Welcome to "31 Days of Words to Love By." For the next 31 days, I am working my way through my Pinterest board of quotes and writing down my thoughts about each one – what they spark, where they lead me, and how they apply to every day life... I will be putting a Five Minute Friday spin on it, by writing for 5 minutes, free flowing and unedited. This largely unedited free-write is linking up with the annual Write 31 Days Challenge. // indicates the start and stop of five minutes. //

Today's quote: Life doesn't have to be perfect to be wonderful.

//My mum in law always says that heaven is made especially for perfectionists because life will never be perfect until we get there. And when we do, it's the perfectionists who will appreciate it the most. Everything will be, just as it should be. **sigh**

But life doesn't have to be perfect to be wonderful. Wonderful, that is to be full of wonder-- that might seem like an obvious explanation to you, but sometimes it helps to break the word down.

Someone once said that there is something that happens in between all of our perfect plans, and that thing is called... Life! In between the scheduling and the routine and order, those unplanned, often messy moments - that is life. And it is often in these moments, that wonder is stored up, if we will just step back and perceive it.

Some of our most romantic moments have come out of really annoying, un-perfect, plan ruining circumstances. Instantly my mind goes back to load shedding (power outages) in South Africa, mid cooking dinner. This often gave away to dinner, on a picnic blanket on the floor, by candle light - o, so dreamy! And, what I have often thought were my worst planned days with my kids in their eyes have been great adventures, where at the end of the day my boy has looked at me and said "That was so fun mama!"

I have said before that I don't believe that everything happens for a reason, but some of the sweetest moments of my life have come out of very painful or disappointing seasons. Love is sweeter, because I have known loss. Children are all the more precious because I have lived with worry and doubt. Relationships are more valuable because I have tasted loneliness. Freedom is outrageously good because I know what it means to be bound.//

There are many things in my life that have yet to be tied up with a little red bow of perfection, but I am learning that this doesn't detract from the wonder-ful-ness of them.

Gratitude is the major key in finding contentment and cultivating wonder. Gratitude tends to produce more gratitude which ultimately brings forth joy. Gratitude and joy married, bring forth a sense of awe and wonder. Awe and wonder point us to all that is good and rare and new and precious. And that kind of outlook is healing balm on the pressure that perfectionism demands and the tension that it produces.

Take some time and deliberately "get grateful" for all the seemingly "little" things. Even the not so perfect stuff. I promise it waters the soil of wonder and before you know it your heart and life will be full. Full of wonder.

Thanks for stopping by, K x x

To read more of my 31 Days of Words to Love By Posts, click here

For more information on the Write 31 Days challenge, check out Christina Hubbard’s site!