KINTSUGI

KINTSUGI

the Japanese art

of golden repair

“If the ice cracks

And no one is there

to hear it,

does it make

a sound?”

If a friend is having

a birthday

and you are sheltered

in at home

and the world is chaotic

and you can’t celebrate,

is it really a birthday?

If your husband

drops the coffee pot

into the sink to clean it

and breaks your

last little juice cup

of your favorite set,

then fusses at you

for leaving it

where it does not belong

after a million demands

not to do so,

If the gold glitter

glue you bought

months ago

and left sitting on

the kitchen counter

among vitamin bottles

seems to suddenly

call out with possibilities

and obviously there

is no coincidence

because a few

years ago

you read about Kintsugi

and thought you might try it

and that’s why the glue

was there in the first place

for accomplishing

the art of embracing flaws

and imperfections and

making everything

more beautiful

and really that

is what everyone

needs the most of right now—

more and more beauty

---the golden repair of

Kintsugi,

the essence of resilience,

something we all

can use as we age,

believe me I know——

So here, your own Kintsugi,

my personal expression

of gratitude

for you, my friend,

on this, your day--

Wabi Sabi,

the beauty of

the imperfect

made perfect

especially for you!

Happy Birthday!

—Judy B. Myers