Beautifully Broken

We all find ourselves discouraged about where we are in life at different points. Life rarely turns out the way we expect it to. Choices, good or bad, lead us to different experiences and trajectories, and the actions of others certainly play a role in this reality as well. Whether we are comparing ourselves to others, or simply hard on ourselves, we frequently find ourselves searching for what is “missing”.

Years ago, I got to a point where I felt that there was something broken inside of me. I wasn’t where I hoped to be at that point in my life. I was trying to do things that I thought would help, such as eating right, exercising, being active in my community, and building a spiritual foundation, to name a few. But something was missing. I talked to a close friend about what I was feeling; sadly, I did not get the support I thought I would get and still found myself stagnant in my broken state.

Then, I did something that surprised me; I sought professional help. This was a key turning point for me. There was a lot of work involved, but I was starting to see light and feel hope again. I was learning the importance of self-care during a time I was facing difficult circumstances. During this time, it became clear to me that taking care of those hurting emotionally and physically was important. I enjoy associating with others and interacting with them helped me get out of my headspace. During this journey, I came upon an article about a Japanese philosophy that shares the belief of turning adversity into beauty.

Kintsugi (Kint-soo-gee). Kintsugi is the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with lacquer mixed with gold or silver. This treatment would disguise the breakage and make it look new. “Kin” means golden, “tsugi” meaning repair. This is the art of embracing imperfections.

 Because our lives are neither entirely broken nor fully complete, there are, within each of our stories, inevitable cracks that need filling and fractures that need mending. How we begin to make repairs in the aftermath is up to us. We can fill the crevices with the things that may seem easiest at first glance – the rubble, the ash. In my case, eating habits, exercise, spiritual growth. While good, it wasn’t enough. Or we can dig deeper, past the surface, 'til we find specks of gold hidden amid the dust. Kintsugi refocuses our attention from what should have been toward creating something infinitely more beautiful with what remains, and perhaps far more honoring who we were made to be all along. Kintsugi provides a lens to see an object’s scar as being a part of its grand design, and it offers us the opportunity to do the same – to see our lives as rare works of art.

When we experience difficult circumstances, we have to learn how to care for ourselves in a new way. Kintsugi is a reminder that things can be repaired, and we can find beauty being broken, beauty in our imperfections. The pottery is fixed with lacquer and gold, internally we can restore our hearts with patience, love, and understanding. We can learn to appreciate the journey, even when it’s complicated. Each of us has value, our journeys have value, and even though incredibly hard, can change our perspective, seeing the beauty and giving us the ability to share it with others.

I am still on this journey, but it has made me stronger because of the people, both close to me and professionally, that have been willing to walk with me. It has given me a new perspective and understanding of others, knowing even though our circumstances may be different, there is beauty in the hard, and being willing to walk the walk with them will aid in the journey. When we are feeling broken, let us look at this Japanese philosophy and ponder on and look for the beauty that is there, and is to come.

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 At Believe, we choose to see the beauty that each of us has the ability to give. We believe in building each other through the hard times and cheering each other on in the good times too. Ultimately we want you to know that we believe in you and would love to have you join us!