Kind Echoes

So, I took Danielle for a walk today. It is so nice with the weather not too cold, but not so hot and the leaves are turning colors and falling. I stopped when I saw what appeared to me to be the “perfect” leaf in the street. This leaf was complete, it had some green in its color, but also had red running through it. It was beautiful. I picked it up and showed Danielle and told her “Look, I found the perfect leaf!” Ohhh, Ahhh. She was so happy for me.
She ran over to the side of the road and picked up a brown, faded, wrinkled & broken leaf off the ground & with the joy I had just expressed said “Look, I found a leaf too!”.
YUCK, that was my first thought. Oh, she really doesn’t get it, does she? I thought also. Then I stopped. Whoa! Wait a minute!
I took her leaf and held it with mine and congratulated her. Then she continued to randomly pick up leaves, regardless of their conditions, and hand them to me to be put in a place of honor.
What a lesson for me. Maybe I have been spending too much time looking for the perfect leaf? Maybe I have been spending too much time trying to be the perfect leaf?
If only I could be blind to that idea of perfect like my daughter and see the thrill and excitement in everything and everyone!
You know if I pick and choose, how can I be sure I am leaving kind echoes?