Imperfect and awesome — Genie Alisa

Something I've noticed recently with all of my online dating: Every single person on the planet is just a little funny looking. All of us. Dwayne "the Rock" Johnson has eyes that are just a tiny bit too close together and a fantastic smile. Megan Fox has fat stubby thumbs and gorgeous cheekbones.

Also, every single person has some hang-up or quirk. You don't get to the adulthood without a few dents.

Every single human is a little bit flawed, physically and emotionally. It's like we're all expecting to look and perform like the burger in the commercial and we wake up like the burger that we get in the drive-thru.

It's interesting how people rank others based on features they had no control over other than a genetic lottery. Bald men are a thing. Short people can't magically be taller. Voices will be nasal or shrill.

What makes you attracted to someone? Is it just dat ass? I have a distant cousin who married an "ugly woman" according to his mother. The mother was concerned she would have ugly grandbabies. My cousin's wife is the sweetest woman on the planet. After several years of marriage and some beautiful grandbabies, my cousin grinned at my mom, "She gets prettier every year I'm with her!"

I get that there is biology involved. The species wants to survive, and so our body chemicals want us to mate with wide-hipped women and broad-shouldered men. We can be a bit more cerebral than that, though. I can attest that some very handsome men around this town are downright hateful.

Everyone being imperfect is pretty freeing. We can enjoy ourselves and each other. Soak up those picky eaters, bow-legged bad dancers, and nail-biters in your life.

I remember lamenting the stretch marks on my thighs as a teen once I "blossomed" into puberty. Until maybe the last few years I would have claimed the circles under my eyes rivaled a raccoon. Amazingly, no one else cares. People (to my knowledge) don't point me out as "that mom with the stretch marks and dark circles," because let's be real, that's every mom.

I also have adorably small ears. I have naturally wavy hair. I have those little dimples on my lower back (Rich called them cutie booty dimples). I am so flexible, I can fold up like a lawn chair. I can lift a 100 lb dog and push a Suburban.

I have a giant sign on my fridge that says:
"YOU ARE (imperfect and) AWESOME!"

Things are rough these days for a lot of people. There are some truly awful people in this world. But most people are imperfect and awesome, just like you. Brush your teeth, clean your room, wear fresh undies, be kind to people, speak up when people are mean. The rest will sort itself out.