Five Minute Friday is a weekly writing challenge in which hundreds of people participate. Everyone writes for five minutes on one word issued every Friday at 12:01am. Unscripted. Unedited. Real.
The challenge for me is not the first five minutes of writing. It is to abandon perfectionism in the minutes that follow…
Together
As a Type A, I have invested a lot of energy in my lifetime into just trying to keep it together.
I am learning to let go a little and embrace moments when life gets messy. There is much to be learned when things aren’t “perfect.” Turns out I am actually more human, more relatable, and more authentic when I don’t obsess over having it all together.
Sometimes life is a bit puzzling. I’m finally okay with that. I am learning to sort out the pieces.
A close friend recently shared this analogy with me and it stuck…
Life is like a great big puzzle. You pour out all the pieces on the table. And it’s never immediately apparent where every single piece goes. But with a little examination, you can see where a few pieces fit together. So you begin with what you can see. You search a little. You turn the pieces around in your fingertips to see how they all fit together. Then those pieces aren’t so puzzling anymore.
Your eyes find another section that may go together. So you shift your focus to the pieces that are ready for your attention. It’s a process. Maybe you go back to one of the original sections you pieced together and see how it connects with something else in your life. Over time, you steadily keep sorting out the pieces. The big picture becomes clearer.
A life isn’t assembled in a day. Sometimes you need to walk away from a puzzling situation and return another day with fresh eyes. But in your own sweet time, the pieces of your life come together into something beautiful.
Living takes time. I’m learning not to resist the process, but to accept it. Actually, to embrace it. And I am grateful that life is slowly coming together for me…
Peace by piece.
Visiting from Five Minute Friday! I too need to learn these lessons.. not everything has to be perfect, and especially just to let go! Having a newborn and a toddler is helping me out a lot with that right now though.
I really like the line, ‘living takes time’. Does it ever. Sometimes it seems like we are always waiting for something, eager to move to the next step, trying to cram those pieces in and move along. But there is grace and learning in the process…
Be blessed this weekend! 🙂
Thank you for your insightful comment. “…trying to cram those pieces in and move along…” So true! We all need to embrace grace and appreciate the process. Have a lovely weekend, Jen-from-Five-Minute-Friday! 🙂
Thank the Lord that life isn’t assembled in one day. What a mess mine would be! I’m dropping by from #FMF thanks for sharing these thoughts with all of us!
Thanks for stopping by, Brandi! “A mess”…I know, right?!?!? Glad it resonated with you. I love 5MF…so hooked! 🙂
Beautiful.