After visiting a pumpkin patch this weekend it sparked a thought and a different outlook on life that I thought might be useful to share. (As it may make you think differently about this too!). 

With Halloween approaching and all the pumpkin filled posts filling my socials, I was starting to get a little FOMO. I’ve never been to a pumpkin patch, nor do I recall ever carving a pumpkin (yes, in all my 30+ years) so I wanted to change that and try something new. 

Visiting the pumpkin patch…

When scouring the pumpkin patch, where you could see pumpkins literally everywhere, we were looking for some pumpkins to take home and carve. 

Now, I had my heart set on two big ones and some little ones too. I had to get a big white one as how did I not know these are called polar bear pumpkins?! (My absolute faves ever!) 

I even got my boyfriend to take a picture of one so we DIDN’T miss it! 

When searching we picked up ones that were odd shapes (one looked like it had a bum!), ones that were dented and ones that were marked. 

Whilst all these pumpkins on the surface look similar, they all had their unique quirks and little imperfections.

Finding the ‘perfect’ pumpkin that was the roundest and the brightest orange you ever did see simply doesn’t exist.

And you know what?

That doesn’t matter!

I liked the pumpkins that weren’t perfect and had their little flaws – that’s what made them unique and stand out to me. 

I accepted them BECAUSE of their imperfections and it had me thinking…

Why can’t we have the same thought about ourselves?

Our little hang ups and flaws that we constantly pick at and focus on. Why can’t we be more accepting of them like we are with the not so perfect pumpkin? 

I know, it’s because we’re our own worst critic. Right?!

But maybe next time your thoughts start to go into a negative spiral, you should take the pumpkin approach! 

Look at that ‘hang up’ as something that makes you totally unique to anyone else and it’s something other people will find cute, quirky and they won’t see it as a flaw.

Accept yourself for who you are (warts and all) because that’s what makes you, YOU!  

You don’t need to strive for perfection or compare yourself to some ideal online, as neither is real.

In this crazy world…

Be that quirky and wonderfully weird pumpkin in the patch! 

I know I’ll try to!