To A Fault

We all have faults.  My sense has always been that we have the right to make a few mistakes. If people can't accept your imperfections, that's their fault, so to speak. There are faults I have (my flaws) and ones I acquire in action--as in "it's all your fault."  I have an ample supply of both.  The fault those folks have that can't accept me with all my imperfections--that 's their fault.  

There's always someone around to point out mine.  Some days, I wish people could overlook them a time or two,  Not that I mind having my faults pointed out; good-naturedly, of course.  In fact it's the mark of a good friend that he or she can do so kindly.  But I do find it difficult to deal with having them magnified for me on a regular basis.  I am aware of a few of them, enough to keep me humble anyway.  This may be another one of my faults--trying to advise people how to handle my faults.     

The ultimate advice in handling faults?  I vote for this one: "Be to her virtues very kind. Be to her faults a little blind."  Be the bigger person, for heaven's sake.  But not always, just a little.  

Don't strive to have no faults.  If you approach perfection, you won't be much fun.  People who never exhibit faults become difficult to be around.  Let's face it, perfect is boring.  Where's the fun in life if we don't occasionally indulge our faults? Our blind spots?

There are beneficial effects to having faults--everybody can use a dose of humility, now and then.  It gives us something to work on.  You can even gain some satisfaction from  occasionally eradicating one or two, at least temporarily.  

Besides, if we had no faults of our own, we wouldn't enjoy pointing out the faults of others nearly as much.

By now, you may be wondering why I started this little message on faults, anyway.  I just this instant ran across another one of mine, the universe pointed it out to me, again.  By spending all this time writing about faults, I've provided the perfect illustration.  Writing this piece  allowed me put off filing my state income taxes.  Yes, I've procrastinated again, it's fault number 543 on the list.  I submitted my return with the deadline staring me in the face last night  (again).

 To Our Faults! May we never be without them.