the wabi-sabi house

It had been a long day. We checked out of the motel at noon and weren’t to arrive at the cottage until 5 pm. We spent part of the time at the Lake Padden Park, watching runners, walkers, and bicyclists as they used the circular lakeside trail. When we arrived at the cottage, Hannah was still finishing up with last minute packing. Neighbor girls were washing the windows inside and out, reminding me all the more about how remarkable this turn of events really is… Hannah is moving out of the house that she normally lives in three days a week, so that we, perfect strangers, can move in. Seeing that I was tired, she put me in the sunny bedroom, and covered me with a soft shawl, “This was my wedding cloak,” she said, “It is the cloak of good healing.” She softly closed the French door and I was left to fall asleep in quiet peace, while the household activity drew to a close.

Later in the evening I noticed a book lying on a coffee table. It was called, the wabi-sabi house (all small letters) by Robyn Griggs Lawrence. It describes perfectly the house that Hannah has generously allowed us to use for the next few months. What is wabi-sabi? “Japanese wabi, meaning humble, and sabi, which connotes beauty in the progression of time. Together, the phrase invites us to set aside our pursuit of perfection and learn to appreciate the simple, unaffected beauty of things as they are… Intimately tied to Zen Buddhism, wabi-sabi is an aesthetic that welcomes comfort and a subtle spiritual component into the home. It is not a decorating style, per se, but a mind-set. To create a true wabi-sabi environment, one must slowly strip away excess and learn to be satisfied living in the moment.” This is a place of peace and healing where I can live in the moment.

... PLM