intelligent woman, and the oceans steady breath.


To a fair skinned, easily burned individual, this is absurd, and he would proceed to go take a cold shower. For those who are partial to land, and find the ocean tiresome and gray, Europe would be a much better choice.

You've heard beauty is in the eye of the beholder? Throw beauty out, and pencil perfect in there. Works just as well yes?


"The most valuable thing you can make, is a mistake. You can't learn anything from being perfect."
-Adam Osborne


Our history, shapes our perfects. We learn what we like, what we don't like, and some things we wish we never knew. Think about it for a second. If you had lived the "perfect" life, would you be as smart, or as strong as you are now? Or, has this life already been perfect for you. Custom cut, and custom tailored to you. Do you think the mistakes you have made, or the hard times you have experienced are merely the world picking on you? Or, are they lesson after lesson, strategically placed in front of you to fortify yourself for things to come? Coincidence?

There are no accident's, only opportunities.


Christopher's Perfect # 3

My old Levi jeans, a brilliantly white v-neck, and a pair of silver aviators.


The perfect Man.


Ladies, does he exist? Is he out there?

How bout an example?

Victoria(adore this name), wants a man who is funny, and this is a must. Has a full head of dark chocolate hair, and mysterious eyes. Smart and motivated. Adores his mother, and music. Drives a nice car, and plays the guitar. Can't stand country music, or mustard. Is good with kids, and enjoys traveling. Will drop everything on his plate instantly to cater to her needs, and gives her a foot massage weekly. Is currently in medical school, and looking forward to being a plastic surgeon. Dresses extremely sharp, and has a chiseled 6 pack.

Perfect, no? Well not to me, because firstly, I'm a dude, and don't swing that way, however, he does sound rather charming.

Ladies, is this your perfect man? Is this the ideal image of what you want in a partner? Is he everything you always dreamed of? No, he isn't. This is Victoria's perfect. Sure you may agree with a few things, but a handful of traits, you certainly could do without, and some of those qualities you would have permanently erased. Don't you see? The world has painted the standard picture of what perfect should look like.

Picture Perfect.

Perfect is a white picket fence, a 7 figure income, a busty brunette, and a black Land Rover in the garage. A 3 story custom tudor , with a big backyard, spacious pool, and hot tub nestled in the corner. In reality, this is Ned's 37 year old perfect, and Ned runs the counter at the local drug store.

What drives society and progress, is individual views of perfect. What it should look like, and how it should feel. Who it should apply to, and why. Is this wrong?...absolutely not.

My perfect will not always be the same as your perfect, in fact, it might never be, and that's OK. HOLD ONTO YOUR PERFECT. Keep it just as it is, locked tight, and safe. Just remember that your perfect will not materialize out of thin air and become more than just a fairy tale. Perfect is a constant pursuit, a non stop effort of yourself to get as close to perfect as you can.


"It is easy in the world to live after the world's opinions; it is easy in solitude to live after your own; but the great man is he who in the midst of the crowd keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude." -Ralph Waldo Emerson


Christopher's Perfect # 4

Waking up next to someone you've been looking for all your life and realizing you have finally found your perfect someone.

Perfect is a state of mind, in which one lives, and never rests.

I asked someone once if they believed in true love. If they believed in a one and only and their answer gave me plenty to think about. "I believe in time," she replied, "and that through time, you both become each others one and only."

Perfect.

What does yours look like?

Christopher Michael