Kintsugi

Kintsugi is the Japanese art of putting broken pottery pieces back together with gold — built on the idea that in embracing flaws and imperfections, you can create an even stronger, more beautiful piece of art.

Every break is unique and instead of repairing an item like new, the 400-year-old technique actually highlights the "scars" as a part of the design. Using this as a metaphor for healing ourselves teaches us an important lesson: Sometimes in the process of repairing things that have broken, we actually create something more unique, beautiful and resilient.

A couple of days ago, I accidentally dropped a household gadget and it broke neatly enough for me to DIY. No sooner had I put it together, did I realise to my dismay that there was a missing part; which I couldn’t find. Mental fatigue took the better of me, because it meant accessing a corner of the house that was full of stuff... if you know what I mean. I placed it conspicuously on the dining table. In any case, it was not an emergency. There was bigger fish to fry.

The next day, I ignored the beckon to look for the missing part. Day two, day three soon rolled into week one. By week two, I would avoid looking at the corner where it sat because in its broken, non functional state, it seemed to stare back at me in disdain. It even developed a voice and a personality; ‘Look at your life, you can’t even fix such a simple thing; small wonder that a, b, c, d isn’t working’. By the time I pulled myself together to do the needful, I was fed up. Mercifully, the search was short. Why had I taken so long? I’d saved myself all that torture.

Like that gadget, I’ve been broken, in many places, at many times and played dumb. Looking back, during one of my lowest moments, I could barely recognize myself. So dark was the tunnel sometimes that it looked that there was no hope moving forward. But I chose, by the grace of God to engage in some repair work. In some instances, it was a quick fix, but in others, it was drawn out and excruciatingly painful. However, I’ve come to realise that the best repair jobs have taken time, focus and grit. I like me, a whole lot more, even though still a work in progress.

Like Japanese art, sometimes in the process of repairing things that have broken, in collaboration with our Maker, we actually create something more unique, beautiful and resilient. I’ve reconciled myself to the fact that oftentimes, beautiful things carry distinctions of imperfection. My wounds and imperfections are my beauty.

Fixing broken things may help heal what's broken in you, the Kintsugi style.

It's worth your time.