What’s Your Button? Making Peace with ImperfectionElisha Goldstein, Ph.D. Updated: Apr 15th 2011 You may have heard of the wonderful little story of Corduroy who was a small teddy bear in a shopping store with a button missing on his overalls. Corduroy had an imperfection and when a little girl came up to him and asked to buy him, her mom said, “not today dear, we’ve already spent enough already.” When they left, Corduroy was disturbed that he had this imperfection and went around the store on little adventures in search of his button. He never found it, but the next day the little girl came back, bought Corduroy imperfection and all, gave him a home and a friend.
This is a famous book read to millions of children who not only love the book, but the parents love the book. Why? Because it touches on a topic we can all identify with, this idea of being imperfect, but still deserving of love.
We all have a button missing somewhere. Maybe it comes out in a physical way, being bald, overweight, having wrinkles, or a birthmark somewhere.
Or maybe it arrives in a mental way as we struggle with anxiety, depression, obsessions, or addictive behaviors.
However, at the heart of it, we all want to feel like we belong, we want a home and we want a friend. That is why this little book as enjoyed almost half a century of success and continues to remind us of this important lesson.
The fact is, no matter how alone you feel with your imperfections, everyone shares them, perfectly imperfect and still lovable.
Do this inquiry, just ask these questions to yourself and see what comes up:
What is your button? Is there a way you can see that there is more right with you than wrong with you? What has having this button taught you or you can ask, what has been the gifts from the experience of this button?
As always, please share your thoughts, stories and questions below. Your interaction creates a living wisdom for us all to benefit from.
Great as usual ! - - Apr 18th 2011
In a world where it seems as if everything has to look or be a certain way, the things that make us unique are great. It is, at times, the missing buttons that make us so lovable. This is the message I have tried to relate to the children I've been teaching over the years. |