My day started with a jolt, messy and chaotic.
My toddler and newborn were in sync in their needs for my attention. Their coordinated cries felt like some elaborate underwater ballet, one that I was not invited to rehearse. And then there were poop explosions. Big, cover the bed sheets and body parts, I need a bath kind of poops. Did I mention we were running late to an appointment? It was all of 8:35 AM and already my “to do” list for the day was laughable.
Just when all felt lost, I caught a glimpse of my daughter hugging her one-eyed plush SnuggleBuddies hummingbird --- and just like that, I remembered. I am enough. You see, green hummingbird arrived at our home with a slight flaw, embroidered with only one eye on the front-facing side.
Suzanne, the founder of GENM and my friend, explained the (now fortunate) error to me. Apparently, both hummingbird and dolphin are the only two side-facing animals of the seven, and because the plush animals were sewn to be two-dimensional, both dolphin and hummingbird have only the one eye.
Fortunately, for so many in the GENM community, this imperfection has turned into a beautiful lesson of acceptance. This is exactly what happened to my daughter. I explained that this is just how hummingbird was born, with one eye. We talked about how even though her new plush was different, it did not make hummingbird less than. After our chat about how we are each imperfectly perfect in our own little ways, my daughter loved her new hummingbird more than even: "she’s just like me!”
Apparently, we were not alone. Suzanne shared that others were calling and writing too; other detectives in the case of the missing eye. Around the world, children and parents alike were embracing dolphin and hummingbird’s perfect imperfections.
As parents, we often dance in the illusion that we need to be perfect for our children; more, better, but the reality is that perfection is unattainable. We are imperfect humans and therefore imperfect parents, but the good news is, perfect isn’t the goal. When we accept this truth, we can better know ourselves as enough. And in this enoughness, we can step into the gift of being present with our children.
Today, as we move forward with self-love, let’s dance in the face of our many imperfections and cheer the fact that our mistakes help us learn and grow. This has certainly been the case for our one eyed-Blue Dolphin and Green Hummingbird who have found love and acceptance in the arms of children around the world.
