Apps like Instagram and TikTok are filled with picture-perfect, flawlessly organized lives. Truthfully, I’m relieved I didn’t have access to those kinds of images while raising three boys — I would’ve either spiraled into deep discouragement or burned out trying to keep up with my Type A personality. I still remember visiting a friend whose only child always looked like he had just stepped out of a detergent commercial — not a speck of dirt on him. Her house? Immaculate. Meanwhile, mine looked like a windstorm had blown through, leaving behind a fine layer of dust on every surface and dirty socks artfully scattered like they were part of the décor. I tried to keep up, really I did! But I refused to rob my boys of the joy of wrestling matches on the living room carpet or overreact when their muddy shoes made a surprise appearance inside. Sure, it was exasperating at times. But they just loved to play in the dirt and sometimes they just forgot! Life was messy — beautifully, boyishly, wonderfully messy.

It reminds me how it’s perfectly Ok to be imperfect—perfectly imperfect! There’s freedom in that phrase. We strive to be accurate and prepared with our very best but there will always be certain elements out of our control. This has happened to me with some tech issues on music and speaking engagements. Stressful! I couldn’t Stress about them long, though. I had to get through them and move on. And even learn from them. Today we talk about how imperfections tell a story, how they are used by the famous, the myth of having it all together and how performance is overrated. We find wonderful examples in gemstones and moles.