The Chipped Plate is Following Me

I have a set of dishes that has 12 of each item. Twelve plates, twelve soup bowls, and twelve salad plates. One of my salad plates has a chip in it's edge. I try to keep it at the bottom of the stack. Something about using a chipped plate bothers me. Yet, try as I might to keep the chipped plate on the bottom of the pile, I always seem to get that particular plate. Whenever I grab a salad plate, I find that I have, once again, grabbed the chipped one. I find that curious.

It hit me even harder, when on a recent trip to the middle east, I was staying in a private home for many weeks. The first day I made my breakfast, I noticed that the salad plate I was using had a chip on its edge. I couldn't believe it.

Furthermore, as the weeks wore on, I found that I almost continuously grabbed that chipped plate! Half way around the world, and I still had my chipped plate! What are the odds?

I thought about what the chipped plates symbolized to me. Even with their glaring imperfection, the chipped plates still performed their valuable function. They still held and presented food, which is what a plate is supposed to do. The chip did not get in the way of doing that job.

It reminded me that even if I'm not perfect, I can still do what I need to do. In fact, I can still fulfil my ultimate purpose. I don't have to be flawless to be valuable.

It is as true for each one of us as it is for my chipped plates.

It also reminded me that our patterns follow us wherever we go, because they live in us. They may 'appear' to be coming at us from the outside, but the repetitive patterns in our lives emanate from within us. No matter where you go... there you are...

Changing locations doesn't rid us of our essential selves. We can't run away from who we are and what we need to face. The only answer is to look straight at what we need to look at... and deal with it head on!

Got any chipped plates showing up in your life? Let them speak to you!!