Imperfection? Yes, of course!

Perfection isn’t found in straight lines, but in slightly outward-pointing paws, messy hair, purring, and the rain tapping against the window.

This is Sabi—my beautiful, imperfect cat.

When we got her, she was almost four months old – absolutely hilarious, with huge ears, long legs, and a tail dragging on the floor. After a few days at home, I noticed that her paws were pointing outward somehow. We took her to the vet, did X-rays… everything was fine. They explained that because Maine Coons are heavy cats, if they jump from a higher place while they are still very small, this kind of twist in the joints can happen. In other words – Sabi has “soft wrists.”

Right around that time, my husband was reading a book where the author shared stories and different traditions related to Japan. He had just reached the part about Wabi-Sabi, and I said, “That’s it, that’s the name! We’ll call her Sabi.” Because beauty and imperfection go hand in hand with her. And over the years, truth be told, she became quite a looker. 🙂

And so – she is beautiful, fluffy, grumpy, annoying, loving, and always herself. She is far from perfect, and that’s exactly what makes her flawless!

And the best part is that she doesn’t give a damn about what she looks like, and even less about what I look like. Whether I’m beautiful, skinny, rich… who cares? For her, the only thing that matters is that I’m there at the exact right moment, with food and treats available upon request.

I don’t know why, but nothing else comes to mind when I want to talk about perfection. Probably because it always cracks me up to watch her jump to catch that flying puff of feathers at the end of the string we play with. She is a heavy cat, and her grace in those moments resembles… a garden hose. Does she care? Not at all – she has a goal, and she is fiercely happy pursuing it.

We, humans, play a similar game – chasing the perfect. Only we’ve labeled our perfectionism a “quality” and proudly write it on our résumés. I have a colleague who constantly repeats, “I’m a perfectionist,” as if it were some kind of noble title.

So what?

Where is the fun in that? Where is the right to make mistakes, the beauty of the first attempt, the pure pleasure of doing, the feeling of just being you? If you are always looking for the perfect, disappointment and anxiety will be your best friends. And they are incredible companions! Just like they say in police movies: ‘Got your six’—well, you can count on those two to always be right there.

But I have Sabi. She has flopped her heavy body right next to me, stretched out her ballerina paws, and is grooming me as if I were some dirty kitten, purring so loudly it can be heard in the other room.

Just Sabi. 100% original, 100% herself, 0% perfection.