Wabi Sabi Perfection in the Imperfection

Often when we are called to do our inner work, there’s a subtle but stubborn belief that we are “improving ourselves”: that we’re going to get rid of that old, tired, dingy self and come out with a brand new version. In fact a popular phrase is: “becoming the best version of oneself.” Honestly? I have no idea what that phrase actually means but it evokes exhaustion in me whenever I hear it.

Many of us have tried various self improvement techniques and continue to suffer because the starting assumption is not correct: if I’m unhappy, uncomfortable, dismayed, freaked out or despairing, there must be something wrong with me! The definition of a “normal” life is so narrow that anything on either side of that tightrope is terrifying. We’ve somehow gotten far away from accepting that these various states are part of being human.

To open toward our humanity rather than push away what we think are flaws, is gently learning to embrace what ails us and to discover that what ails us is the gateway to restoring our sanity. This is the practice of wabi sabi–seeing the perfection in the imperfection. We’re not seeking the “best version of ourselves”–we are opening to the possibility that the best version of ourselves is already here.