At the end of 2020 we finally saw the completion of our renovated kitchen.
It had been a long time coming. As a family, not only had we fought incessantly over what the renovations would look like, but whether or not we would remove a wall and convert two smaller rooms into one large kitchen, which is what we ultimately did. But it was in the middle of a pandemic.
We received the commitment from the renovators in early January, but were unable to get started until mid-August. The first wave of the pandemic delayed construction by almost a year.
Ours is an old house. At least 120 years old if the city museum is to be believed.
It’s riddled with old house problems, but it has a certain old house charm and old house imperfections. The new kitchen, however, is almost perfect. It is much improved over the previous kitchen in both form and function. But there are some minor blemishes.
I have recently discovered that I like imperfections. The corner where the countertops had to connect diagonally has a noticeably raised seam, the island could have used a footrest, and the fridge makes slight creaks when opening and closing it, probably from the rubbing of the enclosing cabinets.
I wonder why I like imperfections. The creak that the refrigerator makes is like a symphony to me. I rub my fingers along the imperfect seam and it really calms me down.
Most people would consider how much money they spent on this new kitchen, and for that kind of money, they would demand perfection. They could demand that these blemishes be resolved. They could demand some sort of refund with the builder. In fact, they may allow these imperfections to make them feel worse, angrier, more frustrated than before the renovations took place.
But not me, I let it remind me that there will always be imperfections in life.
I let it remind me that there will always be disappointments in life.
If working for 30 years with the general public has taught me anything about people, it’s that many people demand perfection. The woman who gets upset because her hot dog is a little cooler than she prefers. The man who gets mad because his car takes ten minutes longer than promised.
I admit that both people could possibly have reached their breaking point after a long series of disappointments, God knows, I’ve been there. But it is more likely that these people need more obstacles and battles in their lives.
The battles that keep you grounded, the battles that allow you to really FEEL the imperfections in your life and really embrace them instead of making yourself feel like your life is falling apart at the seams.
Like that imperfect seam on my counter.