I'm going to add more Wabi Sabi to my life. The Zen Buddhist philosophy of Wabi Sabi; Wabi meaning simplicity, and Sabi meaning the beauty of age and wear, celebrates beauty in what's natural, flaws and all.
When I think of simple things that become beautiful with time and wear, I think of gardens, leather, paint, wood, paper, books, fabrics, skin, pottery, long loving relationships, homemade food, space, objects which hold stories, flowers, and photographs.
Instinctively I've noticed that the more I seek these things, the more I relax. It seems that there is a trend back to more natural, long-lasting, handmade things and sometimes it appears to be more costly, but in the end, it's a lot easier to love the mismatched silver forks your grandma gave you than the "wow, we have that Ikea" cutlery. It's easier to wear those super comfy leather boots you've had resoled three times than the "but they were on sale" faux pleather leather shoes.
I can think of many examples in my life where Wabi Sabi lives. Every once in a while my husband buys me flowers, and I get just as much joy looking at them when they are perky and new as when they start to droop and dry out.
Today I went to the pool and I was grateful for seeing all the naked ladies there. It made me feel beautiful because I could see so clearly how we are so different in shapes, size, lumps and bumps that all that difference is so "imperfectly, naturally" beautiful.
I go for walks with my son, and inevitably I bring home a bit of nature: a handful of pine cones, a feather, a stick, a brick... I've noticed that I care less about imperfection in natural things than in things made to look "perfectly fabricated." I don't want to see any more particle board, polyester carpet, and plastic containers. I want tasty, juicy, dirty, mangled veggies, clutter free surfaces, and cotton underwear!
Leonard Cohen poetically said "There is a crack in everything. That's how the light gets in." And that's what I'm going to look for.
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