I've been working with some guys lately who are struggling with perfection-and the idea that if its not perfect then its not worth having. They come from chaotic and traumatic backgrounds and desperately want to find a new, perfect world to inhabit. Using their plants and the world around them we've been discussing what perfection is and whether as humans we need to desire it as strongly as they do.
My time with them is coming to an end and when I was thinking about a way to strengthen the message that imperfection can be beautiful and valuable I remembered this picture taken at a local ice cream farm last summer...
That is a serious scar, an impressive imperfection and a magnificent tree. It is a true beauty and home to hundreds of insect which support a much wider eco system so its value is beyond doubt. I shall give my charges a copy each and I hope that they can look at something that they would see as far removed from perfect and remember that a life that is altered by drama and sadness can still be both valuable and wonderful .
