I was in Newport Beach in California a few days ago, and while walking along the boardwalk I met a woman when I stopped to pat her golden retriever, and we were talking about travelling and various life experiences.

She reminded me of an old Japanese proverb I’d once heard about and forgotten, about how when a piece of pottery breaks, the Japanese fill the cracks with gold because it was believed that it only made the piece stronger, not to mention more beautiful and valuable.  This practice is actually called kintsugi, loosely translated as “golden joinery” 

“When the Japanese mend broken objects, they aggrandize the damage by filling the cracks with gold. They believe that when something’s suffered damage and has a history it becomes more beautiful.”

-Barbara Bloom

Overall the proverb calls us to see the beauty in imperfections, and the strength that tough or even shattering life experiences can offer us.  It’s an incredibly beautiful reminder that the experiences or lessons that come the hardest, are often what mold us into the most powerful versions of ourselves, and that those experiences don’t break us – they only serve to give us even more strength.

It’s a reminder to embrace flaws and imperfections to gain strength in every sense of the word. 

I felt really called to share this story today, because on the day this woman reminded me of the proverb was in a moment of time I really needed to hear it, and I hope that someone else needs this message today as well.

 

 

REFERENCES

Learn more about Kintsugi

 

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