not broken

Kintsugi (n.): the art of repairing broken ceramics with lacquer containing precious metals, originally developed in Japan.

-definition pieced together from the Interweb

We are a disposable society. Planned obsolescence? That's our thing. Why treasure the old when you could have newer and better? Why fix it when you could have shiny and unblemished? We apply it to goods. We apply it to people.

New is not better, though. New is new. It has value, but so does the old. If the new represents hope and potential, the old represents perseverance and experience. Scars have stories. Wrinkles have history. A lot of what we think of as useless and broken isn't. 

It's imperfect. 

It's banged-up. 

It's interesting --frankly, it's far more interesting than the perfect new thing you can pull from the store shelf.

The Japanese art of kintsugi was an interest of mine many years ago when I paid more attention to aesthetics (yeah, I sat around and thought about what I think is beautiful --doesn't everyone?). Last night, my friend Melissa brought it up again. I had been thinking about how hard aging was. When she brought up kintsugi, it made perfect sense to me --why so many people (myself included) experience that feeling of being devalued that goes along with aging. It's cultural.

In kintsugi, the pottery starts out unblemished. Then, it gets used. Life happens. Chips start to appear. Normal wear-and-tear occurs. Rather than running down to the corner shop to buy a newer model, the pottery is treated with reverence. Instead of slapping it back together with duct tape, the lacquer used to piece the ceramics back together has its own beauty and is filled with gold or platinum. The final product is a one-of-a-kind piece of pottery that glistens and shimmers with cracks. I find this beautiful --it's more beautiful than when it started.

We should treat ourselves with the kindness and reverence that pottery is treated with in kintsugi. We are one-of-a-kind. What has happened to us is part of what makes us special. There is value in the experience, particularly if we gain some wisdom from it. Effort is required to piece us back together sometimes, but we are worth it.

In 2017, please remember that you are valuable --and don't let anyone convince you otherwise. Chances are they're selling something; don't buy it. Treat yourself like the precious and unique  gift that you are.