First Jesus, then coffee …

I’m sitting here sipping my coffee reflecting on the times I let the idea of perfection interfere with the good I could’ve done. Sound familiar?

A Carmelite friar recently shared some wisdom with me. He said, “Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good.” How true! I can’t help but think─where was this great advice when I was chasing my last three “perfect” ideas? What a blessing to be reminded that doing the good is often more than enough.

He shared this thought-provoking story: A monk went on a walk to the Abbey to visit his Abbot.

When he arrived he asked:

Monk: “Abbot, would it be okay if I drink coffee while I pray the Stations of the Cross?”

Abbot: “No, that would be disrespectful, you should just pray.”

A few weeks passed and the monk took another walk across the lane to visit his Abbot.

When he arrived he asked:

Monk: “Abbott, would it be okay if I drink coffee while I pray the Stations of the Cross?”

Abbot: “Sure, no problem!”

Why the change of heart from the Abbot, you ask? No idea. The point is to search out and do the good, even if it doesn’t feel perfect to you. And, if that imperfect good means you’ll actually do something, that may be all the assurance you need! The smallest acts of goodness and kindness can be absolutely perfect to the one receiving it. Don’t you think?

How often do we hold back doing the good in our daily lives? Whether it’s in our conversations, our work, or the projects we take on─simply because we don’t feel quite ready or “enough”? We can always dream up reasons to wait for the perfect moment. Echoing St. Teresa of Calcutta’s poem, “Do it Anyway,” maybe the real invitation is to do it anyway, imperfections and all.

What’re you waiting for? Let’s go.