Finding Beauty in the Broken
Have your New Year's resolutions gone by the wayside? Let's take a few pointers from an artform called kintsugi to add more beauty, resilience and joy to daily life.
Time is a funny thing, isn’t it? We spend time. We kill time. We lose track of time. We invest time. And yet time keeps passing—something we’re keenly aware of at the start of each new year.
Now’s the time when many people resolve to start fresh, leaving the past behind. Just think of all the New Year’s resolutions that abound. I’m going to eat healthier! I’m going to exercise more! I’m going to spend less time on social media! I’m going to save more money! (Do any of these sound familiar?)
Yet how many of these big goals become big accomplishments? Depends on who you ask. According to the Baylor College of Medicine, 88% of people who set New Year’s resolutions fail them within the first two weeks. (Been there, done that.) Psychology articles in magazines like TIME and Forbes state that only 8% of people stick with their resolutions the entire year.
Maybe we need a different perspective to make the most of the year ahead. Perhaps we all could use fewer resolutions and a little more kintsugi. What’s that, you say? This remarkable Japanese art form finds beauty in the broken. While it dates back hundreds of years, it’s a compelling metaphor for modern life.
Kintsugi is built on the idea that in embracing flaws and imperfections, you can create an even stronger, more exquisite piece of art. In kintsugi, the artist fixes broken pottery with gold. Instead of repairing the item like new, this technique highlights the “scars” as a part of the design.
From broken bowls to books
This concept captured my attention during a “Come to the Quiet” retreat at the Woodlawn Christian Church in Lake City in March 2024. Lorene Knobbe, a Lake City native who lives in Davenport, Iowa, displayed a gorgeous kintsugi bowl to help us visualize one of the lessons.
Lorene, a retired elementary-school teacher, now provides spiritual direction through her ties to the Benet House Retreat Center at St. Mary Monastery in Rock Island, Illinois. She serves as a facilitator for church retreats and similar events.
As she held her kintsugi bowl on that cold winter afternoon in Lake City, she encouraged everyone to think of your life as a book with chapters and stories. Some of your chapters are filled with fun, exciting stories. Other chapters are dark and painful. None of the chapters can ever be erased, though. All of them will always be part of you—just like the cracks in the kintsugi bowl.
That isn’t necessarily comforting, especially if you’re struggling to reach New Year’s resolutions, or you’re overwhelmed by a trauma-shattered life.
The good news? You don’t need to try to hide the cracks as you put the pieces back together. Instead, highlight those repaired seams, which add strength, beauty and immeasurable value.
Reframing life’s experiences
Kintsugi isn’t just for broken pottery or shattered ceramics. Kintsugi can be found in people whose bodies are injured or failing. While these folks can’t do what they once did, their spirit can become more beautiful, helping the rest of us see the divine more clearly.
Kintsugi is also reflected in people who have learned to “rewire” their brain to focus on the positive instead of the negative. These amazing souls routinely express gratitude, knowing that there’s always something to be thankful for.
The chapters of these authentic life stories are filled with resilience and hope. They can also inspire the most practical resolution for the year ahead—embrace the principles of kintsugi. What a powerful way to reframe life’s experiences and write new chapters in our story, all by finding beauty in the broken.
I’m a member of the Iowa Writers’ Collaborative. Check out these writers’ work. Most posts are free - but we welcome the support of paid subscribers. You can also learn more about my work at www.darcymaulsby.com.
Iowa Writer’s Collaborative
Lovely sentiment, Darcy. Thanks