I don't get to travel much, and it's always special to me when I get to go somewhere I've dreamed of, EVEN if it's just a layover in a city of my dreams.

3 years ago I went to the south Jersey shore and had the time of my life. My layover on the way home were Chicago and Denver and you should have seen the look on my face in Chicago. Even though it wasn't a very long layover I still managed to get some pictures, a few postcards, a keychain and a mug.

Weirdly, this mug broke itself BEFORE I left so I rushed back in tears and got a swap.

For 3 years I have always used it, washed it immediately and put it away.

So today I see it in the dishwasher. (Not at all where it should be) crammed very closely to other mugs and when I pull it free it has a chip.

I have been crying ever since.

Now, I DID just recently get out of the hospital for a suicide attempt/suicidal thoughts, so I know my emotions are more labile that they already tend to be, but seriously? SERIOUSLY!?!?! This mug meant a lot to me. And now it's chipped and chipped means not perfect and not perfect is a hard concept for me to grasp.

What do I do? Do I completely throw the mug away? (I am not sure how far down the crack at the chip point goes.) Do I have my dad saw the handles off, help me file the chip and make a cool tool holder or do I try to drink out of it, because right now, I will confess, I am resisting the urge to smash it. I didn't say it was a logical urge. Just one I am having.

I know this might sound pathetic, but I really struggle with the idea of "all or nothing" and I am trying to test the water here. Because non perfect things just remind me how not perfect I am and it drives me crazy.

Keep it. Drink from it. One little chip in the mug doesn't make it worth any less, and it doesn't destroy any of the memories you have. It might not be perfect, but that means you've used it a lot, that it's well loved and it's showing the marks of how loved it is. Nothing can ever be perfect, at least not forever. It's okay for loved things to have a little wear and tear on them.

flaws are realistic--we all have them! On our mugs and on ourselves!

flaws are beautful too, though. Each one adds to the story of your life that you create. Maybe living with this chip in the mug will help you live with your "chips" as well. Also, as said, maybe you will find that even the chip doesn't make the memories any less special. It's all about perspective

I hope you'll be able to find some charm even in the imperfections :) <3

Could you imagine if someone had thrown away Chip (from Beauty and the Beast) because he was chipped? Or if Nemo's dad abandoned him because of his one fin (Finding Nemo)? D:

"Perfection itself is imperfection." - Vladimir Horowitz

Once something is "perfect", you have to move on to something else cause there's no more room for improvement or growth. Perfection is conformity, lacking anything that makes it unique. The only thing that makes a perfect thing unique is that it's probably the only perfect thing xD And I think that it's our flaws that make us interesting...memorable. Anything without a "chip" doesn't have much of a story. It's similar to what my grandmother/people use to tell me about being a knight in shining armor. Who wants that? Other than being shiny, that knight haven't faced much adversity or been on many adventures. He hasn't really tested himself so his armor hasn't been truly used. It's always better to be the knight/knightess(?) in worn-out, battered armor.

Don't throw the mug away. Imperfect things just need a little more love. Sometimes, our flaws aren't as big of a deal as we make them out to be. I would keep the mug. It is now the coolest mug you own!

To many, getting emotional over a mug may sound silly - but I totally get it.

My own mug story: When I was 16, I tried to kill myself. Afterwards, my parents got me a mug that read "you are loved" on both sides. Like you, it was the only mug I used, and I took very good care of it. Fast-forward two years, I decide to move to the other side of the country. This mug was one of only a handful of items I brought with me. I was miserable there, but that mug reminded me I had a family back home who was thinking of me, and it meant a great deal, especially in those dark hours. One day, I was cleaning it in the sink, and the soap caused the mug to slip from my hands and smash in the sink. Shattered in pieces. I instantly broke down in tears - this silly little mug meant so much to me... And then I realised, there were two large chunks - both had the entire phrase "you are loved" in full. The message was intact, even though the mug was smashed. I gathered the pieces and wrapped them up safely. When I eventually moved back home, I took them with me, and my dad glued it back together for me. It can't hold liquid anymore, but it's still just as significant to me now as it was then. I still use it, too - I use it for my loose change. (Click here for a picture of my imperfectly perfect mug.)

Just because your mug isn't perfect, doesn't mean it no longer holds value. It has a story, and the scuffs and marks to prove it. The same could be said for yourself, and that's nothing to be ashamed of. Our imperfections are what make us who we are.

Thank you all so much. Last night with shaking hands I came out to my mom and handed her the mug (she was making everyone tea) and used it all night, realising that the mug and myself definitely have some things in common! And My sister reminded me that this mug already had a rough start. In the airport I had it in my lap waiting to board and someone knocked it off. I had to rush back to where I had broken it and they saw it had broken so badly still in the box that they replaced it for free. Looks like it wanted a chip after all! ;)

It's hard though, when I want everything to be PERFECT to have to realise, it can't be that way, there is no perfect.