I collect antiques. I love things old and vintage, especially since they often express themselves in a wabi-sabi way…perfection in imperfection.
I love the dents and nicks, marks and wear that vintage items possess.
I imagine what each piece might have experienced, endured and triumphed through.
I never lose pleasure in taking a closer look at a piece, feeling its texture and smiling at its imagined story.
The other day, when I was being quite mindless, I smacked one of my flow blue dishes to the floor accidentally, and CRASH!!!…it broke into bits.
For a moment, I just looked at it.
I looked at the pattern it created on the floor.
I looked at the broken bits: some small, some miniscule.
And then I simply broke out (pun intended) laughing.
Perhaps that’s because these broken bits reminded me that, a few moments before, I’d been acting completely mindlessly.
Doing one thing. Thinking of another. Going through the motions but not really “present”.
These broken pieces reminded me that, when we’re going through the motions, being in one place but thinking in another, we ourselves can end up quite broken.
Missing moments.
Feeling pain and stress.
Never really experiencing what “is”, but flitting through what “might be”.
So although I’ll miss my lovely plate in one way, in another it’s a clear reminder for me to practice what I preach.
Be in this moment.
Fully experience the life I’m living, not the one I’m moving toward or from.
Focus.
And in the words of Leonard Cohen:
“Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There’s a crack in everything
That’s how the light gets in.”
Did you enjoy this post? Subscribe to get more like it delivered to your inbox.