Wabi-sabi style interior
You might think about an ex that did you wrong, or sweet memories with a friend that no longer wants anything to do with you. You might think about warm summer days in your childhood, back when you were still carefree and naive.
Or, conversely, you could be thinking "too much" about a negative event going on in your life right now.
And that's okay. Too often, we tell ourselves that going through negative events in our lives is a surefire sign that our lives are "falling apart". We tend to buy into the idea that our lives must be 100% positive at all times in order for us to be happy. But if we look at life in such a way, we are bound to be unhappy. Why? Because life is too rich and complex to always be positive. If we deny ourselves the ability to feel vulnerability and sadness, we strip away a fundamental layer of reality in our lives. We become disconnected from it. Not only that, when we forbid these feelings, we give them way too much power over us. I find that the bottling up of any emotions often leads to an overflow later on.
Plus, where would we be if our lives were perfect? You've been through so much in your life; without the experiences you've endured, you wouldn't be who you are now. If you're rolling your eyes and telling yourself that you hate your own guts, take a minute to appreciate what you've gone through. Your presence in this life is a testament to your resiliency and strength. You, my friend, are a walking, talking tower of power and brilliance. You're beautiful.
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Speaking of beautiful, I'm sure by now you've heard the story of the Japanese filling cracks in their pottery with gold and silver. How this process enabled pottery to became more valuable the more it broke. What you probably don't know is that it originates in the Japanese philosophy of "wabi-sabi", which centers around the appreciation of imperfections.
Around since the 15th century, wabi-sabi celebrates the acceptance of life in its true form, with all its growth, cracks and impermanence. We can apply this wonderful way of thinking to the way we live our lives every day. If we embrace the negative and the lessons it taught us, we stop giving it power. Instead, we give ourselves the power to reframe whatever comes our way so it can't pull us down! Instead of viewing ourselves as falling apart due to the presence of negativity, we can view it as our life falling together to shape us into better versions of ourselves, imperfections included. :)
