In the distance, I see the vibrant yellow of canola fields. The beauty is breathtaking as the sunshine flowers contrast against the azure sky and verdant green of nearby trees.
From a distance, this blanket of bright colour appears solid. When I get closer I see this is not the case. There are variations in shading and when I come alongside them I see more green stalks than yellow flowers. The flowers are quite small and not the showy blooms I’d imagined. The plants are still lovely; they just are not as I’d envisioned them. 
Since I am not native to this area, surprise and a little disappointment are felt when I realize the perfect picture I’d seen from a distance was not the reality upon closer examination.
Oh, how this brought other memories to mind. I don’t know about you, but I have looked with envy at the vibrant life someone else had and wished mine could be as beautiful.
In reality, I have only seen the tip of their life, the part that can be observed from a distance. Up close, the picture is different.
No one has a perfect life. Struggles and challenges affect each of us. When I put on a mask to convince you all is well in my life, you have no reason to doubt me. You only see the picture I choose to show you.
It is only when I allow you to have a closer look that you can see we are not so different after all. We are all perfectly imperfect and showing that is what makes us beautiful.
“If you ask people what attracted them to the person they love, they never tell you of some perfect feature that focused them on sheer surfaces but rather an imperfection that allowed them to see into their uncharted depths.” – Eugene Kennedy
