~ by Meg Urquhart

In Japan there is an art form known as Kintsugi, which, when translated to English means “To repair with gold”. When a piece of pottery has been cracked or broken, instead of seeing it as imperfect and throwing it out, these artists ‘fix’ the broken parts of the pottery with a special powdered gold and turn what was once regarded by others as flawed into something seen as beautiful. There is an understanding that the piece is MORE beautiful for having been broken.

Not only is there no attempt to hide the damage, this art form embraces the flaw. The people who create these pieces feel that a crack is simply an event in the life of an object rather than the end of its usefulness.

Now realizing that every person is susceptible to the challenges that come with living in an imperfect world, what if we compare our challenges with the breaks, the cracks and the shattering of a piece of pottery? I am confident that there have been times in each of our lives when we have felt broken.

After my diagnosis of PD, there was a period of time that whenever I looked in a mirror all I could see were the cracks that were now part of me, and all I wanted was for those broken pieces to disappear and to be able to hide them from the world. I grieved. I mourned the loss of my perceived wholeness.

Then there came a day when I finally felt strong enough to pull my head out of the sand; to take my blinders off and rejoin the world around me. I began to meet and associate with others who had the same diagnosis, as well as so many others who were dealing with other situations in their lives that made them feel less than whole. Each one had been broken and yet, as I looked closely, each one had a distinct glow surrounding them. As I listened to their stories, attempting to discover where this aura had come from, I came to the understanding that we all have this potential and by sharing it with others we allow them to gain the insight into who they are capable of becoming as well. This gave me courage and hope because whatever I am going through, I am never doing it alone. It also compelled me to share it with as many people as I could because such joy should never be hidden.

So please, take a moment to visualize with me; imagine that, like a broken piece of pottery lying on the floor, you are internally shattered by whatever challenge you are facing; by whatever trauma has forced itself upon you. What would happen if you decided to see yourself as those artists see their treasured pieces of pottery? What if each one of us were to decide that we are no longer going to attempt to hide or define ourselves by what some might call damage or imperfections? What if we take those cracked and broken pieces scattered inside of our hearts, fill them with gold and then, not only use our newly strengthened, repaired and restored hearts to bless our own lives, but also allow the gold to shine for the uplifting and betterment of all those around us.

I believe that if we do this; if we look at the diseases, heartbreaks and challenges we are facing as events, as PART of our story, as a new beginning rather than the end of our usefulness, if we continue to fill our lives with hope, courage and fight; we can take what was once viewed as broken, and turn it into something that is not only beautiful, but MORE beautiful for having been broken.

As I have incorporated this concept into my life I have found that everywhere I look, I see streaks of gold shining through….and I know that I am not alone.

Much love ~ Meg,

#smallgirlwithparkinsons

#morebeautifulforhavingbeenbroken