Birthday thoughts

Here we go again.

Much like Paris in 2017, Kyoto was not where I thought my actual birthday would be – though it was an interesting week all the same, and some fundamental lessons were reinforced on that autumn expedition to Japan.

Like about letting go of my original plans, of the things I really wanted to happen; accepting that what I had instead was no less valid and should be experienced for what it was, not for what I wished it to be; and trusting in the reasons for it all.

On the morning of my birthday, as I was browsing through a variety of delicate tea sets, I was reminded of kintsugi.

It is the art of mending broken ceramicware with gold-dusted lacquer, and it is also a beautiful expression of the Japanese philosophy of embracing damage instead of glossing over imperfections.

And why not? Everything breaks at some point. Everyone does.

The trick, I think, is to acknowledge the cracks; that repairs are necessary in order to be remade; and that both the break and the healing become part of you.

I also think that putting oneself back together can take many little ways really, like being mindful about stopping harmful mental behavior. Being kind to oneself, getting a good night’s sleep, taking a weekend breather. Maintaining a self-care routine, meditation, prayer; whatever is a balm for the spirit can be an illuminated sliver to hold the pieces together.

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