Why is it so difficult for us to do the very things we know will make us better?
We seem to gain wisdom more readily through our failures than through our successes. We always think of failure as the antithesis of success, but it isn’t. Success often lies just the other side of failure.
— Leo F. Buscaglia
I’m happy to report that the mañana I wrote about in my last post dawned COLD (!!) and sunny, but NOT wet and windy. And I made good on my resolve to, among other things, go for a looong walk around the block. And I very much ENJOYED the fact that I was indeed doing what I said I would. After letting my daily walk dwindle down to a maybe-once-a-week-walk, I’m back at it and getting my steps in every morning.
So here I am – on the other side of failure. Yes, I have an entire 3 days under my belt — YAY. The question of the day is: How do I keep that “streak” going??? Continue reading » Be Good to Yourself – WALK!
Which of your “imperfections” will you celebrate? How would doing so change how you live?
Appreciate this and every moment no matter how imperfect, for this moment is your life. When you reject this moment you reject your life. You don’t have to settle for this moment, you are free to steer a different course, but for now, this moment is yours, so be mindful to make the most of it.
— Taro Gold
In my last post I wrote “I can do better.” Yet today I’m recommending that we make peace with imperfection. Am I spewing oxymorons? Spinning an evil plot? Spawning a diametrically opposed battle of wills? Naw. I believe both ideas can live in harmony. And, no surprise, the Japanese have a name for that harmony – they call it Wabi Sabi.
Wabi sabi is a term that describes the beauty to be found in imperfection. It originates in Japan, where artists will often leave subtle fractures in the glaze of a vase or a rough surface on a bowl as a reminder of the wabi-sabi nature of life. Wabi sabi recognizes that all of life is in a constant state of change and that decay is as much a part of life as growth.
— Lori Erickson
Better Isn’t Perfect
Better, perhaps even “best” doesn’t necessarily make perfect. I hark back to the university instructor who Continue reading » Wabi Sabi – Making Peace with Imperfection
Sometimes you just have to give yourself a breather and enjoy the now. Share some of your G’Day-moments with us!
…happiness gives us the energy which is the basis of health.
— Henri Frédéric Amiel
During these early days of Spring, 2010, I’m struggling to find answers to questions I can’t even get articulated. And I’ve decided to be patient as I grope for those questions/answers – so, although I’m neither young nor poet, I’m taking to heart Rainier Maria Rilke’s advice when he wrote: Continue reading » Wishing You G’day!
You have to choose where you look, and in making that choice you eliminate entire worlds.
— Barbara Bloom
I don’t know about you but I find this photo intriguing. Broken, trampled and bruised, this tattered bloom was captured by a very insightful photographer, Todd Baker, who tells us he “Nearly stumbled over this poor, delicate beauty on my way to work one cold November morning. Dropped right in the middle of the parking lot, it looked to have been given quite a squish by at least a few busy feet. [Feet that were] too busy to stop, too busy to care, too busy to know what they missed.”
In my home is a small, red-clay pot that I display prominently because its beauty pleases me. My husband’s brother, a sculptor and artist by trade, lovingly crafted the small vase early in his career in homage to American Indian artistry. But somewhere, sometime, in its travels among households, the pottery was dropped and a large, V-shaped chunk broke off, breeching the narrow opening, leaving a gaping hole.
Whenever my brother-in-law visits, he offers to fix it. I am sad that the brokenness displeases him – it offends his creative intent, it’s NOT as he planned.
But I always nix the fix. I like it the way it is, broken and beautiful. For you see, he hid a secret inside the vase – he enameled the inside surfaces a stunning blue-sky azure that can only be seen with the side caved in.
Beautiful Imperfections Grace Our Lives
It occurs to me that we move so quickly through our lives that we miss the ordinary but ephemeral gifts that bless our busy lives – lives that often feel broken because things are NOT going as we planned.
Continue reading » Broken but Beautiful
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