I’m not Perfect

Today’s prompt in the Blog Every Day in May Challenge was to share your favorite quote and explain WHY it is your favorite.

I have several to be honest which is why I have a whole page dedicated to quotable quotes…. but I think the one I come back to most often is the one listed above.

In case you can’t read it, it deserves to be listed twice:

“I’m selfish, impatient and a little insecure. I make mistakes, I am out of control and at times hard to handle. But if you can’t handle me at my worst, then you sure as hell don’t deserve me at my best.” ~Marilyn Monroe

Funny isn’t it?  Here is someone who is beautiful and successful…on the outside, she appeared to have it all together.  She even caught the eye of a president…. and yet, she too was insecure, out of control and hard to handle.

At the end of the day, aren’t we all?  Insecure, perhaps a bit moody, sometimes a handful… but finding someone who can handle all of that and at the end of the day still see you as worth the effort… That’s makes sharing the good all that much sweeter.  And anything less would be settling.

I’ve settled before… twice… and don’t plan to do it again.  Either I’m worth it or I’m not.  Either you are worth it or not.  I’m not talking about deal breakers – and you know what those are… to accept those would be to compromise my spirit so it’s a delicate balance we weave.

Accept me for who I am.

This isn’t just about any romantic relationships that may be in my future either… this goes for friends too… After all, we’re all in this world together so shouldn’t we all have a bit more compassion for each other.

On another level, I remember a story my mom used to tell.  (caveat – my memory sucks donkey balls so I’m paraphrasing here)

Once upon a time there was a beautiful little girl who was adopted by a loving family.  Everyone commented on how pretty and smart and well behaved she was and the family beamed with pride.  Then, one morning, the family woke up and found the little girl had taken a pair of scissors and shredded the family curtains.  When the mother had seen what she had done, she turned to the little girl to ask her why.  The little girl replied “You loved me when I was perfect but do you love me even when I’m not?”

I don’t know if the fear of abandonment and the need to be perfect stems from my own adoption or if it is something I was born with, but it is very real.  Twice in my life I tried to be the perfect wife.  …That worked well.

It wasn’t until I owned my imperfections that I finally realized what freedom tasted like.  When I embraced my perceived shortcomings, I realized that while I’m not perfect, parts of me are pretty awesome.  Which I believe is another quote from someone smarter than me.

I never claimed to be perfect… just real.

What is your favorite quote?