Aunt Wabi {Sabi}

The other day I was reading something that mentioned the term "Wabi Sabi." I had heard it before but couldn't recall the meaning. What came to mind at first were hot wasabi peas which I love eating mixed with pistachios. But a second glance confirmed that a few letters more was in the term Wabi Sabi. So, as I often do, I headed to the internet for some answers.

I found out that Wabi Sabi has a very interesting and hard to translate definition. Wabi Sabi is "sometimes described as one of beauty that is 'imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete' (according to Leonard Koren in his book Wabi-Sabi: for Artists, Designers, Poets and Philosophers)." I'm still learning what it is about and I hope to pick up Mr. Koren's book soon to discover further but what little I've read has me very intrigued.

I liked the meaning so much that I almost decided to set up a secondary blog for my artsy/craftsy stuff because it seems that the term is often used in reference to art. For some reason, that just makes me breath a sigh of relief. I am a perfectionist and it often hinders my ability to complete projects, even start some, because I have this fear of it being less than, not just less than perfect but less than what someone else would have done.

I decided against the second blog because I find it hard enough to maintain this one on a regular basis. However, as I was throwing around ideas it reminded me that my nephew used to call me Aunt Wabi when he was little because he had trouble pronouncing his "R's." He's in the picture above which is circa 1987, if I could only remember the exact year my brother Chris was married because that is when I went to my brother Andy's place in Paxton, IL when he was still in the Air Force and stationed at Chanute Air Base. Oh Well!

Adam's all grown up now, and with a military career of his own but like me he joined the Army instead of following in his dad's footsteps. Sadly, so. He no longer calls me Aunt Wabi but I'll forever hear it when I think of him. And who knows, maybe somewhere along the way, I can find a place for Aunt Wabi {Sabi} to come out and play.