That Place You Love: Real People. Real Stories.
That Place You Love: Real People. Real Stories.
Round-Up on Perfection; Next-Up Memory; Welcome new Contributors!
Perfection brings out the comedian & the critic.
If perfection is defined as a finished state without fault, pure perfection is an impossibility for human beings. We might find it in nature, amongst butterflies and pomegranates, or in physics with finite numbers, but anything touched by us cannot be perfect. And it really doesn’t need to be. Perhaps the belief that perfection is something for which we all should strive is a form of tyranny.
10 Contributors shared their thoughts on it this week. A perfect 10!
Scroll down for the Round-Up on PERFECTION!
TPYL → No memes. No clickbait. No agenda.
No third-party approvals or editorial massaging. Every contributor gives themself permission to share their writing on a mutual theme in concert with others.
Reading first-person stories by real people is the benefit of participating in TPYL.
If you’re reading this for the first time…
And want to know more about the ZINE’s mission, go to ABOUT or FORUM on the Substack platform or read the introductory post I WAS AN EASY LIAR.
10 Contributors took part in week 10 of TPYL! How perfect!
Our theme was PERFECTION through the lens of truth. I wrote about the body's ability to fulfill prophecies and the dreams of eager plastic surgeons.
(in reverse order of appearance)
Zig contrasted what was once the perfect city for a creative soul with the current reality of the same metropolis worn down by greed.
Pascale wrote about how spending time with those who are special to us, even in un-perfect circumstances, can be as perfect as drinking sangria in a park (shout out to Lou!).
Julia questioned the veracity of a friend’s new love claim - “He’s perfect!” - when fulfilling the promise of perfection is next to impossible.
New contributor Laura O weighed in on the duality of inner versus external perfection, the before and after of perfect, and the possibility of living life ‘as is’.
Shirlé reflected on why she flip-flopped between neat freak and chaos until she finally settled into place when she married the Felix to her Oscar.
Melissa wrote about the damning pursuit to be perfect as artists while being unconditional cheerleaders for everyone else’s dreams.
Intact Animal revealed the perfectionist five-year old that lives more quietly inside him after a summer of pee-wee baseball and the determined voice of Coach Dad.
New contributor Flávia confronted the impossibility of perfection by writing her post and accepting that writing it is enough to overcome that same Monday fear.
Carol M shared her imperfect negotiation with hair that just wouldn’t take to styling until the need for a wig promised every day would be a good hair day.
Carole D questioned the need to call something perfect when simply being truthful to what is in your heart does the job. Was it the chicken or the beef?
READ & HEART these writers & SHARE your own story in the comments.
Next Up: Memory
On Monday, I’ll write about MEMORY through the lens of truth and see what I come up with as a prompt. Is memory reliable out of context?
Without documentation, cross-examination, and witnesses?
Mary Karr, in her book The Art of Memoir, talks about how even a driver’s license is a questionable resource for memory. Does yours have your accurate weight, height, and hair color? Address? Mine doesn’t.
Take a MEMORY you recount all the time and investigate it. Did it really happen when Earth, Wind, and Fire’s song Shining Star was on the radio? Was Häagen-Dazs really in existence when you ate that ice cream? Did the Detroit Lions ever win a Superbowl?
Do the forensics on a Memory and share its fallibility/credibility.
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More to come on Monday….
Have a great weekend.
Sincerely, for real.