“I wish I could find the perfect words.”
After months without posting or even reading on WordPress, I stumbled upon another blogger’s recent post, which ended with the line above.
My response is, as follows:
I honestly believe that those words, just they way you wrote them… are already perfect.
To me, they encompass the very reason we write in the first place. We may not be able to find the perfect words… now, or ever… but we can strive to… and in expressing ourselves, however painful it may feel sometimes, we can hope to come at least a little closer to understanding our own psyches and ultimately being understood by others.
I’ve been thinking of this line lately, in light of musician/songwriter Glenn Frey’s passing (from the song “Tequila Sunrise”):
“Take another shot of courage,
Wonder why the right words never come…”
Putting your heart on the page like this is an act of courage. Even though the words may not seem perfect to you, remember that for someone else reading your work, they just might be.
It’s funny… the whole reason I opened WordPress tonight was to upload a quote that I saw just beforehand and found inspiring:
“Take time to do what makes your soul happy.”
Now, in sitting down and writing for the first time in months… I think I’ve followed that advice without even consciously thinking about it. The inspiration came, the thoughts started to flow, and that abstract quote that caught my eye about an hour ago has become something else entirely… something entirely real.
Bottom line:
If writing (or painting, or singing, or whatever your art may be) is what makes your soul happy, do it, and throw perfection to the wayside.
That’s what I’m striving for these days. Taking time is the challenge, though… but for now, at least I’ve started… once again.
Even more so, I’m recognizing that this is just a series of imperfect words, on an imperfect page, coming from the mind and heart and soul of an imperfect person.
But with each attempt I make, I can come just a little closer to perfection. To me, that’s why simply trying to create something out of nothing is the highest form of art, and the true marker of a life well lived.
finding curiosity 
Very thought provoking and well expressed and I’m humbled to receive such kind words from someone so eloquent… You’re absolutely right that we need to do what makes our souls happy, I’ve neglected my own for too long. I’m reminded of a Kafka quote, “A non-writing writer is a monster courting insanity.” And I’ve felt something brewing within me letting all my time get taken by things which don’t make me feel true joy, I get the sense that you’ve felt something quite similar. May we find our way, thank you so much for your kind words once again
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