One of the loveliest reads that I've had in a long time is Wabi-Sabi Welcome by Julie Pointer Adams. While entertaining (the focus of this book) is not a strength of mine, the Japanese concept of wabi-sabi speaks deeply to my soul. I've read other books on the topic, but none has captured its essence for me quite like this one. Quiet beauty is a basic driving force for me. It is a catalyst for happiness, faith, + peace. Beauty communicates love and is the product of compassion. Simplicity is, for me, one of the purest forms of beauty...and noticing...makes all the difference. Queen Anne's lace plucked from the side of the road + plunked into a jam jar...a white linen curtain fluttering in front of an open window...terra cotta tiles under bare feet...handmade ceramics on an open shelf...
Julie Pointer Adams defines wabi-sabi as a way of life that celebrates the "perfectly imperfect". It is "beauty found in unusual, unfashionable places or objects, and in moments usually overlooked or unappreciated." It's about "paying attention. It is the habit of noticing and relishing small and hidden wonders." "It's a willingness to be easily delighted instead of critical, skeptical, or fearful." It's "unswerving from the everydayness of real life."
On its own, the Japanese word wabi is explained in part as simplicity and humility...someone being "content with little" + making "the most of whatever he or she has...always moving toward having less." I love this image of gentle process + quiet adjustment. Sabi is about embracing the imperfections, beauty, and authenticity of the process of aging. What a beautiful and peaceful picture the idea of wabi-sabi creates.
On its own, the Japanese word wabi is explained in part as simplicity and humility...someone being "content with little" + making "the most of whatever he or she has...always moving toward having less." I love this image of gentle process + quiet adjustment. Sabi is about embracing the imperfections, beauty, and authenticity of the process of aging. What a beautiful and peaceful picture the idea of wabi-sabi creates.
There is something amazing about reading a book that promotes humility + beauty. What a departure from the messages that bombard us today. Humility + beauty accept the signs of aging in both objects and ourselves as signs of utility and vitality. Humility + beauty see value in less and enough. Together they celebrate simplicity and function. A bed made up with white cotton sheets + duvet standing alone in the bedroom functions simply as the sanctuary it was always meant to be...humble + beautiful. Flea market finds made of sturdy, worn wood point to this humble beauty as well. Japanese paper lanterns with their delicate, wonky shapes formed from the humblest of materials, yet lending the warmest light seem to embody wabi-sabi as well. Perfectly imperfect. Allowed...noticed...embraced.
Love,
Jane
Love,
Jane
