"I love hearing Bach played with some rubato, some feeling, rather than as an exercise in metronome-following."
As I reflected on that, I really got to thinking about confronting my inner perfectionist and a few random thoughts came to mind..
Firstly, I was reminded of two quotes from The Last Samurai. Specifically,
" A perfect cherry blossom is a rare thing. You can spend your whole life looking for one, and it will not be a wasted life."
And later in the movie, referring to said cherry blossoms:
"Perfect. They are all perfect."
After thinking about that, I was reminded of this photo that I took several years ago of the Ski Train during a snowstorm:
This photo has always been one of my personal favorites, but I've always had two problems with it. I had always found myself wishing that the full neon of the "Union Station Travel by Train" sign was lit. And I've always had issues with the pentagonal forms of the out of focus snowflakes (caused by the 5 bladed iris of the lens I was using). Now I realize that both imperfect elements add to the whole of the shot.
Upon reflecting a bit, I finally understood something that a friend told me years ago. Perfectionism is OK to pursue as a journey, but not as a destination. We can't be perfect, and sometimes it's the imperfections of life that give it color and interest and make it something more than an "exercise in metronome-following."
Many thanks to Scott and Carl for their input that led to this "ah ha!" moment!
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