The Whole Package

I'm selfish, impatient and a little insecure.

I make mistakes,

I am out of control,

and at times hard to handle.

But if you can't handle me at my worst,

then you sure as hell don't deserve me

at my best!

 

Marilyn Monroe

 

I came across this quote the other day, and it made me laugh.  Not at Marilyn Monroe, but at the spin she attached to defining herself.  It seemed up front and honest to point out weakness, and yet maintain appreciation for strengths. 

Our strengths can be our weaknesses, and at times our weaknesses may stand out more than our strengths, but is this not human nature?  A person may criticize a friend for displaying passion for a cause, but that very same person may welcome the friend's same level of passion to assist in a personal crisis.  

We do not have instruments in the back of our heads to regulate our emotions.  Yes, we have an obligation to monitor ourselves, but we also have an obligation to be authentic.  As we slowly move through the sludge in our lives, we may not always perform for the highest good.  It may take us a while to gain momentum or to recalibrate our direction, but ultimately after cleansing, we will shine again.

We eventually learn to recognize our weaknesses, and   hopefully temper them with our strengths.  We want, however, to be embraced in good times and in bad.  We want to be accepted as a whole package. 

We desire a person to see our authentic self and to love us inspite of our imperfection.  A phrase worth repeating, "Friendship isn't about whom you have known the longest. It's about who came and never left your side."   We long for a companion to support us when we are ill or dying, not just when we are fun and adventurous.

I can only assume that Marilyn Monroe had many admirers when she was famous and performing.  They were probably present for the parties and road the waves of her success.  When she escaped into weakness or fell into the darkness that eventually overcame her, I wonder where all of the feet were that needed to be standing beside her.