Staring at the pieces of broken glass on the floor, half in shock and the other half in disbelief, I felt a strong sense of sadness rise slowly in my belly, racing towards my heart.
A mug that was one of my favourites, a cup that held so many memories for me was broken, and it needed to be cleaned up. No matter how sad I felt, I had to pick up the pieces, dispose of them safely in the bin.
I could not put it back together, and if I held onto it, I would have bloody bruises no matter how careful I was.
It was almost metaphorical and reminded me a lot about life. I believe there are relationships and phases in our lives that, though precious and fond in our hearts, have been shattered like broken glass or pottery. Some are shattered by our input or negligence, and others by no fault of ours, like the loss of a loved one or an economic downturn.
No matter who is to blame or who should be held responsible, there are phases and relationships we cannot or should not return to; the longer we try to hold them, the more we get hurt in the process.
I watched a movie whose title I cannot recall, but I saw for the first time someone takes different pieces of broken glass from plates, mugs, and cups and creates beautiful artwork by compiling all the pieces together into a frame-like piece. This took time, care, and great skill.
The Japanese call it ‘kintsugi’, a delicate art of putting broken pieces of pottery together and painting the cracks with gold, silver, or platinum, creating a new, beautiful piece. It is a beautiful way of taking something painful and transforming it into something beautiful.
We can find joy and peace after life-shattering moments. Instead of trying to make things what they were before, we can move forward and create something beautiful that would not have been without that pain or misfortune.
Some of the most moving works of art, the most beautiful songs, hymns, books, and maybe even plays, movies, initiatives, and foundations have been birthed or inspired by dark moments. These moments of great sadness have been ‘coated’ in gold, bringing light and joy to others.
Your pain does not have to be the end of your life as you knew it; it can be a rebirth, a positive redirection and an opportunity to rename a dark moment and shroud it with light, warmth and joy.
Perhaps you are broken, hurt or full of regrets over situations that have happened in the past or maybe are happening right now. There is a porter, a master creator who wants to take those broken pieces and put them together into something beautiful. It will not be as before, but I promise it will be better if you believe, trust and obey.
