Wabi-sabi

My friend Kitty shared the February/March 2011 Mother Earth News magazine with me recently, drawing my attention particularly to an article about wabi-sabi, a Japanese philosophy about appreciating things, even when they are imperfect, incomplete, simple and subtle.  Wabi-sabi promotes a physical and psychological space devoid of clutter and distraction, yet abundant in serenity and contentment.  I read the article with fascination, for if I had to put a word to the life I try to create for myself and the atmosphere in which I try to live, it would be wabi-sabi.  As I talk with friends and colleagues who have such busy lives, I see my own life more clearly. I have chosen a different path for myself (and in some ways, the path has chosen me) that embraces the simple, clean, slow and silent.  I've gladly exchanged my previously more frenzied days for today's quieter ones. Time to contemplate and pay attention is more than a luxury.  It is wabi-sabi.