THE BROKEN GLASS

Yesterday I was walking down a flight of steps, a bag in my right hand, and a plate with a glass bowl in my left.

I was trying so hard to be careful so nothing fell and broke.  I got down what was actually a steep flight of steps and went over to a table where I would put the plate and glass.

I didn’t trip nor jerk my arm/hand.  In fact, it actually felt I was not moving at all.  But the bowl somehow left the plate and fell to the ground where it broke.  Honestly, I could not find a logical explanation for what happened.  It is as if the bowl just decided to fly off the plate and head to the ground.

Literally as the bowl hit the ground and broke, the image of grooms breaking the glass at Jewish wedding ceremonies came to mind.  There are many teachings around this tradition; one is that even in the sweetest of times, things aren’t perfect.  But they remain the sweetest of times. 

Similarly, I just read, there is an idea in Japanese architecture and design called wabi-sabi.  According to Google AI, the wabi-sabi philosophy is that imperfections are intentionally included as “there is beauty in things that are ‘imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete.’”  And what a beautiful way to think about human beings.  

Circling back to meaning of my breaking of the glass, I think the Universe’s messages to me are that no matter how hard we try, and I tried hard not to break the glass, we are not perfect and can not control all outcomes, including many we think we can control.  Thank goodness.  And I love the wabi-sabi idea that that these imperfections/mistakes make us beautiful.