We miss out on all the moments we could be enjoying instead of worrying about what these moments will lead to, where they will take us, what they mean and if they will end. We miss out on the beauty of beginnings when we focus on endings. We miss out on all the fun when we keep thinking about all the things that could go wrong.
We miss out on what we already have when we focus on what we don’t or when we get so consumed by wanting what we can’t have. We don’t realize the importance of gratitude until we lose what we thought was ours.
We miss out on how beautiful imperfections can be when we try to make them look a certain way and we fail to appreciate someone’s uniqueness when we try to make them live up to the person we want them to be.
Maybe our pursuit of perfection is the reason why things never work out in our favor. Maybe wanting everything to be perfect is the reason why we’re never satisfied and maybe we never find what we’re looking for because perfection doesn’t exist or it’s relative. Maybe everyone has their own idea of perfect and it’s impossible for people to agree on what it really means.
It’s important to let ourselves relish the pleasures that come from simply letting things be, letting them flow, letting them worry about themselves instead of us worrying about them. We can actually feel a greater sense of joy when we let the unexpected twists and turns of life take care of themselves as we try to savor the moment instead of trying to make it perfect.
Magic doesn’t have to be a huge show or a cosmic spell or making things disappear. Magic is found in the little things; like a stranger who smiles at you, a friend who loves you for who you are, a person who is so curious about you and your story, a perfect sunny day or a beautiful starry night.
It’s the little things that are magical. It’s trying to appreciate the little things as they are that turns our lives from a series of disappointments to a series of triumphs.
Maybe ditching the idea that our lives have to align with our own skewed version of perfection is what ultimately makes our life perfect the way it is. 
Rania Naim is a poet and author of the new book All The Words I Should Have Said, available here.
