Last Updated on October 14, 2020 by Paul Farrell, MRP, JD, PhD
“Kintsugi:” A haiku meditation: Yes love, you are “more beautiful for being broken!”
A Fallen Flower
Returning to the Branch?
It was a Butterfly!
– Arakida Moritake, Haiku Poet & Shinto Priest 1473-1549 in Alan Watts, The Way of Zen
Meditation can come anytime, to us, surprising us, jarring us awake …
A Cancer Scare
A huge lump. Her doctor, usually quite calm … felt something … very big … got on the phone … immediately arranged for an appointment with an oncologist. We went right over. Later that day the digital X-rays were diagnosed by the radiologist. That lump in her ovaries “presents as cancerous” … but could only be known for certain until a biopsy in the middle of the operation.
So began a long forty days of not knowing, of fear, of uncertainty for the two of us. Lots of prayer, planning, holding. I still remember breaking down after a ten-pound tumor and other organ were cut out in a long three hour operation. The surgeon came out: “It was benign, she’s fine, resting comfortably.”
Golden Joinery – Even More Beautiful than Before
Later I gave her a Kintsugi vase, it’s still sits on the fireplace mantle, a reminder of our gratitude, that it was not cancer. A card came with this incredible description of the meaning of the Kintsugi and its metaphor:
“Kintsugi is a Japanese technique for repairing broken pottery with seams of gold. The word means ‘golden joinery’ in Japanese. This repairs the brokenness in a way that makes the object even more beautiful that it was prior to be broken.
“When we view our lives as broken or even shattered, we begin to understand that no matter the trauma, despair, hurt, fear, abuse, failure, addiction, disease, and even death, our scars are just part of us.
“Each time we fix ourselves the new beginning makes us stronger. Our life bonds are reinforced through mending. Those breaks are a place for beauty to transpire. We are more beautiful for being broken.” KintsugiGifts.com.
Kintsugi … A Haiku Meditation … a Gift of Love … of Strength … of Life …
About the Author
Dr. Farrell is a Behavioral Economist. His books include The Millionaire Code; The Millionaire Meditation: Stress Management for Wall Street, Corporate America & Entrepreneurs; The Zen Millionaire; The Winning Portfolio; Expert Investing on The Net; Mutual Funds on The Net; and The Lazy Person’s Guide to Investing.
He also published 1,643 columns on DowJones-MarketWatch and for years was their #1 traffic-generating columnist. Before the Internet, he edited & published FNX: Future News Index, a financial newsletter for stock market traders. Earlier he was a Wall Street investment banker with Morgan Stanley, Executive Vice President of the Financial News Network; and Associate Editor of the Los Angeles Herald Examiner.
He has a Doctorate in Psychology, Juris Doctor, Masters in Regional Planning and Bachelor of Architecture. He worked on the Esalen organic farm and served in the U.S. Marine Corps as Staff Sergeant in aviation computer technology.
