A few weeks ago, I dropped my HydroFlask and watched as it skidded to a stop across the parking garage as I was walking into work that evening. My once pristine bottle now looked as if it had been clawed from top to bottom. I texted my husband something along the lines of "battle wounds." I had another butter fingers moment recently when I dropped my phone directly into the dirt while camping, which of course cracked the screen. And just the other day, I spilled rice all over the clean kitchen floor. Once upon a time, as a perfectionist by nature, these moments would have devastated me. I would have fixated on the fact that it, whatever "it" was, had a flaw. To both of these moments, my husband responded with, "Wabi-sabi." Wabi-sabi is a Japanese concept that appreciates the authenticity of imperfection. (There is a great article that my husband shared with me early on in our relationship; you can find it here: http://www.utne.com/mind-and-body/wabi-sabi).
Lately, the hubs and I have been traveling to explore different lakes around the state with our new kayaks. On one such camping/kayaking excursion, we got rained out, did not sleep well, and ended up hiking elsewhere the next day. We have a photo from the hike; it depicts our fatigue, but while my husband noticed our dark under-eye circles, I noticed the highlighted crows feet at the corners of my eyes. My first thought was, "I need a better eye cream, and possibly some Botox!" But, as I gazed at the photo a little longer, that thought faded into more of a wabi-sabi feeling: my wrinkles show laugh and smile lines; they characterize adventure and happiness. Although tired, we have beaming smiles in the photo (pictured at right). The wrinkles did not matter. What mattered was that we were making the most of the weather on our adventure, together. We were making happy memories.
I share these stories because I had not posted in a while, and I hadn't posted in a while because I did not feel that I had anything overly empowering or inspiring to say. I transitioned to a new position in the intensive care unit (ICU) at my hospital. I still work night shift. I do not run everyday, nor do I even workout everyday. I have not been training for any races. When I have the energy and time, I run, or I workout, but sleep takes priority. I get other exercise biking, hiking, and kayaking with the hubs. It's not perfect, it's wabi-sabi.
Health and wellness is not perfect. There are ups and downs, accomplishments, and challenges. It is not equivalent to training for an athletic event; it is much more than that. It incorporates the bigger picture, the whole person, not just physically, but mentally too. So, I challenge you to find and enjoy the wabi-sabi in your life!
