Wabi Sabi Your Life

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Embrace frayed edges,worn pages, and laugh lines.  True beauty lies in imperfection.

I haven't practiced New year's resolutions in years because I've never been successful for more than two weeks.  It's exciting and renewing at first to anticipate changing old habits at the start of a new year but then boredom sets in and I fall back into the old habits.  I'm more successful if I just make a plan of attack and do it right away no matter what month I'm in.

I also love it when I read an article that justifies something that I am already doing.  Recently, in my Whole Living, body and soul in balance magazine, I came across an article entitled "Wabi Sabi You Life."  When my eyes first scanned the title, I avoided the article and continued looking for new healthy recipes to try on Cliff or DYI instructions to a new project that I could tackle.  Then one day as I sat sipping my warm lemongrass tea in one of Grandma Still's old English tea cups, the picture of two antique wooden bowls on page 102 in the magazine caught my eye. " Wabi Sabi Your Life, Simple strategies for embracing imperfection."  Ah, imperfection!  Great word.............

Wabi Sabi, not wasabi as I first thought my eyes had read, is the Japanese philosophy which celebrates beauty in what's natural, flaws and all.  For example, instead of viewing little fingerprints as blemishes and scouring them off the walls, allow them to tell a story of your children's nightly trek to bed.  Be comfortable with your crow's feet and  frayed sleeves of a favorite wool sweater, a batch of burned cookies and an attempt at your watercolor painting (that one was meant for me).  A wabi sabi approach to life isn't giving in to carelessness or seeing a pile of junk through rose colored glasses.  Children seem to be naturally drawn to shiny objects, interestingly shaped stones they see along a path, expressive textures, shapes, and colors ........unique yet simple objects that adults stopped noticing long ago. 

What a wonderful way to begin the new year. Embrace the natural beauty and simplicity of things imperfect, impermanent and incomplete.  You won't find wabi sabi in Botox.  And wabi sabi leaves a better taste in your mouth than wasabi!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Comments

ralph said…
happy new year! don't drink too much and fall off the mountain! :)
December 31, 2010 at 6:22 PM
Betsy said…
NO......with existing conditions now, we'll SLIDE off the mountain. it has been the week form hell! can hardly wait to put the for sale sign up.
January 1, 2011 at 3:10 AM
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