Guest Post by Dennis Ernst
I think of my own life and all of its imperfections. The challenges, slowly tearing down outdated beliefs, stripping away all that isn’t needed for the next step in life. This process is an evolution that creatively crafts our becoming into a unique and ever-changing work of art. It challenges us to keep going, keep working, keep crafting our masterpiece of human experience. Each refinement reveals new hidden beauty, depth, and a deeper understanding of our journey and our becoming.
The Wabi-Sabi Way
Strip away the need for flawless mornings,
the polished countertops that gleam with emptiness,
the curated feeds that mask the trembling
in your hands as you pour coffee
into a chipped ceramic mug—
this crack, this beautiful breaking,
a golden seam of light
threading through what was once whole,
and revealing a more profound
view of life.
Here, in the spaces between thoughts and words,
in the pause before answering,
in the way afternoon shadows
lengthen across uneven floorboards,
beauty settles like dust motes
dancing in slanted sunlight—
not because they are perfect,
but because they are.
Learn to love the weathered wood,
the paint that peels in honest confession,
the garden where weeds still grow wild
among the roses you never took time to prune.
This is Kanso —the stripping away,
the holy act of letting go
until what remains
is only what breathes, the essence.
Life, this asymmetrical masterpiece,
unfolds in Fukinsei —
off-center, unbalanced, real.
The scar on your knee from childhood,
the way your smile starts crooked
before it finds its grace,
the dinner that burned while you
watched the sunset paint the sky
in shades of impermanence.
In shibumi, find the quiet revolution:
not the grand gesture, but the small
daily choosing—to sit with your sorrow
instead of rushing past it,
to let the silence speak
in the spaces between words,
to understand that depth
lives in the understated,
in the way you touch
the worn spine of a beloved book.
Shizen whispers: become natural,
become spontaneous, become
the untamed thing you were
before you learned to apologize
for not being like everyone else,
Let your hair grow wild,
let your heart beat irregular rhythms,
let your dreams spill over
the neat boundaries you’ve drawn.
There is Yugen in the mystery
of who you are becoming—
not the finished product,
but the eternal unfolding,
the glimpse of something profound
caught in peripheral vision,
the way moonlight filters
through half-closed curtains
revealing just enough
to keep you wondering.
Practice Datsuzoku —
the art of breaking free
from the should-be’s and must-do’s,
from the tyranny of completion.
Leave the bed unmade,
the poem unfinished,
the conversation trailing
into comfortable silence.
This is not laziness—
this is revolution
and a discipline.
And finally, Seijaku —
the peace that comes
not from having it all together,
but from accepting
the beautiful chaos
of being human,
of being always
in the process
of becoming.
Sit with your imperfections
like old friends over coffee,
welcome the wear
that time has gifted you,
the lines around your eyes
that map your laughter,
the way your voice
has deepened with experience.
This is the wabi-sabi way:
to find the sacred
in the scarred,
the eternal
in the ephemeral,
the complete
in the incomplete.
Your life—this magnificent,
messy, unfinished work of art—
is already perfect
in its imperfection,
already whole
in its brokenness,
already beautiful
in its becoming.
Now take these gifts, these well-used tools that other have crafted over time and used, and create your own unfinished, imperfect masterpiece of a lifetime. Expect the unexpected, expect to find beauty hidden in places you knew, and wisdom in the strange and distant winds. The tantalizing aroma of your becoming teases your sense and allures you. Go, dream your wildest, delight in every discovery, and fearlessly create your future.
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Dennis Ernst is a retired Professional Land Surveyor who now devotes his time to sharing the natural beauty he finds on his many treks through photography, blogs, and poetry. Please visit his website, Dennis Ernst Photography, for a glimpse into his fascinating world.