[reblogged from 2013]
Today in church we had a discussion about “attaining perfection” – and the presenter went to the sports analogy. Give examples of perfection in sports. The others in the room went to the classics. Pitching a no-hitter. A season with no losses. The usual suspects.
Striving for perfection
Of course, my mind went in the opposite direction from the no-hitter example. How about a baseball game where every single last hitter gets on base? Is that even possible? I really doubt it, though a baseball fan can totally comment below with stats for me. But as far as I see it, that game would still be in progress somewhere, right? Attaining perfection might not be so simple as that. What about golf? Is the hole in one the example of perfection? So ultimately, wouldn’t 18 hole in one’s in a row be the perfect example of attaining perfection? Golf fans: has it ever been done? in competition?
I love a perfect sunset
When I thought of my own examples for attaining perfection, I visualized sunsets. Flowers. Cliffs. I am reminded of a favorite movie quote about the culmination of the search for the perfect cherry blossom:
“Perfect … they are all … perfect” – Katsumoto, The Last Samurai
The reality of attaining perfection
While nature provides many excellent examples of perfection, we all fall quite short of this lofty goal. I think that in this case attaining doesn’t refer to the end result of “being” perfect, but rather the journey of “becoming” perfect. Stuff happens. True. We can’t control it. True. But we do have control over our emotions. Over our response to stuff that happens. We can look at the challenge and the potential for growth. We can step around or over the obstacles. Maybe even learn how to leap over them. And in the process strive for something better.
Summit of Orizaba in Mexico – highest volcano in North America
If you’ve been following my ebooks on Amazon, you’ll notice that I write openly about my failures. I keep plugging away though. I keep trying. I recently completed Orizaba, which I first attempted in miserable failure 5 years ago. I was too weak to go beyond 17,000′. This time I climbed it on my first acclimatization hike on March 5. My partner and I felt strong and well trained. In my opinion this is an example of attaining perfection.
I know that if you set your sights on a worthy goal and apply yourself, you too can be attaining perfection in your endeavors. Health, fitness, training, fat loss. I know you have it in you.
