Living a "Wabi-Sabi Life"

A few years ago, I read an article by another blogger about her decision to deliberately live a "Wabi-Sabi" life.  I couldn't find the original article, but this one from Omar Itani nicely sums up the concept.  Excerpt:

"Wabi-sabi is an elegant philosophy that denotes a more connected way of living—a lifestyle, where we are deeply connected to nature, and thus, better connected to our truest inner-selves.

Wabi-sabi is a concept that motions us to constantly search for the beauty in imperfection and accept the more natural cycle of life. It reminds us that all things including us and life itself, are impermanent, incomplete, and imperfect. Perfection, then, is impossible and impermanence is the only way.

Taken individually, wabi and sabi are two separate concepts:

• Wabi is about recognizing beauty in humble simplicity. It invites us to open our heart and detach from the vanity of materialism so we can experience spiritual richness instead.

• Sabi is concerned with the passage of time, the way all things grow, age, and decay, and how it manifests itself beautifully in objects. It suggests that beauty is hidden beneath the surface of what we actually see, even in what we initially perceive as broken.

Together, these two concepts create an overarching philosophy for approaching life: Accept what is, stay in the present moment, and appreciate the simple, transient stages of life."

Lots of great spiritual advice in this article, including recognizing the beauty in all things, accepting our circumstances, striving for excellence instead of perfection, and slowing down our pace of living.  As for myself, I've discovered that it's all too easy that when you've lost someone, you wind up holding on even more intensely to the people, places, and things that remain in your life, even when it causes even more pain. I especially liked this statement, which is something I've struggled with over these last couple of years:

"Zen is about how you face the challenges and difficulties life throws at you. It’s about how you deal with the inevitable realities of failure, grief, worry, and loneliness. Zen is in your response. Will you accept the imperfect flow of life? Or will you fight it? Will you find peace in what is right here, right now? Or will you deny it and thus continue your struggle with it?

The idea is quite simple: As you continue to resist, so will you continue to compound your suffering."