how to be perfect...

My head is aching tonight and my eyes are tired - I can only imagine what some of my L'Arche friends are feeling as they slog their way through the Vanier mess with trust, integrity, prayer, and solidarity. I love them all. I drove 6+ hours yesterday through the glorious sun to be at today's meetings and I'll drive 6+ more to get home tomorrow, too. I admire these dear friends in Ottawa who are trying to live through anguish, betrayal, confusion, and pain with a vision of life where love, tenderness and vulnerability matter. L'Arche International is doing a stellar job of modeling how to do this with humility. My prayer is that this community can do likewise. It is filled with wonderful, dedicated, creative, wise, compassionate, wounded, tired, and time-tested women and men - human beings - in all the joy and sorrow of those created from dust yet just a little lower than the angels, too. As is often my want when my head and heart are too full of competing thoughts to write clearly, I turn to the poets - and tonight these excerpts from Ron Padgett's "How to be Perfect" ring true. 

Get some sleep.

Eat an orange every morning.

Be friendly. It will help make you happy.

Hope for everything. Expect nothing.

Take care of things close to home first. Straighten up your room
before you save the world. Then save the world.
Be nice to people before they have a chance to behave badly.

Don't stay angry about anything for more than a week, but don't
forget what made you angry. Hold your anger out at arm's length
and look at it, as if it were a glass ball. Then add it to your glass
ball collection.

Wear comfortable shoes.

Do not spend too much time with large groups of people.

Plan your day so you never have to rush.

Show your appreciation to people who do things for you, even if
you have paid them, even if they do favors you don't want.

After dinner, wash the dishes.

Calm down.

Don't expect your children to love you, so they can, if they want
to.

Don't be too self-critical or too self-congratulatory.

Don't think that progress exists. It doesn't.

Imagine what you would like to see happen, and then don't do
anything to make it impossible.

Forgive your country every once in a while. If that is not
possible, go to another one.

If you feel tired, rest.

Don't be depressed about growing older. It will make you feel
even older. Which is depressing.

Do one thing at a time.

If you burn your finger, put ice on it immediately. If you bang
your finger with a hammer, hold your hand in the air for 20
minutes. you will be surprised by the curative powers of ice and
gravity.

Do not inhale smoke.

Take a deep breath.

Do not smart off to a policeman.

Be good.

Be honest with yourself, diplomatic with others.

Do not go crazy a lot. It's a waste of time.

Drink plenty of water. When asked what you would like to
drink, say, "Water, please."

Take out the trash.

Love life.

Use exact change.

When there's shooting in the street, don't go near the window.

I closed the day singing songs with the Mountainview crew - and eating great pancakes slathered in blueberries for Fat Tuesday. May a holy Lent begin...