THE LITTLE BIG THINGS

When I think about what makes a woman a Wabi Sabi Woman, what comes to my mind is resilience. It’s not so much that we just flow with everything that comes our way. We are not Stepford Wives, we are not anesthetized, and we don’t sit around all day meditating and chanting OM. We have our fears, our tempers, our moods, and our down days when we don’t feel very Wabi Sabi at all.

But we have embraced that very important lesson — that everything changes.

We cannot resist it. As the salmon struggles to swim upstream, we have learned life is easier when you stop the struggle. As much as we hate it, we know that with every joy there is some sorrow; with every dark there will then be light. We face whatever challenges appear (and they will always appear) and we deal. We know that this too shall pass and we keep our heads above water.

So many wonderful lessons we could painlessly learn if we just believed the wise words of the teacher. For example, Maya Angelou said, “When someone shows you who they are, believe them, the first time.” Wow, that would’ve saved me some heartache!

And what about “Without our health, we have nothing.” When we have our health we seem to take it for granted and only become proactive about preserving it when we’re close to losing it. Please don’t wait to lose yours before you place great value on it.

And one of my favorites, “Enjoy the little things in life because one day you`ll look back and realize they were the big things.”
― Kurt Vonnegut Jr.

Little things like hearing a child’s belly laugh, the perfect cup of coffee, finding a bra that fits, a morning kiss from your special someone, watching the sunrise or witnessing the most glorious sunset, waking without a headache, feeling rested, that incredible garage sale find, or opening a bottle of champagne for no reason — other than life itself is a celebration and that is reason enough.

All these great words of wisdom manage to find their way on to some decorative Pinterest board but can’t find their way into the way we live our lives. Why don’t we live these lessons?

The Wabi Sabi Woman’s scale tends to tip in the favor of optimism, on the positives and possibilities in life. We make a conscious decision to notice, love and appreciate the little things. Those little things in life that in the end, or when we are without them, prove to be the big things.

My post here is simply to serve as a reminder to stay aware, to be mindful of these simple luxuries we have in life.

Luxury isn’t what they’ve been trying to sell us. It’s not European sedans (though I do love a nice BMW :) caviar, designer handbags, diamonds and jet planes. No, luxury is being alive, breathing good air, eating good food, and having friends and family to share your love and your life. The little things that are really the big things, the things that truly matter, are the most luxurious of all.

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

 

Don't Quote Me

There's nothing like a good quote to fill you with a sense of self-worth, empowerment, and a feeling that all is right with the world, even if only momentarily. Facebook has become flooded with feel-good quotes, posted and dished out to lift our spirits and make us better people. The problem with these quotes or just about any other good intention is that after we have read them or set them, we don't necessarily live them, when what we need to do is take that quote and turn it into a life-changing lesson. They need to have more of an impact and get more recognition than a quick, Oh that is so true- earning their place on a coffee mug or getting pinned on the "great quotes" board on Pinterest. We need to have them on display somewhere, on a mirror, on our forehead, written like a college kid cheat sheet in the palm of our hands, transcribed on our soul. I guess similar to prayer, cutting back on calories and brushing our teeth, we can't just do it once and think it will make a difference. Life requires a whole lot of repetition. They say that we learn from our mistakes, our challenges, and our sorrows. That when things are going along swimmingly we’re not learning much, except I guess, how good life can be. So in reality, if we want to learn, to grow, to gain a boatload of wisdom, we should be welcoming any challenge that comes our way. In fact, sending out an open invitation to Mr. and Mrs. Trials and Tribulations, putting out the welcome mat and changing the sheets in the guest room. I don't know about you, but I do prefer the "life can be good" lesson plan. But it seems it doesn't work that way and we need to get that well-rounded education. And some lessons you just don't get at all. You have to take the class over and over again, maybe try a different school, a different professor, and even then there is no guarantee you will pass. These lyrics from Kenny Loggins sum it up nicely. Some lessons are forever Never need to change Write and the word is written Then we turn the page But some lessons take forever time and time again Caught in a battle that you can't surrender And you never win    When I saw the quote below I had to share it with you. It made me laugh. And in fact, it encourages me to get out there, lose any fear around failure, and learn some more. Visit me at wabisabiwomen.com