perfect!

Today being October 1st, I decided to check what holiday – if any – fell on this date. Well, wouldn’t you know it but today, October 1, 2024, is “Less Than Perfect Day”. What? That’s right: Less Than Perfect Day. OK, this definitley warranted some investigation.
            Firstly, I discovered that Less Than Perfect Day shares the date with International Raccoon Appreciation Day. Who knew?
            Meanwhile… I figured if I was going to try to understand what a less than perfect day might mean, I better start with understanding what a perfect day itself signifies. My research led me to a website where it’s explained as follows: “A perfect day can mean different things to different people. Some may consider a perfect day as one where everything goes smoothly, they spend it doing something they love, or they have meaningful interactions with loved ones. It is important to try to make the most of each day, and appreciate the good moments, even if the day as a whole isn't ‘perfect’.”
            OK, fine. Now that we know that, what would a less than perfect day look like? The web had an answer for that one too: Less Than Perfect Day is a period of time to accept that it's okay to not be perfect. “Some people are perfectionists that are very hard on themselves if they make a mistake, and some people are okay with their faults. No matter where you fall on that spectrum, today is a day to remember that we all make mistakes and that we should try hard at everything we do, but not so hard as to stress ourselves out.”
            Lovely. So, that left one question for me to think about: given that today is Less Than Perfect Day, how should we go about celebrating it?
            The answer to that came with these suggestions: “Spend the day trying to keep yourself from stressing out about things you aren't perfect at. It might be a day to challenge yourself to try new and difficult things, because at the same time you will be focusing on not caring if you can't do them with perfection.”
            Makes sense. Essentially, we are being reminded to promote self-acceptance, reminding us to see the beauty in imperfection by commemorating the benefits of not being perfect. We’re encouraged to embrace our flaws, learn from our mistakes, and accept our unique qualities.
 
And there you have it. Happy Less Than Perfect Day!
(And a big appreciative Hi to your raccoon, should you have one as a pet on its special day!)

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