Perfect, A Word So Simple Yet So Meaningful

When I think of the word perfect, I think of something only a few can achieve, like high beauty standards, the super-smart girl in my class, or anything that I can compare myself to. For a few weeks now, I have been noticing this one girl who is in a few of my middle school classes. She has fabulous long dark brown hair, big hazel eyes, and the most beautiful face. She always wears the prettiest outfits and seems to be the most popular girl in school, at least in my point of view. It seems like she has a perfect life, lots of friends, all A's, and everything anyone could ever want.

One day, I was in language arts talking to my teacher about one of the upcoming tests, when I saw the girl staring at me in this weird way. I immediately started to freak out and think, "Why is she looking at me? Did I do something wrong? Is my hair messed up?" When the class was dismissed and everyone was rushing to their next class, she caught up to me and said, "I just thought you should know, I think you are really pretty." I replied, "Oh my god, thank you!" I then watched her as she walked away and thought, "She thinks I am pretty??"

The whole day, I ended up thinking about one thing. That was, "Why does she think that?" After thinking about that topic in my head through each second of the day, I came to learn one big lesson. I learned that everyone has their own insecurities even though it may not seem like it on the outside. In this case, I was thinking that she was everything I wanted to be and she thought the same of me. Both of us are not perfect. We are just us and that's ok. We are all that perfect person we have been comparing ourselves to in our own special way. It is our choice to either accept that and love ourselves or keep torturing ourselves with harsh comparisons. When I really look at myself, not from my point of view but a fresh one, I do see everything I want to be. I see a beautiful, smart, kind girl who is unique. I think that being able to fully love yourself is the true meaning of the word perfect.