I like what Gary Thorpe had to say about the act of sweeping in his book, Sweeping Changes: Discovering the Joy of Zen in Everyday Tasks. It is a reminder to me that although I am taking continuous small steps to improve myself and aspects of my life, I will never attain perfection. Perfection is not the goal I have set myself in this year of transformation.
In the hands of the experienced, the broom becomes a multifaceted, functional tool. But no matter how carefully you sweep, you will always find a fine line of dust that still defies the dustpan, or a bit of lint that catches on a loosened splinter of wood. There is always something to remind you of what still needs to be done. There is no way to arrive at "finished." There is no road leading to "perfect." There is just some wandering atom of life, some single bit of dust, that calls you to attention and keeps bringing you back to your life.
From: Thorpe, Gary. Sweeping Changes: Discovering the Joy of Zen in Everyday Tasks. New York: Broadway Books, 2000. p. 18
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