Kintsugi is the wonderful centuries-old
Japanese art of fixing broken objects
with a special lacquer dusted with
powdered gold,
thus adding value to the broken object.
It’s based on the idea that in
embracing flaws and imperfections
instead of hiding or disguising them,
you can create an even stronger,
more beautiful piece of art.
Kintsugi is related to the
wonderful Japanese philosophy
of wabi-sabi,
which calls for seeing beauty
in flaws and imperfections.
Every break in an object is unique
and instead of repairing an item
to make it look new, the technique
actually highlights the “scars.”
In the process of repairing objects
that have cracked or broken,
something more unique, beautiful,
and resilient is created,
even more beautiful than the original.
Metaphorically speaking,
we can choose to try to hide our flaws,
and try to fix them so they look new,
or we can embrace them
and see them for what they are,
beautiful golden seams,
that we have filled with our own
special gold-laced resilience
that has made us stronger,
more beautiful, more valuable,
and proud to be who we are.