For Thankful Lives Be Perfect And Improving

When asked how he was doing, John Sanford, a family friend now gone, used to say, I’m perfect and improving. Given who he was – a general, school superintendent, and supremely lauded person – I at first thought that this statement was a bit hubristic.

Then one day I was walking on the Cedar River outside my home in downtown Renton. There is nothing more perfect. Filled with whitefish, Coho, and Sockeye salmon, tiny freshwater crabs and snakes rustled in the grasses along the path. Otters and beavers hid out in the drainage pipes during the day but occasionally peaked out at passersby. Birds chirped, fluttered, flew by. The trees were glorious. Rabbits, geese and ducks were holding an annual convention near a bench.

The regulars nodded hello or stopped to say hello to each other and their dogs.

The sun was shining. My soul felt luminous.

And finally I understood. The world will always have problems. And behind every face that walked on the path is a story that may not be pretty. But we were created perfect. Our job in life is to work on ourselves, to create strong families and communities, to brighten the corners where we are.

So I was especially reminded on this amazing day that that was who I was. Absolutely perfect. And improving.

And that is who I will always be and must remember to work towards being, especially on less lovely days.

For this Thanksgiving Day, in addition to being thankful for all that we have, no matter how small, it is our task to remind ourselves of the gift of our perfection and to work on it.

Perfect and improving

– that is our human task. And our wonderful opportunity.

Happy Thanksgiving.