About Jessica &
The Perfect Heart
Jessica loves to transform chaos into peace, by managing the pieces, and placing everything in its ‘prime’ location. It doesn’t matter how messy the space is,
what the items are, or how many details, she creates order and efficiency.
Jessica grew up in New York City, received a degree in Sociology from Emory University in Atlanta and pursued her Master of Architecture at Arizona State University. Currently, she lives north of the Golden Gate Bridge with her daughter and puppy, who have prepared her to take on any situation with kindness and determination.
Inspired by the Parable, The Perfect Heart, Jessica looks beyond first appearances and sees the potential. She gives a piece of her heart to all her projects and earns her client’s trust and appreciation.
Jessica started Perfectly Managed to alleviate the bother and stress from chaotic spaces, non-functioning systems, and too many projects. Partnering with individuals and small businesses, Perfectly Managed focuses on a client’s immediate needs, as well as co-creating strategies to achieve their identified goals. With two decades of corporate business experience managing an extensive array of projects, programs, and partnerships, Jessica has the skills to execute the personalized plan perfectly.
Her toolbox is prepared to organize, simplify, and improve spaces, lives, and businesses. She is skilled at envisioning personalized solutions, synthesizing thoughts into actions, anticipating obstacles, and mirroring a client’s style.
Jessica’s work can be described as ‘Complete’; To bring to final form; Lacking in no essential detail’ (definitions of the word Perfect).
Her Heart can be described as Multi-layered, Adventurous, “As good as it can be” (another definition of the word Perfect).
The Perfect Heart
a parable to live by
A young woman was in the middle of the town proclaiming that she had the most perfect heart. The large crowd that had gathered, admired her heart. There were no marks or flaws, it was pristine. The crowd agreed it was a magnificent heart. The young woman was immensely proud, and boastfully challenged the crowd to find anyone with a more perfect heart than hers.
A voice from the crowd said, "Why your heart is not nearly as perfect as mine." The crowd separated, and an old woman came forward with her exposed heart. The old woman's heart was strong with a steady beat, and it was not perfect. It was full of scars and jagged edges, with places where pieces had been removed, and other pieces put in its place, yet not always fitting quite right. The heart was a patchwork of pieces, even some places with bits missing.
The young woman looked at the old woman's heart, and with a smirk she said, “you must be joking, you can’t compare your heart with mine! I have a perfect heart, and yours is a mess of different pieces, sewn together with jagged stitches.“
"Yes,” said the old woman, "yours is perfect looking, and I would never trade my perfect heart for yours.” She kindly continued, “my heart tells a story. Every piece represents a person to whom I have given my love. Over my years, I have torn out many pieces of my heart and given them away. Gratefully, a piece of the other person’s heart is shared in return, which fits into the empty place. The pieces are not exact, and they often do not fit precisely, so I have rough edges. I cherish all the pieces and marks because they remind me of the love I have shared. There have been times, I have given pieces of my heart away, and the other people did not return a piece of their heart. These are my empty holes.”
She paused for a moment, and then said, “they stay open, reminding me of the love I have for these people, and the lesson - giving love is taking a chance. I hope someday they may return and fill the space I have waiting.”
The old woman was silent for a while, and then kindly asked, “now do you see, why I believe, my heart is perfect?”
The young woman with tears running down her cheeks, walked towards the old woman, and as she did, she reached into her whole untouched heart, and ripped out a piece. She lovingly extended it to the old woman. The old woman graciously took her offering, and then took a piece from her scarred heart and placed it in the hole of the young woman's heart. It fit, just not perfectly, as there were some jagged edges.
The young woman looked at her heart, it was not perfect anymore, and it finally felt uniquely beautiful. With the love from the old woman's heart now flowing into hers, she understood the gift of a perfectly touched heart.
Original story by: Author Unknown Source
Adapted by Jessica C. Erskine