Jack Kornfield says one of the tenets of mature spirituality is being able to find perfection in the non-perfection....accepting things as they are, rather than how we want them to be.

We often set ourselves up for disappointments by having expectations of ourself and others.  It surprises me how many times I still create expectations (some consciously some unconsciously).....expecting my husband to respond a certain way when I ask a question, or my siblings to call to just say " hello, how are you"  ...expecting someone to automatically say "yes" when you invite them out.  From small mundane things to the big things....expectations often cause suffering.

Kathy Dickson once shared some wisdom from Eric Shiffman, the yoga teacher.  He said he reminds himself each day "I will make no decisions without consultation with a higher power - BIG MIND - , because it's the intelligent thing to do.    Zip it, be still and listen.  If I remember to do this, when a perceived disappointment comes along, I rest in the realization that things are just as they are and they are perfect.  There's nothing personal.  And in Jack's words I can "invite the heart to sit on the front porch and experience, from a place of rest, the inevitable comings and goings of emotions and events - - the struggles and successes of the world.

Our spiritual task is not to make perfection, but to awaken to the perfection all around us.