Present Over Perfect: Leaving Behind Frantic for a Simpler, More Soulful Way of Living

by Shauna Niequist

The snow is only meant, created, commanded to fall. The rain is only meant, created, commanded to pour down. You were only meant, created, commanded to be who you are, weird and wonderful, imperfect and messy and lovely.

Our souls are what allow us to connect—with God, with other people, with nature, with art. Without a soul, you can walk and drive and sleep, but you can’t love, you can’t weep, you can’t feel. You can’t make great art—or at least not for long. A soul is not required for a robot. Or for a machine. Or for a set of ideas or theories. But a soul is profoundly necessary for a human. It’s from our souls that we love, that we feel, that we create, that we connect.