Looking Through the Lens

It's more like a dirty window. I woke up, looked out the window above me and noticed dust. There was pollen, fingerprints, years of weather. At first, that's all I saw. The dirt. Then I looked through it. And there were trees.

It reminded me of dating. People walk into my office and tell me what's wrong. He's too short, he has a missing tooth, she talks too much, he's living with his ex, single never married, no good. Distance, kids. They see dirt on the window. We all do.

What takes longer is looking through it. Past the height, past the age, past the list. Sometimes, when you look through the glass instead of at it, you see something completely different.

The funny guy is kind. The quiet woman becomes interesting. The widow became brave. The person you almost dismissed becomes the person you can't stop thinking about.

The trees were there the whole time. I just had to stop staring at the dirt.

Nobody's perfect.

And that's the realization that changes everything. It's not about finding someone without flaws. It's about finding someone whose flaws you can look through. Someone who looks at your imperfections and sees the trees anyway. That's when you stop shopping and start building. That's when you finally see what was in front of you all along.