Wabi Sabi - (Japanese) The spiritual appreciation (beauty) of imperfection
My old friend, Tom, (may he rest in peace!), introduced me to the concept of wabi-sabi. He entered my life during a difficult period.... he was an old guy who helped me, single 50+-something me, after a beloved of 13+ years decided his heart lived elsewhere. Tom helped me around the house. He taught me the beauty of imperfection. He actually produced a local newspaper article to prove this was a real concept! So, the house is old and not plum, nor level.... it is OK. The paint is peeling, the floors creek...this is beautiful... it is the wabi wabi of old houses. Accept it..... Love it. Thank you, Tom!
Wabi Sabi in the Garden
This year, when Old Friend Tom passed on, he gifted us the contents of his house and garage which included ZILLIONS (ok, that's hyperbole) of assorted pieces of lumber. Tom was a guy who needed/wanted/could not live without backups... and his garage was filled with lumber. Guess who he left all that wood to???? Yep, Mr. Wonderful. Tom knew a kindred spirit when he saw one. So, we inherited a shitload of lumber. Mr. W. decided it was time to get that organic veggie garden organized, and he used much of that gifted lumber to build 3.5 foot by 8 foot boxes for raised beds. It is very, very, VERY structured now, with 4 boxes across and 3 boxes back and 3 foot pathways in between so we can bring in a wheelbarrow.
I went into my "research" mode and read all I could about square foot gardening. We set the seeds according to square foot recommendations, we planted seedlings using square foot recommendations. It all seemed so organized.... so clear.... so neat!
Ah then.... wabi sabi happened. The first set of beans did not germinate. The zucchini spilled WAY over the boundaries of the boxes as did the patty pan squash. The raccoons took care of half of the corn stalks, so carefully planted as seeds, 4 to a square foot. The tomatoes went and got late blight and went DEAD on us... and on and on. I am smiling now as I imagine what Tom would have said to see the final garden... "Wabi sabi", he'd have said. "It is beautiful! It is not what you wished for, but it is what you got, and it is perfect in its willy-nilly perfection!"
And, he is right!
Those magazines that show organic gardeners and perennial beds and homes that are oh-so-perfect.... ARGH!!! My outfits for gardening are stained old ragged things... the photos I see in those magazines show some reality that doesn't exist out here where there are bugs, and manure, and hot sun that brings up a constant sweat, and unbelievable weeds that just won't quit, and knee deep muck, and chicken shit, and hard work.
Thank you, Tom, for reminding me that wabi sabi, the beauty of imperfection, is right now, right at this moment, alive and awake in my garden!
Wabi Sabi in Spiritual Practice
Need I say much more???
Who here is as CLEAN as those magazines???
Who here is as SMOOTH as the websites that offer advice????
I absolutely LOVE the spiritual practice of imperfection... the acceptance that my problems, worries, bad times, all that STUFF that makes me human can be viewed (with acceptance) as beautiful.
My wonderful Mr. Wonderful has a phrase that puts the wabi sabi of ME into perfect expression.... all my "unique and quirky" attributes are part of MY ADORABLE PACKAGE!
Now, get that. My imperfections are part of an adorable package!!! Wow, I don't feel so bad about all my ..... hmmmmmm.... less than perfect attributes.
What if we could all view those in our lives with the same ease and judgment free attitude?
Try it.
Who gets your goat? It is just part of their "adorable package". It is their "wabi sabi".
Find some way to celebrate WABI SABI today in your life!
