Everyday Happiness - Finding Harmony and Bliss
Education:Self-Improvement
In this episode of Everyday Happiness, we continue our discussion about the Wabi Sabi lifestyle by expanding into the theory of Kintsugi. Tune in to find out more!
Transcript:
Welcome to Everyday Happiness where we create lasting happiness, in about 2 minutes a day, through my signature method of Intentional Margins® (creating harmony between your to-dos and your priorities), happiness science, and musings about life.
I'm your host Katie Jefcoat, and yesterday, we delved into the concept of the Wabi Sabi lifestyle, and today we are expanding this teaching by talking about the art of kintsugi (kin-sugi), which literally means to join with gold.
Kintsugi is a Japanese art form of mending broken ceramics with lacquer and powdered gold. Instead of trying to hide the evidence of the break or throwing away an old ceramic, it emphasizes the repair of the item in a glorious way.
The practice came from 14th century Japan, when the third Shogun, Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, broke his favorite tea bowl. Not wanting to throw it away, he sent it off to China to be repaired….but upon its return, he was horrified. The bowl had been put back together with ugly staples. Unpleased with this, the Shogun summoned his best artisans to find an alternative solution, which is how kintsugi came to be and is now represented as a philosophy of life.
In today’s world, we place youth, beauty, and perfection on a pedestal, often trying to hide away scars and the ugly pieces of life. But friend, we all know that life is not always perfect. We get terrible things thrown at us, which can leave us broken. And that’s okay!
Following the kintsugi theory, we can use it as a metaphor for life. Yes, we may be broken, beaten down, or scarred. However, we can heal through trauma and come back stronger and more beautiful than before. We don't need to hide away our scars; we can be proud of the pieces of ourselves that we have mended back together through wisdom, hard work, and dedication. There is beauty in imperfection, pain, and the passage of time.
Are you curious about how you can use Wabi Sabi in your own life? I encourage you to tune in tomorrow for a wrap-up of this miniseries, where we discuss how to apply Wabi Sabi and Kintsugi to our lifestyles.
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And, let’s connect on social at @everydayhappinesswithkatie and join the community on the hashtags #IntentionalMargins and #everydayhappinesswithkatie on Instagram
Links: https://onamission.bio/everydayhappiness/
Inspired by this article in https://positivepsychology.com/wabi-sabi-lifestyle/
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